Politics of development

Etablissement : ESPOL European School of Political and Social Sciences

Langue : Anglais

Période : S5

There are no specific requirements for this course. However, reading the course material before class will help understanding.


The course provides an analytical lens to evaluate contemporary development questions using theoretical and empirical insights. We will emphasize institutions and institutional change and how the choice of economic institutions influences development outcomes. In pursuing this exercise, we shall also emphasize the centrality of economic and political institutions and their origins. The development process is complex, with several forward and backward linkages with different spheres of society, such as culture and norms, environment, and globalization. The course brings some of these issues to the fore and furthers the understanding of the contemporary development course.

Unit 1: Meaning and definition of development


Unit 2: Formal and informal institutions and role institutions and economic development


Unit 3: Poverty and Inequality


Unit 4: Globalization and Development


Unit 5: Environment, natural resource extraction and development


Unit 6: Agriculture and Development


Unit 7: Urbanization and Uneven Spatial Development


Unit 8: Conclusion and Emerging Issues (Sustainable Development)