Development Finance

The aim of the course is familiarize students with the methods and basic tools of Development Finance. The course is divided into three parts. In the first part, the historical evolution of the world development financing system’s architecture is presented. Furthermore, the role of its international, regional and national institutions/stakeholders is analysed. In the second part, the main existing mechanisms and tools of development finance are presented (at both theoretical and applied level focusing on their impact on development), with special emphasis on Leasing, Value Chain Financing, Factoring/Forfaiting, Venture Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private-Public Partnerships (PPPs) and Franchising. In the third part, cyclical economy, inclusive finance and impact investing is introduced in the context of SDGs and ESGs and the Innovative Development Finance Mechanisms (IFDMs) are presented with emphasis on Crowdfunding, Diaspora Bonds, GDP-linked bonds and Green Bonds. E-class is used. A mixed evaluation system is applied, comprising of a project/essay assignment accompanied by classroom presentation