Courses
SPRING 2010 MIDP SEMINAR DESCRIPTIONS
*Please see the Curriculum page for descriptions of required courses.
Economic Analysis of Development, PUBPOL 382 (3 credits)
Instructor: Fernando Fernholz
This course provides a survey of the basic principles and policy issues in the study of economic growth and development. As such, it is a foundation course for any student of development theory or practice. It provides an overview of the patterns and causes of variations in growth, income distribution and development performance of countries. The roles of physical, natural and human capital and technological innovation and productivity improvements in explaining growth are explored along with the effects of different institutional environments in less developed and transitional economies. Within this framework, the seminar will explore economic growth and development in policy areas including: theory and history of economic development, institutions and the role of the state in economic development, governance, corruption and development, population, public health and development, environment and sustainable development, education and women in development, investment and fiscal policy, foreign aid, debt relief and financial crises, trade and industrial policy: protection and export promotion, agricultural policy and development, and technology, globalization and development.
Managing the Project Cycle Towards more Sustainable Development, PUBPOL 383B (2 credits)
Instructor: Francis Lethem
This seminar examines the substantive and institutional aspects of the design, appraisal, and implementation of development projects to ensure their sustainability and mitigate the risks of conflict. It is intended for future senior officials in the Planning Agency of a developing country, project officers in international lending institutions, and project officers in humanitarian agencies. Topics covered include the elements of the enabling environment necessary for project sustainability (such as the environmental and social impact of macroeconomic policies, issues of governance, public accountability, and the role of the public versus the private sector), the design of sector strategies, the ingredients of individual project quality sustainability, the project generation and implementation process, and the management of a country's public investment program. Fellows specializing in conflict prevention will be asked to give special consideration to factors such as equity, local participation, and human rights. The seminar is structured around practical case studies, and participants are expected to prepare a seminar project on one of the seminar topics that would be particularly relevant to promote the sustainability of their preferred country's public investment program.
The Politics of International Aid in Low-Income Countries, PUBPOL 383E
Instructor: Phyllis Pomerantz
This course will examine the evolving context, objectives, and results of international development aid in the post World War II period, with an emphasis on the period from the 1980s through today. It will review the track record of aid and lessons thus far, and the reform proposals for change currently under discussion in the international community. Attention will be focused on the principal stakeholders, their motivations and capacity, and the quality of interaction among the various players (Governments, bilateral donors, multilateral institutions, and NGOs). It will also evaluate the results achieved and the prospects for future success. Special reference will be given to Africa, the center of much of the evolving debate surrounding aid effectiveness. The course is primarily a group discussion, with occasional mini-lectures, student presentations, debates, case studies, and a final simulation exercise.
The Role of Global Programs in International Development, PUBPOL 383F (3 credits)
Instructor: Phyllis Pomerantz
Global Programs have emerged as an increasingly important element in international development efforts. This seminar will examine and contrast the different types of global programs, including those involving global public goods and those centering on global advocacy. The course will: explore the complexity of defining global public goods; trace the evolution and motivations for global programs in general and several of the programs in particular; examine how selected programs are managed, financed, and functioning in practice; and analyze the emerging contradictions and/or complementarities between global programs and country-specific development strategies and programs. Class sessions will include individual and/or small group presentations. Students will also select a prominent global program and examine if and how the program is contributing to overall development efforts within a specific country/subregional setting.
Innovative Policies, PUBPOL 383G (3 credits)
Instructor: Rosemary Fernholz
This course will analyze a sampling of innovative policies and programs that were initiated to solve major problems in developed and developing countries. Some of the approaches worked; some did not. All of them, however, challenged conventional thinking, hence the title of the course ‘innovative policies’. During the semester we will discuss the following issues: crisis, innovation and policy space, leadership, transformation and transitions, innovation from within and from without, sectoral opportunity, unintended consequences, and the dynamics of decision making for innovative policies. Among the examples we will discuss are the Marshall Plan in Europe, the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, Thailand’s approach to Family Planning, and the start of major civic volunteerism in the United States. The course will use the case approach. Each week, we will discuss a policy or set of policies. Fellows enrolled in the course will be asked to join a group (2-3) to discuss, analyze and present the cases. They are expected to develop a case and present it. We will also have films that highlight some aspect of a case.
Empirical Analysis of Development, PUBPOL 384A (3 credits)
Instructor: Joe Tham
The overall goal of this course is to enable decision makers in the public sector to be judicious and critical consumers of research results. In particular, we focus on issues in developing countries, where the availability of the data may be sparse and the quality of the data may be suspect. With high quality data, the conclusions of the analyses may be ambiguous. With low quality data, there is a greater need for caution in the interpretation and derivation of the appropriate policy recommendations. "Empirical analysis for economic development" has three key objectives. First, the course provides a non-technical introduction to basic concepts in empirical analysis, namely regression modeling with single and multiple variables. Second, it uses EXCEL and SPSS, a widely-used software package, to illustrate, practice and apply the techniques of regression analysis. Thirdly, it enables the participants to read and assess the quality of the empirical analyses and results that are used in reports.
International Development, Conflict & Cooperation: Crucial Linkages, PUBPOL 385E (3 credits)
Instructor: Natalia Mirovitskaya
Empirical research suggests strong linkages between dynamics and patterns of development and inequality and instability. The absolute majority of violent conflicts throughout the globe today are fought within developing nations—among communities divided along ethnic, religious, linguistic/cultural, and/or geographical lines. However, though many scholars and practitioners recognize that development and conflict are intertwined, there is much less understanding (or at least consensus) about the mechanisms behind these linkages. And there is even less understanding of the economic development patterns that can create conditions of the peaceful coexistence of different elements of the population and encourage their cooperation. The course aims to address this challenge by critically examining the institutional frameworks and human capacities needed to further “freedom from fear” and “freedom from want.” We will pay particular attention to which economic development strategies create conditions conducive to inter-group violence or peaceful coexistence, especially in developing and transitional countries. Students will learn some key concepts and different analytical frameworks in the field of conflict and cooperation as well as development studies. Class discussion will also focus on the role of development assistance in provoking or mitigating conflicts and in promoting cooperation.
Introduction to Law and Development, PUBPOL 388.01 (3 credits)
Instructor: Catherine Admay
If American academic lawyers (untrained in development) and "values-exporting" politicians brought the "Law and Development" movement into vogue in the 1960's, only to declare failure in the 70's; in the last decade of the 20th century, a cosmopolitan set of (untrained in law) development economists, economic historians and political scientists revived the coupling of these fields. Following their lead, lawyers and policymakers across the development board-from the World Bank, to bilateral aid agencies, to developing countries and to civil society organizations like Oxfam and more locally based institutions-have returned to the multi-disciplinary enterprise. Does law matter to development outcomes? Or, put another way, is "legal development" integral to the "development process"? If so, why and how? What policy ideas can or should be pursued based on an understanding of the intersections between law and development? What research and policy initiatives are currently underway in the name of this intersection? Because all these questions depend on contested ideas of development and of law in the first instance, what is the array of working definitions and frameworks that practitioners and policymakers deploy? What turns can we anticipate the "law and development" field might take next? With readings by lawyers, policymakers, economists, anthropologists, ethicists, political and other social scientists, this seminar will explore contemporary understandings of law and development from "rule of law" to "good governance" to "doing business" and promoting capitalism to "judicial and legal reform" to promoting "J4P" ("justice for the poor") to breaking-or at least not reinforcing-"poverty and inequality traps" and empowering the poor. The course is intended for graduate students (with and without legal backgrounds) interested in probing or promoting this interdisciplinary engagement.
Service Delivery Systems, PUBPOL 388.02 (3 credits)
Instructor: Joel Rosch
What happens to policy after laws are made, budgets are approved, and either public or nonprofit agencies try to implement public policy? This course will provide students with a way to understand the issues involved in delivering services to the public at the "street level". It will also give students an overview of a wide variety of services including: child protective services, education, law-enforcement, mental-health, juvenile-justice, public health, and other services that governments, and increasingly non-profit and for profit organizations, try to deliver to the public.
Comparative Tax Administration, PUBPOL 388.03 (3 credits)
Instructors: Graham Glenday and GP Shukla
This course is required for ITP fellows. Reviews modern approaches to tax administration for both border and domestic taxes, and compares approaches across countries. The course covers all the major functions of tax administration, considering legal, technical and managerial issues. The trends in tax administration toward a greater degree of self assessment, and toward functional and client-oriented organization are themes throughout the course. In addition, new trends and techniques are highlighted, including computerization and e-governance, the design of risk-weighted random audit selection, and valuation and transfer pricing issues. The organization of tax administration is a core issue, including the use of revenue authorities and the legal frameworks underpinning tax administration and organization. Finally, tax reform experiences are reviewed, including planning and change management.
Comparative Tax Policy, PUBPOL 388.04 (3 credits)
Instructors: Graham Glenday and GP Shukla
This course is required for ITP fellows. Investigates in detail the design and policy options in the major taxes on consumption and income, comparing these taxes across countries. The impacts of these tax designs on revenues, economic efficiency, administrative and compliance costs and income distributions are considered. The course reviews the principles of taxation, including those used in allocating taxes to the multiple levels of government in the context of decentralization and across states in common markets or federal systems. In the area of consumption taxes, the course focuses in detail on value-added taxes and general goods and service taxes, but turnover and selective sales taxes are also considered. For income taxes, detailed design features covered include the definition of income, capital gains, employment benefits, business expenses, accounting conventions, inflation indexation, tax integration, international tax harmonization, transfer pricing, thin capitalization and tax incentives. For all taxes, issues of the treatment of small businesses and the informal sectors are featured. This course follows PUBPOL 384B, Public Finance in Less Developed and Transitional Countries, but can also be taken by students with appropriate backgrounds in public finance or taxation.
MIDP Mini-Seminars Fall 2009
Master's Project Mini, PUBPOL 388.05 (1 credit)
Instructors: Francis Lethem, Rosemary Fernholz, Natalia Mirovitskaya
This 1 -credit mandatory seminar is intended to facilitate efficient preparation of Master’s projects. It focuses on their preliminary preparation up to prospectus defense. The seminar reviews lessons from past experience, how to select a topic and develop a research plan, and the key elements of the policy analysis methodology. Grading is based on participation and the quality of the final prospectus.
Capacity Development, PUBPOL 388.06 (1.5 credits)
Instructor: Frank Webb
Sufficient attention must be paid to building the capacity of the public and social sectors, their relationship to one another and to the private sector, if development efforts are to achieve the anticipated sustainability. Background reading that draws on experience in different economic and social sectors, together with group work and class discussion, will illuminate the evolving understanding of the what, why and how of capacity development and the lessons learned—the reasons for failure, the ingredients of success—that have informed the current strategic approaches of multilateral and bilateral development agencies, a new paradigm for capacity development. We will discuss the dimensions of capacity development (individual, organizational, institutional, societal, etc.) and the availability of tools to understand context, develop strategies, implement the interventions, and monitor and evaluate progress at all levels. On the basis of this understanding, the class will generate a framework through which to examine capacity development efforts and apply this to the challenge of developing sustainable comprehensive services that mitigate the impact of the AIDS pandemic and meet the multiple needs of children who are orphaned or otherwise made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. This is about much, much more than health. Building sustainable capacity for such a response in the poorest of settings is a major challenge, often handicapped by an unsupportive social, legal and policy environment. Use will be made of real-life examples and case studies drawn from different sectors, as well as programs that address the needs of children affected by AIDS. Participants will be expected to bring their own experiences to the class, and work in teams to prepare and present analyses and ideas.
Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights and Development, PUBPOL 388.07 (1.5 credits)
Instructor: Rosemary Fernholz
This seminar focuses on indigenous peoples, their basic rights, and their roles in national and international development processes. Through class discussions, case studies and role-playing, students will examine the impact of national policies and global trends on indigenous populations and vice versa, and the dynamics of conflict generation and resolution. Among the issues to be discussed are notions of sovereignty and governance, land and other property rights, community management of natural resources, indigenous social movements, international networks and assistance, culture, access and survival. This seminar is designed for graduate students from diverse fields such as public policy, environmental science, law, religion, education and business, who are concerned with international development issues and processes. Fellows enrolled in the course are expected to participate actively in class sessions and to read the course materials. We will have class discussions of theories relevant to power and participation, case studies, and role playing. Fellows will be required to submit short individual policy papers and one major group paper, which will also be presented in class.
Culture, Policy and Action, PUBPOL 388.08 (1.5 credits)
Instructor: Rosemary Fernholz
Starting with the premise that ‘culture matters’, the course covers the impacts of values and attitudes, historical differences, religion, ethnicity, language, and regional identities to shape public policy, action and debate. It draws insights from various disciplines such as history, anthropology, sociology, economics, natural sciences, politics and religion. During the semester, we discuss approaches to value cultural diversity, culture relevant dilemmas in development, policy making by various actors in divided societies, and the cost of culture related difficulties. Fellows enrolled in the course are expected to participate actively through class discussions/debates and presentations. There will be group presentations (2-3 persons to a group) made on selected themes during the course. A major paper on the topic presented is also required.
Rotary Capstone Workshop, PUBPOL 389.01 (1 credit)
Instructors: Catherine Admay, Francis Lethem
Enrollment Restricted to Second-year Rotary Fellows.This 1.5 credit workshop includes 3 elements: (i) a “cross-fertilization” workshop at which fellows will present the diagnosis and initial conclusions of their Master’s project and receive the suggestions of their peers and the Faculty; (ii) a career workshop preparing the fellows towards their future leadership roles in the field of Peace and Conflict Prevention and Resolution; and (iii) the fellows’ public presentation at the Rotary Conference in mid-April. This workshop is complemented by UNC seminar “Identity’s Role in Peace and Conflict” (1.5. credits).
NGO Roles in Development and Policy, PUBPOL 389.02 (1 credit)
Instructor: Jerry Van Sant
This seminar is designed for those with career interests in the NGO Sector as well as those working in other sectors who are interested in the role of NGOs as partners in policy dialog and program implementation. It will include an overview of the present roles of NGOs in relief, development, and policy advocacy as well as potential future roles. The seminar also will address common NGO strengths and weaknesses, how NGOs partner with host governments and donor agencies, proactive roles versus reactive roles, independence versus serving the priorities of donors or host governments, and what happens when NGOs become contractors. Finally, we will examine the attributes of a successful NGO and the process of organizational self-assessment as part of a learning process for NGOs.
Post-Crisis Pension Reform Options, PUBPOL 389.03 (1 credit) Instructor: Richard Hemming
In response to the unsustainable nature of pay-as-you-go (PAYG) or tax financed public pension provision in the face of aging populations, many countries have shifted to fully or partially funded pensions. This is often described as pension privatization. However, recent collapses in asset prices have exposed the risks associated with funded pensions, and in particular the possibility that accumulated assets will only be able to pay for small pensions. Against this background, this seminar explores pension reform options for countries that either still have unsustainable PAYG pensions or face the prospect of inadequately funded pensions. Both the microeconomic and macroeconomic consequences of reform options will be examined, and industrial and developing country case studies will be used to illustrate problems and alternative solutions.