Developed by Kartik Misra, Economics Department, UMASS : Department of Economics : UMass Amherst

Introduction

This course aims to provide students with a rounded understanding of key theories that inform thinking about development, a knowledge of the historical experience of development (especially in the post-Cold War period), and an understanding of some of the most significant policy debates about international development today. In doing so, it aims to integrate the concepts and perspectives to demonstrate how they can usefully be combined to further understand the problems of development and change. In the first five topics, I provide the theoretical underpinnings of dominant ideas and theories and in the next five topics, I focus on the experience of development policy debates around globalization, agrarian change, international trade and environmental problems. This course aims to introduce different analytical perspectives within their historical context and aims to start a debate around questions like why are some countries or regions richer than others? How have different scholars thought about the issue, and where do things stand today?

By the end of the course, students should be introduced to the major problems and policy debates within the field of development economics and be able to use this understanding in applied work on development. The lectures will integrate insights from recent research from our department and others.

Readings are available on the course website. Students may want to acquire the following book:

 D. Ray, Development Economics (Princeton, 1998).

Problem Sets, Exams, and Grades. There are three types of assignments:

Term Paper - A term-paper on any topic covered in the course (chosen from the topics listed

below). This will be worth 35 % of the grade. Each paper is to be between 12 and 15 pages. The term paper proposal will be due at the end of week 3 and the final paper will be due on the first day of the last week.
Weekly response - A response due every week to a question based on the week’s lectures and readings. Each response, due Friday at 9AM EDT, is worth 2 points. In addition, a comment to a fellow student’s is due the following Monday at 5PM and is worth 2 points.
Exams - There will be a mid-term exam worth 25% of the course grade and a final exam worth 30% of the course grade. The mid-term exam will be at the end of Module 2 and final exam will be on the last day of class.

DUE DATES: VERY IMPORTANT!!!

In order to be fair to all students in the class, all due dates are firm. If assignments are late the grade will be reduced by 5% each day up to two days late. After two days late, the assignment will no longer be accepted and it will be marked as a zero. If you have a University sanctioned reason for late work, please notify me as soon as possible.

Modules

The syllabus covers five Modules given below.

Module No.

Module 1: Concepts and Measurement of Development

Module 2: Economic Backwardness, Neoliberalism and Radical Development Critiques

Module 4: Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Livelihoods in the 21st century
Module 5: Environmental Development

Please review course schedule below:

Discussion Questions

Explain the difference between any two measures of poverty discussed in class

What is meant by ‘accumulation by dispossession’ and how useful is this concept for understanding contemporary patterns of development and underdevelopment?

Explain the difference between sharecropping and land renting? Why do we see a preponderance of sharecropping?

What is the environment and growth trade-off? What are your views?

Module 3: Globalisation, International Trade, developmental Aid and national debt

Should developing country states shift their approach to financial liberalisation and fiscal austerity in light of the financial crisis and what consequences would this be likely to have?

(subject to minor changes)

Module

Unit #

Topics

Debraj Ray

Other Readings

o Ndikumana, L. (2015) “Integrated YetMarginalized: Implications of globalization for African Development.” African Studies Review (Fall 2015) (available as PERI Working Paper 381)

PowerPoint

o Lecture 5: Globalization and International Trade

Video Lecture

o Video Lecture 5 by Kartik Misra

Popular Debate
Martin Wolf and Ha Joon Chang
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

G_MyrnAUCr0
o http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/

files/serials/files/cato-

journal/2004/11/cj24n3-13.pdf

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 0UNCnphhwF0

o http://www.truth- out.org/buzzflash/commentary/hajo on-changs-bad-samaritans-the- myth-of-free-trade-and-the-secret- history-of-capitalism

Module 3 Discussion

Should developing country states shift their approach to financial liberalisation and fiscal austerity in light of the financial crisis and what consequences would this be likely to have?

Due at the end of Module 3

Developmental Aid and National Debt

Readings

o Ndikumana, L. (2012) “Applying Evaluation to Development and Aid: Can Evaluation Bridge the Micro- macro Gaps in Aid Effectiveness?” in Bourguignon et al (Eds.) Evaluation and Its Discontents: Do We Learn from Experience in Development? Proceedings of the 9th AFD-EUDN Conference 2012, pp. 123- 150.

o PowerPoint Lecture
Lecture 6: International Aid and National Debt

Video Lecture

o Video Lecture 6 by Kartik Misra

Module	Unit #	Topics	Debraj Ray	Other Blackboard Course Content	Assignments Due
4	7	Agriculture in the 21st century	Chapter 11	Power Point Lecture 7 - Overview of Agriculture in the 21st Century Video Lecture o Video Lecture 7 by Kartik Misra	Module 4 Discussion Explain the difference between sharecropping and land renting? Why do we see a preponderance of sharecropping? Due at the end of Module 4
8	Land Reform	Chapter 12, 13 & 14	Other readings o Griffin, K.B., Khan, A.R. and Ickowitz, A. (2002) ‘Poverty and the Distribution of Land,’ Journal of Agrarian Change 2(3): 279-330. o de Janvry, Alain. 2010. “Agriculture for development: New paradigm and options for success.” Agricultural Economics 41(S1): 17-36. PowerPoint o Lecture 8: Land reform in developing Countries Video Lecture o Video Lecture 8 by Kartik Misra
5	9	The Political Economy of the Environment		Readings o Lele, Sharachchandra M. "Sustainable development: a critical review." World development 19.6 (1991): 607-621. PowerPoint o Lecture 9: The Political Economy of the Environment Video Lecture o Video Lecture 9 by Kartik Misra	Module 5 Discussion What is the environment and growth trade- off? What are your views? Due end of Module 5
10	Environment and Growth trade-off		Readings oBernstein, S. et al. (2010) ‘A Tale of Two Copenhagens: Carbon Markets and Global Governance’ Journal of International Studies 39(1):161-73. (13 pages) PowerPoint o Lecture 10: Environment and Growth Trade off o Lecture 11: Comparative Economic Growth Closing Lecture – Kartik Misra Video Lecture o Video Lecture 10: Environment and Growth trade – off by Kartik Misra

Term Paper Due First day of the last week Final Exam – Last day of class

Module	Unit #	Topics	Debraj Ray	Other Blackboard Course Content	Assignments Due
				Streaming Videos Amartya Sen on povertyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN5 esbvAt-w Thomas Piketty on inequalityhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp3 AaI5bWPQ
2	3	Economic Backwardness in a Historic perspective	Chapter 5	Readings o Gerschenkron, Alexander. Economic backwardness in historical perspective: a book of essays. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1962. o Harvey, David The New Imperialism by Dispossession, Socialist Register 2004 Power point Presentation o Lecture 3: Historical Backwardness presentation Video Lecture o Video Lecture 3 by Kartik Misra	Module 2 Discussion What is meant by‘accumulation bydispossession’ and how useful is this concept for understanding contemporary patterns of development and underdevelopme nt? Due at the end of Module 2
4	Neoliberalism and radical Development Critique		Readings o Roy, Arundhati (2007) “It’s outright war and both sides are changing their weapons: interview with Arundhati Roy” o Basu D, (2009) “What is Neo- liberalism, Practically? – A Picture of Finance Capital, or The Income Pyramid Under Capitalism” Sanhati, 2010 PowerPoint Presentation o Lecture 4: The Impact of Neoliberalism and Radical Development Critique Video Lecture o Video Lecture 4 by Kartik Misra Video Streaming Richard Wolff and David Harvey on class o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu H3pAuLuko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a9 TAbQHzjQ&index=4&list=PL76B7218 6E93C3ABD David Harvey and Noam Chomsky on neoliberalism