Political Economy of Contemporary India Since gaining independence from the British in 1947, and three decades since the launch of the most ambitious set of economic reforms, India has changed dramatically over the years; but what does all this change really mean for the lives of ordinary citizens?   This course will explore the political economy context of India’s development, and in particular, the changing texture of democracy, economic transition from the state to the market, gender relations, environmental challenges, India's economic globalization, and a changing world view from the time of India's independence to the present.  The course will also capture the tensions inherent in such a multifaceted process of change. We will make use of historical texts and visual sources to map out how local and national economic, socio-political and cultural factors interweave with the global movement of people and ideas in the continued evolution of contemporary India.

Introductory Microeconomics An introduction to the analysis of such microeconomic problems as price formation (the forces behind demand and supply), market structures from competitive to oligopolistic, distribution of income, and public policy options bearing on these problems.

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.

International Trade Since March 2020 when the world economies went into cascading lockdowns, global trade has been severely impacted.  As the global economy slowly opens up, we will answer some age old and some new questions - First, what factors determine flow of international goods and services? Second, how are the gains and losses from international trade distributed amongst nations? Do all benefit, or are some countries made better off at the expense of others?  Third, how does trade affect the internal allocation of resources and distribution of income within a country?  Fourth, why do national governments try and influence or control international trade flows?  Finally, how does international trade affect the low- and middle-income countries in today's global economy especially in the post Covid world?

Introduction to International and Global Studies This is the core course of the International and Global Studies major. It is an introduction to key international issues and problems that will likely feature prominently in their courses at Middlebury and study abroad. Issues covered will differ from year to year, but they may include war, globalization, immigration, racism, imperialism, nationalism, world organizations, non-governmental organizations, the European Union, the rise of East Asia, politics and society in Latin America, and anti-Americanism.

Great Ideas in Economics The current 4th industrial revolution is changing lives in mundane and profound ways. The set of cooperative and competing interactions among humans, machines, and nature will shape lives in ways that we have just begun to comprehend. There has been “production, buying, selling, and trading” of goods and services since time immemorial –- why then does the formal study of “economics” as a discipline start only from around the 17th century with the onset of the 1st Industrial Revolution?  This course introduces students to our most influential economists, their ideas, and their impact upon economics, policy, and intellectual history. We will engage in serious thinking, writing, and discussion about the great economics questions of our age.

Economic Development: Development /as/ Freedom Much of the world still faces the daily pain of poverty and inequality. Developing countries have to accelerate their growth rates, eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, create productive employment, and address pressing environmental concerns. We will 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. We will pursue this against the backdrop of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s path breaking work, “Development as Freedom” and bring in case studies from Asia, Latin America and Africa.  We will focus on different development strategies adopted, choice of policy instruments, methods of implementation, all the while asking if development is indeed an integrated process of expansion of substantive human freedoms that connect with one another for a higher purpose.

Sunder Ramaswamy

Reviews and ratings for Sunder Ramaswamy at Middlebury College.Sunder Ramaswamy teaches Pol Econ of Contemporary India, Intro Microeconomics, Economic Development Seminar and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Sunder Ramaswamy good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Ramaswamy gets some hate but hes a generally good teacher and is really accomidating for extensions and stuff like that. The graders sometimes kick your a$$ for no reason but you can make up for it with the exams if you study for them and pay attention in class. 

Ramaswamy can be pretty difficult to follow in lectures. He will go off on tangents sometimes, and you need to be locked in and taking notes to do well on exams. I would also recommend keeping up to date with the readings, as there will be content on exams you won't fully understand without reading.

Professor Ramaswamy is one of the most remarkable professors at Middlebury. His teaching style pushes you to think beyond the standard boundaries of economics and to really engage with the ideas behind the models. Some of the concepts in this course may feel new or challenging at first, especially if you haven’t worked deeply with economic theory before, but the learning experience is incredibly rewarding. He has a way of connecting abstract ideas to real-world development issues that makes the material feel alive and relevant. You leave the class not just knowing more, but thinking differently.