Postgraduate Course: Analysing Development (Distance Learning) (PGSP11319)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Aid is a specific instrument within international relations, employed in the achievement of both moral and strategic objectives by a range of international actors. For many countries in the developing world, aid has played and continues to play a crucial role in dealing with humanitarian emergencies, funding social services, stimulating economic development, and supporting the work of non-governmental actors. Yet it can have perverse effects, putting recipient states in a situation of dependency vis-ą-vis their international sponsors and undermining public services while seeking to strengthen them. In some situations, aid has fuelled economic crises and political turmoil. This course provides both a practical overview of international development assistance, and equips students with the knowledge and tools to critically assess the social and political effects of aid, and the way aid policy is made and executed. We will explore the main rationales and theories for providing aid, the major themes in aid of the last two decades and contemporary debates. The course will have a strong focus on aid policy and strategies, drawing heavily on grey literature produced by aid agencies (OECD, international financial institutions, major bilateral donors, the European Union) and large NGOs. The course is suitable for students interested in future employment within aid agencies, international NGOs or developing countries, as well as professionals seeking to enhance their knowledge of aid policy and practice. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 2, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| No Classes have been defined for this Course |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| By the end of the course students will have gained familiarity with the major trends in development aid and the rationales behind it. They will have an understanding of important past and contemporary debates in development aid, and will have learned how to engage critically with the complex social, political and economic contexts in which aid programmes are designed and delivered. Students will gain experience in the analysis of aid policy documents and strategies. |
Assessment Information
| Assessment will be based on two pieces of work: 1) Input to blogs/fora (30%); 2) Final synthetic written work (policy essay, 3000 words) (70%) (End of March) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
11. Introduction: history of aid and the $łaid effectiveness&© drive
12. Aid, Poverty and Growth: the main theories of aid
13. Why do we give aid? Moral and strategic objectives
14. More government, less government? The shifting politics of aid modalities
15. $łTargeting&© aid: setting the Millennium Development Goals
16. Conditionality and selectivity
17. Moral dilemmas: aid and its unforeseen consequences in conflict zones
18. Dependency and self-reliance: the $łownership&© debate
19. Aid for democracy-promotion: can aid induce $łgood governance&©?
20. Conclusion: Does aid work? Can it work? |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Black, R. and H. White (2004) Targeting Development: Critical Perspectives on the Millennium Development Goals
Degnbol-Martinussen, J. and P. Engberg-Pedersen (2003). Aid: Understanding International Development Cooperation.
Gibson, C.C, Andersson, K., Ostrom, E. and S. Shivakumar (2005) The Samaritan&©s Dilemma. The Political Economy of Development Aid.
Lancaster, C. (1999). Aid to Africa. So Much to Do, So Little Done.
Lancaster, C. (2007). Foreign Aid. Diplomacy, Development, Domestic Politics
Maren, M. (1997) The Road to Hell. The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity
Riddell, R.C. (2007) Does Foreign Aid Really Work?
Tarp, F. (2000) Foreign Aid and Development. Lessons learnt and directions for the future.
Uvin, P. (1998) Aiding Violence |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
This course will be entirely taught as a distance option (no face-to-face lectures) using a range of innovative and interactive teaching methods. Students will have virtual lectures delivered by a team of lecturers; they will be requested to share their perspectives related to the weekly lecture and readings on message boards and wikis; they will 'virtually' meet with their tutor and colleagues during the synchronised online tutorial; and they will be able to take advantage of Edinburgh University facilities for e-learning students, such as, for example, downloading documentaries, testing their knowledge with online quizzes and developing their own blog. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof James Smith
Tel: (0131 6)50 4321
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Madina Howard
Tel: (0131 6)51 1659
Email: |
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