Why are some countries so much richer, and why have some countries developed so much faster than others? This course investigates those questions, with a focus on emerging economies, both recent and in the past. We will seek to understand (i) proximate causes of development related to the organization of production in industries, firms, and financial markets, and then (ii) more profound causes associated with a country’s geography, history, culture, religion, and political, legal, and administrative institutions, while using (iii) macroeconomic and empirical tools applied to a variety of datasets, from corporate Big Data to archaeological and historical sources. You will learn to critically assess theories and hypotheses of economic development, and analyse their corresponding economic policies and business strategies.