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| Campus | Haverford |
| Semester | Spring 2025 |
| Registration ID | ECONH206B001 |
| Course Title | Why Low-Income Families and Small Business lack access and how to make it better. |
| Credit | 1.00 |
| Department | Economics |
| Instructor | Mudd,Shannon B. |
| Times and Days | Th 12:15pm-03:00pm
|
| Room Location | FRDCTR1 |
| Additional Course Info | Class Number: 1551 Households of low to moderate income struggle in multiple ways. To what extent can access to appropriate financial tools help alleviate some of their stress? While microcredit, the provision of small loans to people in poverty, is typically associated with developing countries, issues of access to appropriate financial products are everywhere.; ; This course focuses on Access to Finance in the US and will involve direct engagement with Philadelphia organizations dealing with the issue that finance might address - and both the potential and actual problems that arise within households, small business and the industries that are in the ecosystem supporting them. We will read books, articles and studies to ground us in different understandings of poverty and households' financial needs, whether theoretical, empirical and/or directly observed. And, we will examine how the financial sector and adjacent industries are providing products and services to serve those households and small businesses, not always in helpful ways. We will look at eco-systems, providers, regulators and financial literacy.; ; A major portion of the class will be project-based and will have you take a deep dive into one of the Philly organizations involved in access to finance to better understand what they do, how they are doing it and how they are making strategic decisions. We will develop basic analytical skills and deploy useful frameworks to better understand the operations of each organization. And, we will assess how their success is affected both by the capabilities they bring and the environment in which they are working. This class will be taught in Philadelphia as part of the Tri-Co Philly Program. ; ; Come join Professor Mudd in the city and learn together the issues and current local efforts to deal with them.; ; Prerequisites: Priority in registration will be given to students participating in the Tri-Co Philly Program (https://www.haverford.edu/philly-program) and PJHR concentrators. Remaining seats are available to other Tri-Co students, by lottery, if demand exceeds remaining spaces in the course. If you are interested in the program, you must fill out the application, which is due on Friday, Nov. 1 by 11:59 pm. This program includes registering for two of three of the programs courses, which include this course OR A City of Homes: Housing Issues in Philadelphia (ENGL B260) OR Philadelphia Music City (MUSI 005C). Those not participating in the Philly program do not need to complete the application and can simply pre-register for the class; ; Enrollment Limit: 18; Lottery Preference(s): Tri-Co Philly Program students, PJHR concentrators; Social Science, B: Analysis of the Social World (Hav: SO, B). Social Science, B: Analysis of the Social World (; Hav: SO, B) |
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