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Steven A. Block

Associate Professor of International Economics

Education

BA, Brandeis University
MPP and PhD in Political Economy, Harvard University

Professional Activities

Consultant to the World Bank and USAID on numerous technical assistance missions in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia; Senior Analyst, Abt Associates, Inc. (1984-95); Teaching Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (1983-84, 1989-91).

Curriculum Vitae

Steven A. Block

Programs & Centers

• The Program in International Development
• Institute for Human Security

Courses

Fall 2009

• EIB E240 - Development Economics
• EIB E243 - Seminar on Agriculture and Rural Development in Developing Countries

Syllabi are available on course blackboard - http://blackboard.tufts.edu

Research Interests

Agricultural development; economic growth; political economy; Africa; development economics, particularly food and agricultural policy, growth, and political economy.

Faculty Research Profile - "[A]s developing countries in Africa move towards democracy it is important to understand the implications of political change on macro stability."

Selected Publications

Working Papers

• "Nutrition Knowledge versus Schooling in the Demand for Child Micronutrient Status," in review at Oxford Economic Papers; preliminary publication as Harvard University, Center for International Development, Working Paper No. 93.
• "Elections and the Composition of Public Spending in Developing Countries," preliminary publication as Harvard University, Center for International Development, Working Paper No. 78.

Published Papers

• “Maternal Nutrition Knowledge Versus Schooling as Determinants of Child Micronutrient Status,” Oxford Economic Papers (2007);
• "Elections, Opportunism, Partisanship, and Sovereign Ratings in Developing Countries," with Paul Vaaler and Burkhard Schrage; Review of Development Economics (forthcoming). Preliminary publication as William Davidson Institute Working Paper No. 546 (University of Michigan).
• "Counting the Investor Vote: Political Business Cycle Effects on Sovereign Bond Spreads in Developing Countries," with Paul Vaaler and Burkhard Schrage, Journal of International Business Studies Vol. 36:62-88 (2005). Preliminary publication as William Davidson Institute Working Paper No. 575 (University of Michigan).
• "Macro Shocks and Micro Outcomes: Child Nutrition During Indonesia's Crisis," with several co-authors, Economics and Human Biology, Vol. 2, No. 2 (2004); preliminary publication as Harvard University, Center for International Development, Working Paper No. 90; Tufts University School of Nutrition Science & Policy, FPAN Working Paper No. 5.
• "Nutrition Knowledge and the Demand for Micronutrient-Rich Foods: Evidence from Indonesia," Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 40, No. 6 (2004). Preliminary publication as Tufts University School of Nutrition Science & Policy, FPAN Working Paper No. 20.
• "Nutrition Information and Formal Schooling as Inputs to Child Nutrition," with Patrick Webb, Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol. 52, No. 4 (2004). Preliminary publication as Tufts University School of Nutrition Science & Policy, FPAN Working Paper No. 21.
• "The Price of Democracy: Sovereign Risk Ratings and Bond Spreads, and Political Business Cycles in Developing Countries," with Paul Vaaler, Journal of International Money and Finance Vol. 23 (2004).
• "Political Conditions and Currency Crises in Emerging Markets," Emerging Markets Review, Volume 4, Issue 3 (2003): 225-328.
• "Multiparty Competition, Founding Elections, and Political Business Cycles in Africa," with K. Ferree and S. Singh. Journal of African Economies. Vol. 12, No. 3 (2003).
• "Political Business Cycles, Democratization, and Economic Reform: The Case of Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 67 (2002) 205-228.
• "The Dynamics of Livelihood Diversification in Rural Ethiopia: Incomes, Assets, and Perceptions," with P. Webb, Food Policy 26 (2001) 333-350.
• "Does Africa Grow Differently?" Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 65 (2001) 443-476.
• "Agriculture and Economic Growth in Ethiopia: Growth Multipliers from a Four-Sector Simulation Model," Agricultural Economics, 20 (1999) 241-252.
• "The Recovery of Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Vol. 20, No. 5, October, 1995.
• "A New View of Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 76, No. 3, August 1994.

Published Book Chapters

• "Nutrition Knowledge, Rice Prices, and the Micronutritional Effect of Indonesia's Crisis of 1997-98." Rice Science: Innovations and Impact for Livelihood. Eds., Mew, T.w., D.S. Brar, S. Peng, D. Dawe, and B. Hardy. Manila: International Rice Research Institute, 2004.
• "Observations on the Philippine Road to Nichood," in The Philippine Road to NIChood, Thompson and Villacorta, eds., De La Salle University Press, Philippines. 1996.