Research Design
- 15 credits
- Spring & Summer Teaching, Year 1
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.
Dissertation Globalisation, Business and Development
- 45 credits
- Summer Teaching, Year 1
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.
Business as a Development Actor
- 30 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
On this course you will examine theory and evidence relating to the effects of business activity on development. By the end of the course, you will be able to critically assess the influence of business on poverty, global supply chains, gender inequality, labour standards, climate change, food and water security and other development concerns.
You will discuss the origins of and motivations for firm behaviour from a development perspective, drawing on economic theories of the firm and organisation theory. You then evaluate a range of frameworks and business models that are oriented toward development, including corporate social responsibility, bottom of the pyramid, microfinance and social entrepreneurship. The course pays particular attention to the role of multinational corporations and the important role of large domestic enterprises in developing countries. Finally, you will assess the implications of encouraging a major role for the private sector in the delivery of economic growth and the provision of basic services.
Globalisation, Business and Policy
- 30 credits
- Autumn Semester, Year 1
This module provides an overview of past and current trends of globalisation with emphasis on its main drivers, which can be understood as old and new sources of global dynamism, turbulence and change. It brings the perspective of the rising developing powers and it discusses the various consequences of globalisation. It also discusses the set of policies that are required in different areas, such as international trade or finance, to manage and integrate business in the global economy and achieve a more positive outcome from globalisation.
Aid and Poverty: the Political Economy of International Development Assistance
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Climate Change and Development
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Competing in the Green Economy
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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?
Development in Cities
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Economic Perspectives on Development
- 30 credits
- Autumn Semester, Year 1
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.
Governance of Violent Conflict and (In)security
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Health and Development
- 30 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Political Economy Perspectives on Development
- 30 credits
- Autumn Semester, Year 1
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.
Poverty, Violence and Conflict
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Public Financial Management
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Reflective and Creative Practice for Social Change
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Sexuality and Development: Intimacies, Health and Rights in Global Perspective
- 30 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
The Politics of Gender
- 30 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Theory and Practice of Impact Evaluation
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.
Unruly Politics
- 15 credits
- Spring Semester, Year 1
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.