Module ARA1037 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ARA1037: The Politics of Development
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The module aims to provide you with a general introductory survey of the politics of development, focusing particularly on the Middle East, but also covering cases from Africa and Asia. The module will introduce you to the major theoretical debates in international development and the implications of different development definitions, as well as covering the core challenges of development and the role played by political institutions (domestic and international). Upon completion of the module, you will be equipped with an understanding of the effects of international aid as well as be able to situate development challenges within core international debates on development. The module furthermore provides a good foundation for further study of development and foreign assistance, such as e.g. authoritarian resilience and democracy support as well as, of course, Middle East studies in general.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate an understanding of the major theories of the politics of development as well as the main forces, trends and characteristics of the domestic and international factors at play; 2. place contemporary political events in social and historical contexts and appreciate the role political institutions might play for development as well as understand some of the core challenges of development; |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. relate political issues and trends to economic, societal and cultural dynamics, and to comprehend the interplay between these at the domestic and international levels; 4. relate socio-political and socio-economic phenomena at the local and international level; |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. synthesize information from various sources into a coherent written argument displaying an understanding of the core debates around international development aid; 6. demonstrate good oral and written communication skills; and 7. demonstrate the ability to work as part of a team. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:
- Modernization theory and dependency theory
- Structuralism and political development
- The Washington consensus and poverty
- Domestic factors (culture, religion, inequality, civil conflict)
- International factors (colonialism, democratization, international financial institutions)
- Political systems (political parties, political systems, populism, leadership)
Each week we will also cover a specific country chosen by the students from a list supplied by the module convenor. We will study the core development challenges of that country and the country's background.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
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22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
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Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 22 | A combination of lectures, group work and guided class discussions (11 x 2 hours) |
Guided independent study | 55 | Reading and preparing for the weekly seminars |
Guided independent study | 14 | Researching and preparing group presentation |
Guided independent study | 59 | Researching and writing synopsis and essay |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
- Carol Lancaster and Nicolas van de Walle (2018) The Oxford Handbook of the Politics of Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Chandra, Siddarth and Nita Rudra (2015) 'Reassessing the links between regime type and economic performance: Why some authoritarian regimes show stable grown and others do not', British Journal of Political Science 45(2): 253-85.
- Hutchcroft, Paul (1997) 'The politics of privilege: assessing the impact of rents, corruption and clientelism on Third World development', Political Studies 45(3): 639-58.
- Lange, Matthew (2004) 'British colonial legacies and political development', World Development 32(6): 905-22.
- Mkandawire, Thandika (2013) 'Neopatrimonialism and the political economy of economic performance in Africa: Critical reflections', World Politics, pp. 1-50.
- Welzel, Christian, Ronald Inglehart and Hans-Dieter Klingemann (2003) 'The theory of human development: a cross-cultural analysis', European Journal of Political Research 42(3): 341-79.