Module POL3263 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL3263: Political Economy of Development
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
Besides serving as an introduction for those who are unfamiliar with the political economy of development, the module seeks to expose students to relevant topics, problems and current debates regarding the institutional, political and socio-demographic determinants of economic development and to encourage them to think critically about some of the most important challenges faced by under-developed democracies.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Participate in informed discussions about the political economy of development 2. Critically evaluate current economic and political arguments regarding the causes of development; 3. Critically analyse concepts and contexts of political economy; 4. Identify common trends as well as differences between developed and under-developed democracies; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 5. Identify and discuss key concepts in the literature on development, democracy, democratization and democratic quality, applying them to empirical case studies; 6. Critically assess whether - and to what extent - theoretical arguments and methodological approaches used to analyze Western democracies can be extrapolated to other political contexts; 7. Competently use and analyse a range of sources and materials commonly employed in political science and economic research, including historical studies, public opinion data and news sources; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 8. Convey ideas precisely and concisely, both orally and in writing; 9. Present and defend your work in an effective and convincing manner in front of an audience; 10. Work independently and with peers to achieve goals; 11. Correctly analyse and interpret empirical data. |
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:
Introduction: Economic Development and its Political Roots.
State Capacity and Economic Development
Long Term Economic Development
Failed States
Democratisation
Wealth/Income Inequality and its Consequences on Long Term Development
Property Rights
Ethnic conflict and Development
Cultural Drivers of Development
Conclusions and Review Session
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2-hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 40 | Class preparation |
| Guided independent study | 35 | Presentation preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 53 | Preparation for the essay including researching and collating relevant sources; planning the structure and argument; writing up the 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.
Acemoglu, D. (2009). Chapter 1 of Introduction to Modern Economic Growth, Princeton.
Michalopoulos, S. and E. Papaioannou (2018). “Spatial Patterns of Development: A Meso- Approach.” Forthcoming, Annual Review of Economics.
Acemoglu, D., J. Robinson, and S. Johnson (2001). “The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation.” American Economic Review, 91: 1369-401.
Dincecco, M. (2017). State Capacity and Economic Development, Cambridge.
Besley, T. and T. Persson (2014). “The Causes and Consequences of Development Clusters: State Capacity, Peace, and Income.” Annual Review of Economics, 6: 927-49.
Pierskalla, J., Schultz, A. and E. Wibbels (2017). “Order, Distance, and Local Development over the Long Run.” Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 12: 375-404.
Dell, M., N. Lane, and P. Querubin (2017). “The Historical State, Local Collective Action, and Economic Development in Vietnam.” Working paper.
Acemoglu, D., C. Garcia-Jimeno, and J. Robinson (2015). “State Capacity and Economic Development: A Network Approach.” American Economic Review, 105: 2364-409.
Bates, R. (2008). “The Role of the State in Development.” In Weingast, B. and D. Wittman, eds., Oxford Handbook of Political Economy, Oxford.
Tilly, C. (1992). Chapter 3 of Coercion, Capital and European States, Blackwell.
Blaydes, L. and C. Paik (2016). “The Impact of Holy Land Crusades on State Formation: War Mobilization, Trade Integration, and Political Development in Medieval Europe.” International Organization, 70: 551-86.
Aghion, P., X. Jaravel, T. Persson, and D. Rouzet (2015). “Education and Military Rivalry.” Working paper.
Abramson, S. (2017). “The Economic Origins of the Territorial State.” International Organization, 71: 97-130.
Acemoglu, D. and J. Robinson (2017). “The Emergence of Weak, Despotic, and Inclusive States.” Working paper.
Allen, R. (1997). “Agriculture and the Origins of the State in Ancient Egypt.” Explorations in Economic History, 34: 135-54.
Lee, M. and N. Zhang (2017). “Legibility and the Informational Foundations of State Capacity.” Journal of Politics, 79: 118-32.
Herbst, J. (2000). Chapters 1 and 2 of States and Power in Africa, Princeton.
Gerring, J. D. Ziblatt, J. Van Gorp, and J. Arevalo (2011). “An Institutional Theory of Direct and Indirect Rule.” World Politics, 63: 377-433.
Michalopoulos, S. and E. Papaioannou (2018). “Pre-Colonial Ethnic Institutions and Contemporary African Development.” Econometrica, 81: 113-52.
Nunn, N. and D. Puga (2012). “Ruggedness: The Blessing of Bad Geography in Africa.” Review of Economics and Statistics, 94: 20-36.
Alesina, A., Easterly, W. and Matuszeski, J. (2011). “Artificial States.” Journal of the European Economic Association, 9: 246-77.
Acemoglu, D. and J. Robinson (2008). “Persistence of Power, Elites, and Institutions.” American Economic Review, 98: 267-93.
Rosenthal, J.L. (1990). “The Development of Irrigation in Provence, 1700-1860: The French Revolution and Economic Growth.” Journal of Economic History, 50: 615-38.
Page, S. (2006). “Path Dependence.” Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 1: 87-115.
Greif, A. and D. Laitin (2004). “A Theory of Endogenous Institutional Change.” American Political Science Review, 98: 633-52.
Haber, S., N. Maurer, A. Razo (2003). “When the Law Does Not Matter: The Rise and Decline of the Mexican Oil Industry.” Journal of Economic History, 63: 1-31.
Rajan, R. and R. Ramchuran (2016). “Constituencies and Legislation: The Fight Over the Mc-Fadden Act of 1927.” Management Science, 62: 1843-59.
Ziblatt, D. (2016). “How Did Europe Democratize?” World Politics, 58: 311-38.
Boix, C. (2011). “Democracy, Development, and the International System.” American Political Science Review, 105: 809-28.
Giuliano, P. and N. Nunn (2013). “The Transmission of Democracy: From the Village to the Nation-State.” American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings, 103: 86-92.
Acemoglu, D., S. Naidu, P. Restrepo, J. Robinson (2016). “Democracy Does Cause Growth.” Journal of Political Economy.
