This course examines policy and practice in development. It approaches development by looking at the factors that help or hinder social and economic development in the world, in particular in developing countries, the theoretical and practical response to facilitate development and overcome the constraints, and the outcomes of these responses.

There would be 12 lectures in total and one revision session. The lectures have three main parts. The first part provides an overview of the goals and key issues in development, and the changing methods of policy formation and practice.

The second part examines specific policies and practice that seek to overcome the barriers which keep some countries underdeveloped.The arrangement of the topics aim to provide you a step by step discussion which reflects the growing understanding of development. We first examine the traditional approach of reducing poverty and combating the consequences of inequality by aid and income redistribution. We then look at the more proactive approach of using economic policies to achieve economic growth. This will be followed by supporting policies such as migration and urban policies. The next lecture will study the relationship between social development and economic development. However, social development can face its own challenges, i.e. demographic changes and changing supporting culture at the household level.  Even if a country is experiencing economic and social development, the improvement may face bottlenecks imposed by institutions constraints. These constraints include unclear property right and the absence of the rule of law and democracy. Finally, we will look at the sustainability of development models in terms of environment and climate change.

The last part of the course first explores the roles and interactions of different actors in making and implementing policies. Finally, we will round up the term by discussing the idea of pathway (sequence) in development.

Each week’s session includes a 2.5 hour teaching time combining a lecture and a seminar. Lectures are interactive, outlining the key concepts and debates. Seminars cover the lecture topic of the previous week (please refer to the instruction in assessment 1). In the seminar, student presenters select real life examples to support their argument regarding the seminar questions. The presenters are expected to make use of theories or analytical frameworks discussed in the lecture in the previous week.