PLT2470

Politics of development

(ART)

Susan Blackburn

6 points + 3 hours per week + Second semester + Clayton + Prerequisite: A first-year sequence in Politics or the permission of the head of school + Prohibitions: COS2570, COS3570

Synopsis: This subject works from the premise that in order to grasp and cope with the problems of development and change in poor countries, it is important to be strongly aware of their political dimensions. Thus it considers development issues in relation to such questions as: What ideologies are involved? What interests are at stake? Who has political power, and how is it used? What are the interacting roles of the state, elites and classes in development? In dealing with these questions the subject ranges across the major conservative, liberal and radical traditions in postwar development theory, and seeks to relate movements in ideas to their real-world context.

Assessment: Essay (2000 words): 40% + Oral tutorial + presentation: 10% + Examination (2 hours): 50%