Course

Local Politics of Development - ARTS2752

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

School: School of Social Sciences

Course Outline: School of Social Sciences

Campus: Sydney

Career: Undergraduate

Units of Credit: 6

EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)

Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 3

Enrolment Requirements:

Prerequisite: 30 units of credit at Level 1; or 24 units of credit and enrolment in a Development Studies minor in Arts/Law (4782)

Equivalent: GLST2102

CSS Contribution Charge: 1 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

Available for General Education: Yes (more info)

View course information for previous years.

Description

Subject Area: Development Studies
This course can also be studied in the following specialisation: International Relations

Why do some development interventions, despite all the best intentions, inadvertently end up doing harm and create negative development outcomes? Why does poverty, inequality, and uneven resource distribution persist in the world? In order to find the answer to these questions, you will have to learn how to apply a political lens to development questions.

This course complements ARTS2751 International Development and helps you to understand the influence of politics at a local level on development outcomes. You will analyse the dynamics within countries that are recipients of international aid, examining the role of local actors in development assistance, with a focus on the experiences of individuals and communities living there.

Drawing on the interdisciplinary nature of development studies, you will explore how politics can create positive or negative environments for development interventions depending on the context in which development assistance occurs, existing power and patronage structures, differential political and governance systems, as well as people’s agencies.

You will learn tools that help you understand the local development context better and link this knowledge to improved interventions and development outcomes. Focussing away from more top-down development approaches, you will explore the importance of context-sensitive approaches, participatory development, local ownership, and empowerment.

The Red Centre promenade

Study Levels

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