Summer Timetable

POL201H1Y L0101

Politics of Development

Themes

The course introduces students to the politics of international development in countries of the Global South in the period since World War II. It considers the big questions in international development:
• Why are some parts of the world so poor, repressive, and violent while others are rich, democratic, and peaceful?
• Why have some experienced economic growth while others stagnate of decline?
The first part of the course discusses possible answers that have been offered by scholars working on the topic. These scholars have identified factors such as the internal logic of progress (modernization and neoliberalism), geography, and history (dependency/underdevelopment theory and institutionalism). The second part applies the theoretical lenses offered by these approaches and theories to key issues in politics of international development: state-making and the relationship between state capacity and economic development, democratization, poverty and the role of the development industry, the importance of identities, and conflict.

Texts

TBA

Format and Requirements

Two lectures and one tutorial per week or as available. Term test (20%), research proposal (10%), research essay (30%), final examination (30%), and attendance and participation (10%).

Prerequisites

4.0 credits or 1.0 POL credit

Exclusions
POL201Y1/POLB90H3/POLB91H3