• 15 credits
• Spring & Summer Teaching, Year 1 credits

This module aims to provides you with a practical introduction to reseach methodologies and methods. The module will combine practical exercises with structured sessions that introduce different research paradigms and principles of research design, issues around qualitative and quantitative data collection and management, analysis and intepretation, and key debates around epistemology, methodology and ethics. 

To support you in developing concrete research skills and obtaining a 360-degree overview of the research cycle the module will focus on semi-structured interviewing and survey design and analysis. The merits and weaknesses of these methods will be discussed against alternatives (for example focus groups interviews, participant observation and participatory statistics) and each session will highlight the ethical and political implications of the various choices that make up a resarch design. You will be encouraged to reflect on the issues and dilemmas highlighted by the module as researchers, evaluators and commissioners of research in relation to the context in which they might do or make use of research.

• 45 credits
• Summer Teaching, Year 1 credits

Following the submission date for Semester 2 coursework, you're required to undertake an individual project based on original research, which culminates in a ten thousand word dissertation. Most students will rely on secondary sources.

Primary data collection (fieldwork) is not essential, although you may wish to conduct a short period of fieldwork during the summer.

If you wish to undertake primary fieldwork, you will have to take one of three methods courses offered in Semester 2.

You must identify a supervisor and submit a Certificate of Approval for your dissertation by the end of May. Supervisors will guide you on developing your argument, structuring your dissertation and additional readings.

• 30 credits
• Autumn Semester, Year 1 credits

This is the foundation module for all students studying at IDS.

It provides you with the conceptual and epistemological foundations of development studies, mapping the historical evolution of the political, socio-economic and cultural influences that have shaped the discourse.

The module will highlight the deeply contested nature of development studies, the different insights that academic disciplines such as economics, gender, anthropology, sociology, geography and political science have contributed to the evolution of development thinking.

This module aims to provide you with the skills and knowledge to reflect on your own motivation and positionality and how these influence your interpretation of the meaning and goals of development.

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

International development assistance (aid) has apparently strong theoretical justification, and rich countries are increasing their aidflows to unprecedented levels in pursuit of poverty reduction. But the political economy of aid is becoming more polarised as global security concerns and global trade reform influence the purposes and practice of aid. Critics are many and anthropological, economic and political science analyses the dominant aid paradigm.

This course provides you with a historically-grounded assessment of international development assistance and its potential to reduce poverty through detailed treatment of the arguments for and against aid. There will be a strong emphasis on the new aid architecture as well as the special circumstances of 'fragile' states and the role of aid.

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

This course provides you with an understanding of the science, politics and developmental implications of climate change and disasters, focusing on the perspectives of poor households, communities and developing countries. You will assess the overlaps between disasters, climate change and poverty, focusing on climate change adaptation and disaster risk-reduction approaches, critically analysing options to reduce negative effects and harness opportunities.  You will also examine the social, political and economic drivers of vulnerability, considering how policy processes at different scales influence risk management activities and local coping strategies.

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

Globalisation of production changed the way firms compete in the global economy. More recently, the emergence of China, Brazil, India and other 'rising powers' as key global economic actors has created new sources of innovation but also tougher competition in the global economy.

You examine in particular the implications for countries in the rest of Asia, Latin America and Africa: how do these new conditions impact firm competitiveness in developing countries? How can they use the new opportunities being created to upgrade their position in global value chains? How can they avoid the worst pitfalls associated with the new global competition? How can national sources of competitiveness (firms, clusters and their policy networks) be leveraged for overall better economic performance and structural change?

• 30 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

The module provides a practical guide to different policy and programmatic approaches to poverty and vulnerability reduction.

The first part of the module provides an overview of different programmatic interventions and policy process and considers their relevance for poverty.

The second part uses a case study approach to understand social protection as a policy and programmatic framework to address poverty.

Different social protection instruments are outlined, and their relative poverty and vulnerability reduction effectiveness is examined. Different evaluation methods are identified and the political and financial sustainability of interventions are considered.

The third part of the module looks at the underlying causes and drivers of poverty and considers how broader social policy can respond. This includes examining the vulnerability of workers through migration, and informality and how politics effects and shapes poverty programmes and social policy.

• 30 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

This module examines the theory and practice of democracy and its role in development. The first part discusses theories of democracy, from classical to modern, mapping their core concepts and establishing clear analytical relations between frameworks of democracy and their historical contexts. The second part relates these theoretical discussions to empirical concerns and case studies around the notion of development and social change, including the relationship between democracy and economic development, the impact of religion and culture, the relationship between formal and informal institutions, citizen participation and democracy promotion. The final session discusses the future of democracy and its dilemmas in contemporary times.

• 30 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

This is a core module for students enrolled in the MA in Participation, Power and Social Change and is oriented towards supporting the design of your Critical Inquiry into Practice. It is also open to other MA students who wish to design a dissertation inquiry and to first year PhD students at IDS who will be using primary research in a constructivist, action research or action learning paradigm. 

In this module, you explore basic principles of action research, action learning and constructivist research design, strategy and method.

You examine contrasting research paradigms and epistemologies, and interrogate questions of validity.

You consider how to formulate research questions and researchable problems and address issues of positionality and ethics in research processes, relationships, communications and outputs. 

In terms of practice, the module will provide examples and opportunities to try out, critique and choose methods and tools useful for action research, action learning and constructivist research. You consider the components of a research plan, from identifying research problem to analysis, synthesis and communication. 

You gain practical experience during the module by working in groups to design, implement and communicate the results of a piece of action research, action learning or constructivist research. 

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

You learn how development in cities is critical for the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals.

You examine how:

• more than half of humanity lives in urban areas and poverty is urbanising
• cities are places of economic growth and opportunity
• urbanisation is accompanied by rising inequalities, security and safety concerns and challenges to sustainability.

You look at key concepts and challenges, and the necessity to understand cities as quantitatively and qualitatively different from, but closely connected to, the rural contexts for which much of the traditional development approaches have been devised.

You learn the key frameworks for understanding and learning about the unique challenges of development in cities.

• 30 credits
• Autumn Semester, Year 1 credits

You are given an introduction to economics applied to international development.

You study:

• economic growth
• rural development
• finance
• food
• institutions
• international trade.

You are suited to this course if you are interested to know the causes and potential solutions to some of the most pressing problems of our time.

There are no prerequisites for attending this course, but some basic algebra and statistics will be employed in the lectures and seminars. 

• 30 credits
• Autumn Semester, Year 1 credits

The changing shape and role of the state and the rise of the corporate/private sector as an important player in development are important institutional changes in the contemporary social development arena, whilst development programmes and policies articulated through different sectors also impact on processes of social change and gender relations.

Different women and men respond to these changing institutional arrangements differently.

You examine these issues by focusing on selected sectors of development policy, such as education, the environment and social protection, and sexual health.

We consider how these areas may interact with questions of gendered identity, agency and wellbeing. 

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

You examine fundamental questions that armed conflicts and political violence raise about the role and relevance of the state and the process of governance.

You evaluate alternative approaches to the explanation of conflicts, together with their incorporation in the conflict- assessment frameworks used by policy-makers.

You study:

• the role and limits of external interventions in preventing and managing violent conflict
• the problems of governance in unstable and insecure political environments
• post-conflict reconstruction and the legitimacy and capacities of the state
• the control and reform of security institutions
• the 'design' of political institutions to facilitate the management of conflict and situations of non-war armed violence associated, for instance, with high levels of crime. 

• 30 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

Despite 20th-century medical and technological advances, health status is desperately low in many parts of the world and millions of people lack access to basic services. This course examines health systems in the face of the major developmental and organisational challenges of the 21st century. The course takes a fresh approach to the political economy of health care, examining health systems as 'knowledge economies' - ways of organising access to expert knowledge or expertise, embodied in both people and products - and focuses on how health systems could better benefit the poor.

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

This module is intended to equip you with an understanding of: the causes, extent and distribution of global undernutrition and its consequences; what works in terms of direct and indirect interventions to address undernutrition; and mechanisms designed to raise the political profile, commitment and leadership behind undernutrition reduction.

The module will be taught by a mixture of lectures and seminars and will be grouped under the following topics: 

• Introduction to course: the nature of undernutrition - determinants and consequences
• What works: immediate level interventions
• What works: underlying indirect interventions
• Addressing the basic causes - approaches to the politics and economics of undernutrition 
• The enabling environment: transforming leadership, commitment and resources, the role of metrics, accountability mechanisms and real time surveillance

You will be encouraged to participate actively and reflect on your learning throughout the module through non-assessed groupwork. To assess individual progress a final assessment will be held at the end of the course.

• 30 credits
• Autumn Semester, Year 1 credits

This module provides an important foundation to the MA in Governance and Development course. It introduces you to key issues, concepts and theories related to 'governance' and helps you to understand why it has become such an important but contested issue in practical development discourse. The module discusses the nature of the state, the relationship between the state, the market and civil society, and the impact of globalisation on state authority. It also enables you to appreciate what is involved in 'doing political analysis', and to think more comprehensively and consistently about the ways in which politics affects public policies in the development field.

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

This course will assess conflict shocks and examine their differences relative to other socio-economic shocks. This will draw on both existing literature on conflict and the history of conflict analysis within different social sciences. You will examine the difficulties or research in conflict areas, including measurement, ethical concerns, and security concerns, and assess where we stand in terms of empirical knowledge. You will critically review the latest research on micro-level analysis of conflict, going on to examine the impact of conflict shocks on households and individuals, drawing on insurance and risk theory, and assess the impact of conflict on education, health and poverty. You will then examine preventive policies including the potential role of social protection in preventing conflict and post-conflict situations. The course, finally, will turn to an assessment of the role of international institutions, NGO's and community-driven initiatives in the context of conflict-affected 'fragile' states.

• 30 credits
• Autumn Semester, Year 1 credits

This module is concerned with the relationship between citizens and the state and, in particular, with ways in which citizens can participate in and influence the affairs of the state.

It is divided into two parts, each with five sessions led by a team of fellows from the Participation team.

Part one provides you with an overview of concepts, meanings and practices of citizen engagement.

In particular, we will explore:

• different theories of power and approaches to social and political empowerment
• the nature of civil and political societies and "the spaces in between" and their role in democratisation processes
• concepts of 'deepening democracy' and participatory democracy.

In part two you examine some of the processes and channels through which citizens participate in, and influence, the affairs of the state. We look at:

• participation in local government
• the nature and role of social movements
• processes of institutionalising inclusive democracies via increased formal representation (affirmative action)
• the challenges of promoting local processes of democratic change from the outside. 

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

States in developing countries frequently lack the resources, administrative capacity and legitimacy needed to reproduce themselves and pursue their goals and the goals of society. This course explores the behaviour of states through the lens of public finance. How do states manage international capital flows, including FDI, debt, and aid? What domestic sources are available without excessively burdening economic actors or coercing popular sectors? How do states prioritise and allocate their resources in ways that deepen democracy, manage macroeconomic balances, pursue efficiency, and improve distribution?

We will address these questions by considering the following four broad themes: capital flows (including FDI, debt, and aid); revenues (rents and tax); budgeting; and the political economy of public finance.

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

You explore diverse methods of reflective practice and their uses in facilitating change with professionals, activists, communities, organisations, and movements.

You examine critical, experiential, creative and transformative approaches to learning and reflection, including Western traditions of reflexivity (e.g. feminist, postcolonial, critical and participatory scholarship) and approaches from other cultures, spiritual traditions and the creative arts.

With a focus on learning by doing, and linking practice with theory, you inquire into the ways in which reflective practices can transform personal experience as well as patterns and relationships within groups, organisations and wider systems.

Depending on student interest, methods of reflective practice are explored in relation to participatory and qualitative research, organisational learning, monitoring and evaluation, facilitation, community development, adult education, gender analysis and processes of social and political empowerment.

• 30 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

Delivered jointly with SPRU, this course provides you with an in-depth analysis of the relationship between knowledge, power and policy processes. Initially you will examine the historical and philosophical roots of key environmental, science and policy debates. A case study approach explores real-life examples from forestry, pastoral development, health service delivery, vaccines, occupational disease, agricultural biotechnology, water resources and biodiversity conservation. In exploring the cases, the focus is on the interrelationships between local contexts, community involvement and wider national and international policy processes influencing livelihood outcomes.

• 30 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

During this module, you explore women's political representation and the biases in formal political institutions and systems.

The role and history of women's movements in civil society and the nature of their relationship with the state are also explored.

Following this, theories of the state and of organisational change are reviewed in relation to development institutions, to identify effective strategies for, and constraints to, institutionalising gender-sensitive approaches to development policy.

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

This module teaches elements of impact evaluation methods of welfare programmes in developing countries. It is designed for an audience of social scientists and is presented at a low-medium level of technical difficulty. Statistical and econometric methods of impact evaluation are presented together with sessions on theory-based evaluation and practical issues of management and design. The module is not only designed for researchers interested in conducting impact evaluations, but also for those interested in overseeing, commissioning or studying impact evaluations conducted by other researchers.

The module offers a balanced combination of substantive content and application of that content in various ways. After an introductory lecture, you will form small groups with other students taking the module and will identify a policy relevant issue and a specific public intervention to evaluate. Lectures will be followed by group-work sessions in which participants will learn how to build the components of a full evaluation design. Each group work session will conclude with one or two short presentations. Two of the group work sessions will be structured as computer labs where you will learn how to use specialised software. In a concluding session, groups will present their evaluation design to the other participants and the presentations will be collectively discussed.

• 15 credits
• Spring Semester, Year 1 credits

Unruly Politics is a framework being developed for appreciating modalities of political action in the contemporary world.

The focus of this framework is on political actions which escape, exceed or transgress 'civil' forms of civic and democratic engagement in that they characteristically take forms that are juridically illegible, extra-legal, disruptive of the social order, strident or rude, whether this be in the form of riots and revolts or through the use of humour, disruptive aesthetics or eroticism in engagements with power.

Drawing from recent developments in continental and other philosophy and political praxis this module introduces you to theoretical approaches while using ethnographic, activist and citizen narratives of disruptive events, and unruly modalities of action in the everyday.