John Maluccio
Office
Warner 018
Tel
(802) 443-5941
Email
jmalucci@middlebury.edu
Office Hours
Tuesdays 2:00-4:00 PM, Thursdays 11:00 AM -12:00 PM or by appointment

John A. Maluccio joined the Economics Department at Middlebury College in the fall of 2005. He teaches courses in econometrics and the economic development of Latin America. His research interests lie in the microeconometric analysis of topics in development economics, particularly the determinants of health and education, program evaluation, and the long-term consequences of early childhood malnutrition and poverty. He has carried out research in a number of countries in both Africa and Latin America.

After earning his B.A. in mathematics and economics from Amherst College (1986), John served in the U.S. Peace Corps-Kenya, where he taught high school math and science. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University. Prior to arriving at Middlebury, he was a Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington D.C.

Courses Taught

Course Description

Introduction to Regression Analysis
In this course regression analysis is introduced. The major focus is on quantifying relationships between economic variables. Multiple regression identifies the effect of several exogenous variables on an endogenous variable. After exploring the classical regression model, fundamental assumptions underlying this model will be relaxed, and further new techniques will be introduced. Methods for testing hypotheses about the regression coefficients are developed throughout the course. Both theoretical principles and practical applications will be emphasized. The course goal is for each student to employ regression analysis as a research tool and to justify and defend the techniques used. (MATH 0121; and ECON 0111, (formerly ECON 0210) ECON 0150 or ECON 0155) 3 hrs. lect., 1 hr. lab

Terms Taught

Spring 2023

Requirements

DED

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Course Description

Theories of Economic Development in Latin America
This course is designed to provide a survey of the most important issues facing Latin American policymakers today. The course will place contemporary problems in their historical perspective and will use applied economic analysis to examine the opportunities and constraints facing the economies of Latin America. (ECON 0150) 3 hrs. lect.

Terms Taught

Spring 2022, Fall 2023

Requirements

AAL, AMR, CW, SOC

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Course Description

Seminar on Economic Development
Much of the world still faces the daily pain of poverty. Developing countries have to accelerate their growth rates, eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, address environmental concerns, and create productive employment. We examine the major analytic and policy issues raised by these challenges and study the need for a productive balance between market forces and positive state action. With the help of case studies from Asia, Latin America, and Africa, we focus on different development strategies adopted, the choice of policy instruments, and methods of implementation. (ECON 0250 or IPEC 0240 [formerly ECON 0240] or ECON 0255) 3 hrs. sem.

Terms Taught

Fall 2022

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Course Description

Trade and Foreign Aid in Latin America
This course is designed to provide an in-depth examination of a number of critical issues that currently confront policymakers in Latin America. The topics of development, regionalization and free trade, and the efficacy of foreign aid will be analyzed in the context of Latin American economic development. (ECON 0250, or ECON 0255 or ECON 0240 or IPEC 0240) 3 hrs. sem.

Terms Taught

Fall 2019, Fall 2021, Spring 2024

Requirements

AAL, AMR

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Course Description

Individual Special Project
If you choose to pursue an area that we do not offer or go in depth in an area already covered, we recommend the Individual Special Project option. These ECON 0500 proposals MUST be passed by the entire department and are to be submitted to the chair by the first Friday of fall and spring semester, respectively. The proposals should contain a specific description of the course contents, its goals, and the mechanisms by which goals are to be realized. It should also include a bibliography. According to the College Handbook, ECON 0500 projects are a privilege open to those students with advanced preparation and superior records in their fields. A student needs to have a 3.5 or higher G.P.A. in Economics courses taken at Middlebury in order to pursue an Individual Special Project. ECON 0500 does not count towards the major or minor requirements.

Terms Taught

Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024

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Course Description

Senior Research Workshop I
In this first semester, students will design and begin their projects. Emphasis will be on designing a novel research question (while making the case for its importance) and an appropriate strategy for answering it. This requires immersion in the academic literature on the topic. General research principles and tools will be taught in class, as a group, while those specific to individual projects will be covered in one-on-one meetings. By the end of the term, students will outline their plan for completing the project, including demonstrating that it is a feasible research question for which the necessary information (e.g., data or source materials) is available or can be generated by the student (e.g., lab or other experiment). (Approval required)

Terms Taught

Winter 2020, Fall 2021

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Course Description

Senior Research Workshop II
In this second semester of the senior research workshop sequence, the focus is on the execution of the research plan developed in ECON 0701. Most instruction is now one-on-one but the workshop will still meet as a group to discuss and practice the presentation of results in various formats (seminars, poster sessions, et cetera) to the rest of the workshop and others in the college and broader communities. Feedback and critiques from such presentations will be incorporated into the project, which will culminate in a research paper in the style of an economics journal article. (ECON 0701; Approval required)

Terms Taught

Spring 2020, Winter 2022

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Course Description

Economic Development
Each year $100 billion is spent worldwide in aid to developing countries to help raise the world's "bottom billion.” In this course we examine problems of economic development and their potential solutions, starting from the individual experience of poverty. Employing a microeconomic framework, but also drawing on other social sciences, we will assess how some of that $100 billion is used, examining current development programs and policies (such as health, education, microfinance, labor migration, and community-based development). Students will write policy memos and short research papers and participate in classroom debates. 3 hrs. sem.

Terms Taught

Fall 2019

Requirements

CW, SOC

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Course Description

Latin American Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)

Terms Taught

Winter 2020, Winter 2021, Winter 2022, Winter 2023, Winter 2024

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Course Description

Independent Project
(Approval Required)

Terms Taught

Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024

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Course Description

Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)

Terms Taught

Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024

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