99924 - Issues of Development in the Global South

Academic Year 2022/2023

  • Docente: Mario Zamponi
  • Credits: 8
  • SSD: SPS/13
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Local and Global Development (cod. 5912)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has the ability to analyze the concept of development in the history and politics of the countries of the Global South. He knows the main theoretical approaches, the concepts and the debate regarding development policies. In particular, the student is able to: understand and analyze the main contemporary literature concerning development issues with regard to developing countries; analyze development strategies and practices and debate on their effectiveness; interpreting and contextualising the main processes of transformation and of political and economic reforms in the developing countries; analyze and discuss the most relevant phenomena of development and place them in the broader international development dynamics and practices.

Course contents

The course analyzes and discusses the concept of development in the history and politics of the global South (developing countries), in relation to the international dimension. Theories and debates on development, and its effectiveness will be analyzed, as well as development strategies and practices from the second post-war period to the present. The historical and political issues of rural development in the countries of the global South will be explored.

Important notice

In order to enhance students' participation and interaction, students attending classes must read preliminarily the following book:

V. Desai, R. B. Potter, The companion to development studies, Hodder Education, London, 2008

Moreover, students are requested to attend classes regularly and to be present during the first weeks when all information about the programme will be provided.

The course will be organized as follows:

FIRST PART

Introductory information about the course. Analysis of the concept of development within the field of development studies, in relation to the global south. Development in history and in international relations: from colonial empires to third world to developing countries; modernisation and development; from Washington to post Washington consensus. Analysis of the notion of development in social sciences in an historical and political perspective: idioms, concepts, debate; ideas of "alternative" development and development cooperation such as South-South cooperation; how to link research and practice in development practices.

SECOND PART

Analysis of the processes of political and social development in the rural world of the countries of the global South: access to land, citizenship, agricultural reforms and rural development policies in an historical perspective. The relationship between agriculture, development, poverty reduction and food sovereignty will be discussed in the context of the international debate, as well as the role of agrarian reforms in the global South from an historical-political perspective.

Recommended readings:

A. Payne, N. Phillips, Development, Polity Press, Cambridge 2009

A. Pallotti, M. Zamponi, Le parole dello sviluppo, Carocci, Roma, 2014

H. Bernstein, Class dynamics of agrarian change, Kumarian Press; Sterling, VA, Halifax; Winnipeg Fernwood

THIRD PART

This part will take place in seminar form. All students, divided into groups, will have to build a project idea based on the calls listed below. They will have to identify a country, contextualize it in relation to the discussion of development, propose a project idea by building a work network. Each student will then discuss his part of the work/proposal by comparing it with the works of the other students of the same group in a classroom discussion.

Further details will be provided by the teacher during lessons.

The calls to work on are:

Bando della Regione Emilia-Romagna per la cooperazione allo sviluppo

https://fondieuropei.regione.emilia-romagna.it/bandi/bando-per-la-cooperazione-internazionale-2021

Bandi dell’Agenzia italiana per la cooperazione allo sviluppo

https://aics.portaleamministrazionetrasparente.it/contenuto9303_bandi-no-profit-sviluppo-sedi-estere_728.html

https://aics.portaleamministrazionetrasparente.it/contenuto9383_bando-2020-iniziative-promosse-da-osc-sede-centrale_728.html

Programme for students attending classes

Students attending classes must study the following texts

A. Pallotti, M. Zamponi, Le parole dello sviluppo, Carocci, Roma, 2014

A. Payne, N. Phillips, Development, Polity Press, Cambridge 2009

Henry Bernstein, Class dynamics of agrarian change, Kumarian Press; Sterling, VA, Halifax; Winnipeg, Fernwood

Programme for students not attending classes

A. Pallotti, M. Zamponi, Le parole dello sviluppo, Carocci, Roma, 2014

Henry Bernstein, Class dynamics of agrarian change, Kumarian press; Sterling, VA, Halifax; Winnipeg Fernwood

A. Payne, N. Phillips, Development, Polity Press, Cambridge 2009

D. Craig, D. Porter, Development Beyond Liberalism. Governance, Poverty Reduction and Political Economy, Routledge, Abingdon 2006 (introduction and chapters of Part I)

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliographical references are indicated jointly with the syllabus.

Teaching methods

Lectures, analysis and discussion of papers and bibliographical references. Some of the lectures will be organized as seminars with discussion of the texts elaborated by students as described in the Third Part of the programme.

Assessment methods

The assessment of students, both for students attending and not attending classes, takes place through an oral examination aiming to evaluate the capacity of analysis and students' knowledge on concepts and debate about development issues in a political and historical perspective and about the main processes of transformation and of political and economic reforms in countries of the global south discussed during the course.

Teaching tools

Transparencies, maps, newspapers, documents and reports of international organisations.

Office hours

See the website of Mario Zamponi

SDGs

No poverty Reduced inequalities Peace, justice and strong institutions Partnerships for the goals

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.