Fall/Winter Timetable

POL2321H1S L0101

Undergraduate Course Code: POL438H1S L0101

Topics in Comparative Politics I

Growth in Developing Countries

Themes

This course focuses on the political economy of growth in the developing world. It is organized around the question of why some parts of the developing world have done better in terms of growth and growth-related inputs than others. While qualifying what success and failure may mean, the analytical focus will be on how best to understand the political determinants of such variation. The course is divided into three parts. It will begin with a brief overview of different conceptual frameworks related to growth. It will then examine the broad growth experiences of some regions of the developing world – East Asia, Latin America, Africa and South Asia. The main portion of the course will be devoted to a variety of themes related to growth that cut across regions such as regime type, the role of the state, institutions, globalization, foreign aid, inequality and ethnicity.

Texts

TBA

Format and Requirements

One two-hour seminar per week. Research paper (40%), Class Participation (20%), Presentation (10%), 2 response papers (15% each).