Why are some countries richer than others? Why have some countries experienced growth miracles while others have experienced stagnation or even growth disasters? Within developing countries, what does it mean to be poor? How to combat poverty? What are the challenges that the poor in developing countries face and what can be done to improve their living standards? This course intends to teach students what we know and what we do not know about these important questions and will focus on teaching students tools in understanding them. The topics covered will include explanations on why countries develop differentially, the effect of geography, institutions, foreign aid, corruption and differential, saving rates on the large disparities across countries. Within countries, we will examine the role of education, health migration and credit markets in the alleviation of poverty. The course will cover both theory and empirical evidence but focusing mainly on how to conduct empirical analysis in understanding these important economic development issues.