Issues, Concepts, and Cases in Development Studies

CMNS 880 & POL 861 DEV 801 Fall 2006

Issues, Concepts, and Cases in Development Studies

Seminar: Monday 4:30-7:20 pm AQ 5025

Instructors

Robert Anderson Tel: 604-291-4265 email: Office: K9666 Shrum Science

James Busumtwi-Sam Tel: 604-291-4346 email: Office: AQ 6045

plus Members of the Development Group: this course may become classified as DEV 801

Issues, Concepts, and Cases in Development Studies

Weekly Course Schedule

Description:

This is the core course for the Graduate Certificate in Development studies. The course provides a multidisciplinary survey of the issues that confront scholars and practitioners in development, the major theories and concepts that help illuminate various aspects of development, and the methods used to analyze and interpret that data. Our focus is on the examination of historical and contemporary case studies in various fields, often seen from the practitioners’ and professionals’ point of view. Emphasis for students is to articulate their interests in their research projects, and discussion of the relation between specific fields and techniques of research and the wider and comparative scope of development studies. The goal is to give students a broad understanding of the major concepts, frameworks and issues that have shaped development practices over the past 50 years. There are no course prerequisites and the course does not assume any prior knowledge of specific theories, approaches, or methods. The course is designed in such a way that all students of development will benefit, irrespective of their disciplinary backgrounds.

Required Texts:

. Weekly required readings are on short-term reserve in the library: there is no single required text.

Course Organization:

A four-hour seminar each week

Course Requirements and Evaluation:

1st issues & concepts review 10%

2nd review 10%

Project Proposal 20%

Presentation & Research Paper 60%

Seminar Format

Each seminar in the course will begin with an overview/lecture by the instructor for the first hour or so, followed by discussion of the issues and readings, involving guests and instructors.

Seminar Participation

The seminars are devoted to discussion of themes, issues and readings. Each student is expected to come to class having done all the required readings and to actively participate in class discussions.

Review Papers and Project Proposal (40%)

Each student will be required to write (all space-and-a-half) two review papers (5 pages each, 10 marks); also a proposal (max 7 pages typed, 20 marks) examining the interplay of issues raised in at least two of the seminars in the course. The language of the questions for these reviews and the proposal will be presented to the class well in advance of deadlines. The reviews are to be an analytical interpretation of the readings, including for the weeks not yet covered if your proposal requires it. You should identify the key issues, explore the debate, and develop research questions. At the end of these reviews you will present a proposalin which you will announce, articulate, and justify the subject of your course project, explaining why these issues are significant for you, and for us. These proposals will be evaluated on their insight, rigour, and achievability. When improved and approved, final projects will follow these proposals.

Conference Presentation and Research Project (60%)

Each student is also expected to give an oral presentation (about 12-15 minutes each) to the class on his/her research project in weeks 12-13. The research project will be a more comprehensive treatment of the subject of the review papers and proposal, and be up to 20 typed pages space-and-a-half. It shall include bibliographic material beyond the course readings. The emphasis is on critical analysis and reflection. The final version of the research project will incorporate suggestions made immediately after the presentation, and is due seven days following the presentation.Attendance is required during the presentations. Evaluation of the final version of the project will reflect the extent to which you have responded to the suggestions made orally after the presentation.

Weekly Schedule:

Wk 1 Sept 11 Vision and reality: thinking and practice in development – Bob Anderson

Wk 2 Sept 18 Theories of development – James Busumtwi-Sam

Wk 3 Sept 25 Environment, ecology and sustainable development - Duncan Knowler

Wk 4 Oct 2 Gender, work, and the state in development – Habiba Zaman

Wk 5 public holiday

Wk 6 Oct 16 Development Institutions, Programs, and Projects – Nello Angerilli(1st review due)

Wk 7 Oct 23 Conflict, human in/security, states, and peace-building – Alison Ayers

Wk 8 Oct 30 Population, migration and health – Craig Janes (2nd review due)

Wk 9 Nov 6 Globalization, markets, trade and debt – Andy Hira

Wk 10 Nov 13 Expertise and the politics of knowledge in development – Bob Anderson

Wk 11 Nov 20 Comparing economies and economic performance – Alex Karaivanov

Wk 12 Nov 27 project presentations in conference, and comments from John Harriss

Wk 13 Dec 4 feedback on presentations from instructors

Web resources: Information on various aspects of development can be accessed at:

Development Gateway:

UNCTAD:

UNDP:

World Bank:

WTO:

SCHEDULE OF WEEKLY SEMINARS

PART I. CONCEPTS, THEORIES, & FRAMEWORKS

Week 1. 11 Sept Introduction:Vision and Reality in the Discourse of Development

Bob Anderson

Historically, what has been the promise of development and what has been the reality, meaning the experience of those to whom the promise was offered? Has the meaning of development changed over time, and why? What does development mean to researchers, and to its subjects or objects?

General introduction to the course and discussion of administrative matters
Discussion of course objectives and the topics and issues to be discussed
Discussion of research paper, research techniques and methods
Examination of the interplay between mainstream and alternate ideas in development

Readings:

* W. Sachs, (1992)The Development Dictionary (London: Zed) “Introduction” and Ch 2.

* Rist, G. (1997). The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith, (London: Zed) Ch 1.

* Sen, Amartya (1999). Development as Freedom, (NY: Alfred Knopf) Chapter 1

* Ramesh Thakur et al, (2005) International Commissions and the Power of Ideas, Tokyo, UN University Press.

Week 2. 19 SeptTheories of Development

James Busumtwi-Sam

We survey, in chronological order, some of the major theories of development since 1945 and the intellectual sources on which they are based.

Readings:

Overview

* Frans J. Schurman, (2000). “Paradigms Lost, Paradigms Regained? Development Studies in the Twenty-First Century.” Third World Quarterly, 21, 1: 7-20.

Modernization Theories

* Rostow, Walt W. (1960). The Stages of Economic Growth, (CambridgeUniversity Press) Ch 1 & 2.

Marxist, Neo-Marxist and Dependency theories

* Peter Evans, (1979) Dependent Development, PrincetonUniversity Press, Ch 1.

Neoliberalism and Rational Choice theories

* Colclough, C. (1991). “Structuralism vs. Neo-Liberalism: An Introduction”, in C. Colclough and J.M. Manor (eds.) States or Markets? (London: Clarendon Press) Ch. 1.

Post-Modernism

* Arturo Escobar (1997). Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World. (Princeton 1996)

Ch 1 and Ch 6.

Week 3. 26 SeptEcology, Environment, and Sustainable Development

Duncan Knowler

We discuss the fundamental issues of the difference between ecology and the environment in development, including: natural resource use and management, community based resource management, sustainability and economic growth, political ecology, equity, sustainability, and the environment

Readings:

* Williams, C.C. and Millington, A.C., (2004) “The diverse and contested meanings of sustainable development”, The Geographical Journal 170 (2): 99-104.

* Daly, H.E., (1996) “Introduction: the shape of current thought on sustainable development”, in Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development, Beacon Press: Boston.

Progress on Sustainable Development: Perspectives from Economics and Political Ecology

* Pearce, D.W. and Atkinson, G., (1995) “Measuring sustainable development”, in Handbook of Environmental Economics, D. Bromley (ed.), Blackwells: Oxford.

* Martinez-Alier, J., (2002) “Political ecology: the study of ecological distribution conflicts”, in The Environmentalism of the Poor: A Study of Ecological Conflicts and Valuation, Edward Elgar: Northhampton.

Case Study on Land Degradation: A Slide Talk

* Knowler, D., (2004) “The economics of soil productivity: local, national and global perspectives”, Land Degradation and Development, 15:1-19.

Week 4. 2 OctGender, work, and the State

Guest: Habiba Zaman

We examine varieties of feminist approaches and women’s voices in development, and the issues of gender participation and empowerment.

Readings:

*Rathgeber, Eva. (1990). "WID, WAD, GAD: Trends in Research and Practice," Journal of Developing Areas, Vol. 24, pp. 489-502.
*Pettigrew, Beth. (1993). "The Breast/Bottle Controversy: Women and Development," Resources for Feminist Research. Vol. 22, No. 3/4, pp. 57-66.
*Beneria, Lourdes & Gita Sen. (1997). "Accumulation, Reproduction and Women's Role in Economic Development: Boserup Revisited,"
*Young, Kate (1997). "Gender and Development" Both articles are in Visvanathan et.al. eds., The Women,Gender and Development Reader. London: Zed Press, pp. 42-54.
* Zaman, Habiba (1999). "Labour Rights, Networking, and Empowerment: Mobilizing Garment Workers in Bangladesh," in Porter, Marilyn & Ellen Judd (eds.) Feminists Doing Development.London: Zed Press, pp. 158-171.
*Salaff, Janet (2002). "Women's Work in International Migration," in Chow, Esther Ngan-ling (ed.) TransformationGender and Development in East Asia. New York: Routledge, pp. 217-237.

Week 5 is a public holiday

PART II. CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES AND ISSUES

Week 6. 16 OctDevelopment Institutions, Programs, and Projects

Guest: Nello Angerilli

We examine some of the major policy frameworks since 1945 that have influenced development policy making and administration, and project management and evaluation. The interplay of the multilateral, bilateral, and NGO communities is discussed.

Readings:

* Harmonising Donor Practices for Effective Aid Delivery,Rome Declaration on Harmonisation, February 2003

*Réal Lavergne and Anneli Alba, CIDA Primer on Program-Based Approaches (Analysis and Research Division, Policy Branch, CIDA April 30, 2003)

* Anil Hira and Trevor Parfitt (2003), Development Projects for a New Millennium (Praeger), Ch.1 and Ch.7.

Cases:

Bolivia Microfinance Project 1 & 2

Chalillo Dam CIDA Project

Week 7. 23 Oct Conflict, Human In/security and Peace-building

Guest: Sandra Maclean

We discuss the sources and consequences of violence, warfare and insecurity, the political economy of war; human security, humanitarian intervention and humanitarian law, and post-conflict reconstruction and peace-building.

Readings

*Lionel Cliffe and Robin Luckham (1999) “Complex Political Emergencies and the State: Failure and the Fate of the State” Third World Quarterly. 20, 1 pp. 27-50.

*Reginald H. Green and I. Ahmed (1999) “Rehabilitation, Sustainable Peace and Development: Towards a Re-conceptualization.” Third World Quarterly, 20, 1 pp. 189-206.

* Collier, Paul (2000) Economic Causes of Civil Conflict and their Implications for Policy. World Bank Development Research Group. Washington, DC: World Bank.

* Busumtwi-Sam, James (2002) “Development and Human Security: Whose Security and From What?” International Journal 57: 253-272.

* Mohammed Ayoob, (2004) “Third World Perspectives on Humanitarian Intervention and International Administration” Global Governance 10, 99-118.

* Reno, William (2000) “Clandestine Economies, Violence and States in Africa”, Journal of International Affairs, 53 (2) (Spring): 433-59 on-line SFU journal.

Week 8. 30 OctPopulation,Migration and Health

Guests: Craig Janes

We discuss structural reforms, health care and services, migration, and livelihoods, as 'development'.

Readings:

* Jeffrey D Sachs, “Macroeconomics and Health: investing in health for economic development, 2001 [coming electronically]
* World Bank, “Investing in Health” in World Development Report, Oxford University Press, 1993.

*Janes, R. “Poor medicine for poor people: assessing the impact of neoliberal reform on health care equity in a post-socialist context” forthcoming in Global Public Health (2006) [coming electronically]

Week 9. 6 NovGlobalization and Development: Trade, Finance/Aid, and Debt

Guest: Anil Hira

We discuss patterns, trends and frameworks in international and regional trade, changing patterns of development finance; and debt and development.

Readings:

* Cohn, Theodore H., (2005) Global Political Economy: Theory and Practice, 3rd edition, Pearson Longman, New York, Ch. 7 (“Foreign Debt and Financial Crises”) and Ch. 11 (“International Development”).

* Wade, Robert Hunter, (2003) “What Strategies are Viable for Developing Countries Today? The World Trade Organization and the Shrinking of Development Space,” Review of International Political Economy 10, 4: 621-644.

* Hart, Michael and Bill Dymond, (2003) “Special and Differential Treatment and the Doha ‘Development’ Round,” Journal of World Trade 37, 2: 395-415.

* Oxfam, Making Trade Fair [as PDF].

* Busumtwi-Sam, James (2003). “Rethinking Development: Governance, Participation and Ownership,” in J. Busumtwi-Sam and L. Dobuzinskis, eds, Turbulence and New Directions in Global Political Economy (Basingstoke: Palgrave) pp. 85-106.

Week 10 13 Nov Expertise and the politics of knowledge in development

Guest: Bob Anderson

We discussknowledge systems, science, technology and communication in development – a comparison of the militarized environments of Bangladesh and Myanmar

Readings:
* Pat Howard, (1994) "The Confrontation of Modern and Traditional Knowledge Systems in Development," Canadian Journal of Communication, Vol. 19: 189-208. This article is available online at:

* Robert Chambers, (1997) Ch. 8: "Poor People's Realities: Local, Complex, Diverse, Dynamic and Unpredictable, Whose Reality Counts? Putting the First Last, London: Intermediate Technology Publications, pp. 162-187.
*James Ferguson (1990), The Anti-Politics Machine: `Development', depoliticisation, and bureaucratic power in Lesotho, Cambridge University Press.
* Robert Pinkey, “The power of the gun: armies and armed force” chapter 6 in Jeffrey Haynes [ed] Palgrave Advances in Development Studies, London, Palgrave, 2005

* Andrew Selth, “The Tatmadaw Today” and “The Tatmadaw in a Democracy” chapters 10 & 11 in Selth, Burma’s Armed Forces: power without glory, Norwalk, Eastbridge, 2002.

Week 11. 20 November Comparing economies and performance in development

Guest: Alex Karaivanov

We discuss economic development, and key issues in the evolution of development economics: goals of economic development, sources of growth, trade and development, capital accumulation, income distribution and equity, market strength and failure, and government intervention. We conclude with new directions and future research needs.

Readings:

* Brohman, J., I. Gannitsos and M. Roseland, (2003) “Issues of Participation in a University-NGO, North-South Partnership: Internationalizing a CED Program,” Canadian Journal of Development Studies Vol. XXIV, 1: 89-105.

Economics of Development: Issues, Controversies and Future Directions

* Naqvi, S.N.H., (1996) “The Significance of Development Economics”, World Development, 24 (6): 975-987.

* Meier, G.M., (2001) “The Old Generation of Development Economics and the New” (with Comments), in Frontiers of Development EconomicsThe Future in Perspective, Oxford University Press: New York, pp13-60.

* Sen, A., (1999) Introduction and Chapters 1 and 2 in Development as Freedom, A.A. Knopf: New York, pp3-53,

* Altman, D., (2002) “Small-Picture Approach to a Big Problem: Poverty”, New York Times, Late Edition – Final, Section C, p2, August 20, 2002.

PART II STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

Week 12. 27 NovStudents’ Presentation of Research Papers in Conference with observations by John Harriss, School of International Studies

Critical response and guidance for final projects will be given to each student individually, following presentations. Final research papers due seven days after the presentation.

Week 13. 4 Dec Instructor’s Feedback on presentations