Introductory description

In this module we go on a journey: from the theories and policies which have come to define the field of international development, through its crises and evolution, and to the current global context of the sustainable development goals, global inequalities, and new forms of civic activism. In doing so we cover the intellectual foundations of international development, its embedding through governance and policy, and its inherent contradictions and tensions. Within the broad field of ‘social science’ International Development has been the concern of anthropologists, economists, lawyers, political scientists and sociologists for many decades now. We will use and develop insights from varied disciplines and applied learning through case studies and workshops. In their policy and practice, development agencies and institutions have sought to impose some discipline on this ever-expanding area of research by focusing on economic growth, sustainability or capability enhancement. Globalisation has fundamentally altered the context of development and we need to understand how and in what ways this new context poses challenges for development.

This module explores both ‘theories’ and ‘issues’ relating to international and global development. Theoretical work and empirical work are not separate exercises. Practical problems stimulate theory construction, and theories inform the ways that we handle substantive issues. Theory that lacks bearing on practice is irrelevant. Action that lacks theoretical clarity and coherence is confused and ineffective. By examining theories, we explore the ways that knowledge is constructed - What assumptions do we make? What concepts do we employ? What explanations do we propose? What normative judgements do we make? By examining issues, this module considers some of the prominent substantive items on the policy agenda of development institutions and agencies, as well as other civil society actors. Whether and how do processes of globalisation transform, undermine or reinforce existing patterns of inequality and injustice? Is the traditional organisation of political life and the work of key development agencies still relevant in a context of globalisation? What new configurations of power have emerged in a globalised society? Are countries of the South able to respond and take advantage of these new configurations?

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Week 1 Introduction to the module; week 2 Modernisation theory and its continued relevance; Week 3 Marxist and neo-Marxist approaches: dependency and world development; Week 4 Critical liberal approaches: basic needs, capabilities, collective action; Week 5 From women in development to gender and development; Week 6 READING WEEK; Week 7 Postcolonial perspectives: orientalism, postcolonialism, decolonialism: an impasse?; Week 8 The developmental state: the promise and the limits; Week 9 Globalisation and global development architecture; Week 10 Development and regionalisation; Week 11 Poverty and Development; Week 12 From Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs) to Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs): old wine in new bottles?; Week 13 Trade and Global Value Chains; Week 14 Food security; Week 15 Social capital: or capital taking over the social?; Week 16 READING WEEK; Week 17 Environmental Threats to Development: Climate Change; Week 18 Financialising the everyday political economy of development: micro-credit; Week 19 Political Threats to Development: democratisation and professionalization; Week 20 International development in the 21st century

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• to assess relations of structure and agency in the politics of social change;
• to draw links between academic political analysis and policy practice;
• to use the Internet as a tool in political communication and policy evaluation;
• to develop sophisticated arguments in written form.
• to understand and critically evaluate the theories underpinning development practice

Indicative reading list

• Anthony Payne and Nicola Philips (2010) Development, Cambridge: Polity Press
• Diana Hunt (1989), Economic Theories of Development
• Leslie Sklair, 2002, Globalization, Capitalism and its Alternatives (3rd ed), Oxford: OUP
• Vandana Desai and Robert B. Potter, 2008, The Companion to Development Studies. London:
  Hodder Education
• U. Kothari and M. Minogue (eds) Development theory and practice: Critical Perspectives. Palgrave
  Macmillan: Basingstoke.
• Chossudovksy, M. (1998). The Globalisation of Poverty: Impacts of IMF and World Bank Reforms.
  London: Zed Books.
• Elson, D. (1995). in Male Bias in the Development Process. Manchester/New York City: Manchester
  University Press. 2nd edition.
• Chant, S. (2008). ‘The ‘Feminisation of Poverty and the ‘Feminisation’ of Anti-Poverty Programmes:
  Room for Revision?’, Journal of Development Studies. 44(2), pp. 165-197
• UNRISD (1995), ‘States of Disarray: The social effects of globalisation’
• Barrientos, S., Dolan C. and Tallontire, A. (2003). ‘A Gendered Value Chain Approach to Codes of
  Conduct in African Horticulture’ World Development 31(9), pp. 1511–1526.
• Gereffi, Gary, John Humphrey and Timothy SturgeonThe Governance of Global Value Chains
• Review of International Political Economy, Vol. 12, No. 1, Aspects of Globalization (Feb., 2005), pp.
  78-104
• Lappé, F. M. and Collins, J. (1977). ‘Why Can’t People Feed Themselves?’ in F.M. Lappé and
  J.Collins (ed). Food First: Beyond the Myth of Scarcity. Houghton-Mifflin: Boston.
• Friedland, W. (2005). ‘Commodity Systems: Forward to Comparative Analysis’, in N. Fold and B.
  Pritchard (eds) Cross-Continental Food Chains. Routledge: London.
• Bourdieu, P. (1986). Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–

• Putnam, Robert (1993) The Prosperous Community: Social capital and public life, American
  Prospect 13.
• Chang, H. (2003). Rethinking Development Economics. London: Anthem Press.
• Wilkinson, R. and Scott, J. (2012). Trade, Poverty, Development: Getting Beyond the WTO's Doha
  Deadlock. London: Routledge
• UNCTAD (2004). Trade and Gender: Opportunities and Challenges for Developing Countries
  (Online).
• Wilkinson, R. and Scott, J. (2012). Trade, Poverty, Development: Getting Beyond the WTO's Doha
  Deadlock. London: Routledge.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Research element

The assessment will involve a research essay, which will require students to use a variety of primary and secondary sources.

Interdisciplinary

The field of international development and its study are interdisciplinary in their nature and evolution and this will be the focus of many of the discussions during the module. Throughout the module the readings list and sources used will explicitly draw on insights from different disciplines (law, anthropology, political science, economics).

International

The module attracts an international student body with its focus on global issues of international development.

Subject specific skills

• Connecting theories of international development to policies and practices of development
• Knowledge of the evolution of the field of international development and the key actors and events
• Knowledge of the key theories of international development, their critiques and their applications
• Ability to critically assess and evaluate international development policies

Transferable skills

• Written communication skills
• Oral communication skills
• Detailed critical analysis skills
• Skills in the interpretation of primary and secondary sources
• Independent research skills
• Application of learning to case studies
• Summarising large bodies of work to highlight key points
• Implications of policy developments for theory and practice