International Development: Politics and Governance – (M.A.)

It is now widely acknowledged that politics is critical to the success of development, whether in terms of governmental commitment to poverty reduction, increased political voice for marginal people or new patterns of power relations within global institutions.

It is in this context that IDPM is pleased to introduce a new pathway Politics & Governance, within the MA International Development, which examines the obstacles to and pathways towards more legitimate, democratic and pro-poor forms of governance at global, national and local levels. It interrogates the discursive paradigms and material interventions in the area of politics and governance, which have moved to the centre of the international development agenda since the late 1980s.

Teaching is based on a research-led approach by core members of IDPM staff, partly in collaboration with the Department of Politics in the School of Social Sciences and with the School of Law. Students completing the programme will have developed a thorough understanding of the political dynamics that underpin processes of political transformation and social change in non-Western societies. They will also have a critical understanding of the role and practise of politics within international development.

Course aims The programme aims to: * provide participants with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the politics of development, including the social, economic, environmental and institutional context in the global South.
* enable students to extend their knowledge of development and governance theory
* provide students with the opportunity to consider policy formulation and implementation in the global South
* enhance study fellows' professional competency by imparting a set of relevant analytical techniques and methods related to the politics of development
* permit study fellows to relate their own experience of political development and governance issues to relevant conceptual frameworks
* develop and enhance students' research skills through special areas of coursework and supervised dissertation research
* encourage students to read and understand key texts, be able to discuss their relevance to wider development debates and present their ideas coherently and concisely in both oral and written format.