Postgraduate Course: South Asia: Roots of Poverty and Development (SAST11002)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Since the early 1990s, several countries in South Asia have experienced unprecedented levels of economic growth and rapid social change. Yet the region is still home to a vast proportion of the world's poorest people. This course explores how South Asia became a 'development problem' in the decades since decolonisation, and focuses on the persistence of poverty despite the massive inflows of international development assistance in its various forms. We explore different dimensions of inequality to highlight the differential access of diverse social groupings to economic and social resources, and examine the impact of such inequalities on people's ability to benefit from development inputs in various sectors, such as agriculture, health, and education. This course complements Politics and Theories of Development by providing South Asia-specific examples. It is also a stand-alone option for other MSc programmes.
This course complements Politics and Theories of Development by providing South Asia-specific examples. It is also a stand-alone option for other MSc programmes. |
| Course description |
Academic Description:
A vast proportion of the world's poorest people live in South Asia; yet the sub-continent has seen massive inflows of international development assistance in its various forms.
This course explores how South Asia became a 'development problem' and the various strategies employed over the decades since colonial times to bring about social, political and economic transformation in South Asia. It considers the theories underpinning specific development strategies and initiatives, the social and political contexts in which they were undertaken, and the reasons for success and failure. The course will focus on specific examples of development initiatives in South Asia, considering the interaction amongst the range of actors involved (states, elites, peasants, civil society, multinational corporations, multilateral institutions, donors, NGOs, etc.). This course complements Politics and Theories of Development, providing South Asia-specific examples. It is also a stand-alone option for other MSc programmes.
Outline Content:
Introduction: course outline, South Asian poverty amidst economic growth
Historical background: colonial and post-independence development processes
The state, governance and corruption in South Asia
Fracture lines & intersectionality: class, gender, caste, community
Population growth and demographic challenges
Agricultural transformation, livelihoods and migration
Micro-finance and empowerment
Human development: health
Human development: education
Social movements: protest and violent conflict
Student Learning Experience:
The course is taught through lectures and seminars. Students will read key texts rooted in the history and politics of development in South Asia. Specific emphasis is given to contemporary debates in South Asian development. Students design, plan and write an essay for this course.
At the end of the course students will:
Have gained familiarity with the major historical factors affecting development in South Asia;
Have gained an understanding of how major development
theories have been applied in practice in different South Asian countries;
Will be able to examine critically the social, political and economic factors affecting development strategies.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- show familiarity with the major historical factors affecting development in South Asia
- comprehend the major dimensions of social, political and economic inequality in South Asia and why such inequalities are so resilient
- show understanding of why poverty is so persistent in the region
- show understanding of some of the obstacles to successful implementation of development programmes and economic and social policy more generally
- understand how major development theories have been applied in practice in different social and economic sectors
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Reading List
Collier, P. 2007. The Bottom Billion: Why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it
Gupta, A. & K. Sivaramakrishnan (eds) 2010. The State in India After Liberalization: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Narayan, D. & E. Glinskaya (eds) (2006) Ending Poverty in South Asia: Ideas That Work
Mosse, D. 2004.Cultivating Development: An Ethnography of Aid Policy and Practice
Shah, A. & J. Pettigrew (eds) 2010. Windows into a Revolution: Ethnographies of Maoism in South Asia
Spencer, J. 2007. Anthropology, politics and the state: democracy and violence in South Asia
World Bank (2009) South Asia: The End of Poverty http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/0,,contentMDK:20969099~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:223547,00.html |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Week 1: Introduction: course outline, South Asian poverty amidst economic growth
Week 2: Historical background: colonial and post-independence development processes (Prof Crispin Bates)
Week 3: The state, governance and corruption in South Asia
Week 4: Population growth and demographic challenges
Week 5: Fracture lines: caste, class, gender, community
Week 6: Agricultural transformation, livelihoods and migration
Week 7: Micro-finance and empowerment
Week 8: Human development: health
Week 9: Human development: education
Week 10: Social movements: protest and violent conflict |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Jeevan Sharma
Tel: (0131 6)51 1760
Email: Jeevan.Sharma@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Kate Ferguson
Tel: (0131 6)51 5122
Email: kate.ferguson@ed.ac.uk |
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