Postgraduate Course: Governance, Development and Poverty in Africa (PGSP11327)
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 | African states are often depicted as dysfunctional, corrupt, and failing to deliver public services and to uphold the rule of law. Drawing on academic literature and empirical research from across the continent, this course seeks to provide a more complete and nuanced understanding of governance in Africa. Over the course of the semester, it examines a range of key issues, including the implementation of development policies, approaches to measuring governance, the impacts of colonial legacies, and the role of civil society and non-state actors. The course situates the debates on good governance, development, and poverty alleviation in their historical, social, and political context to enable students to critically engage with development in theory and in practice. Course activities are structured along four main themes. The first part explores what governance means and how governance is represented, conceptualised, and measured in dominant and alternative approaches. The second part considers economic governance, democratization and the role of the state. The third section of the course is devoted to critical actors that often shape the governance landscape, including businesses, civil society, and NGOs. This is followed by a focus on how some of these actors operate within the online information landscape. The final part of course uses the knowledge and concepts from the first three parts of the course to investigate the dynamics of governance around evolving contexts of natural resources, food systems, pandemics, climate change, and AI. |
| Course description |
Outline content:
The following outline content is indicative. There may be some minor changes to the topics on offer and the order in which they are covered.
Governance: An Introduction
The class begins with a statement on diversity and on the risks of (ill-informed) generalizations. The focus is then on governance, starting with some essential - albeit broad brush - historical background of some key moments that influence governance in present day Africa. Economic liberalization and the Washington Consensus are introduced, leading to the concept of 'good' governance. Measurements of governance are explored, with a focus on some key findings of the latest Ibrahim Index of African Governance. This first lecture, therefore, aims to give a strong platform from which to explore governance, with all its contestations and nuances, in the rest of the course.
Alternative Approaches to 'Good' Governance
The rise of governance as a concept in international development, and of the 'good governance' agenda in particular, has not been without its critics. This session explores contending perspectives on the governance paradigm and examines attempts to create alternative ways of thinking that move away from mainstream conceptions of governance. It discusses how to incorporate the informal in thinking about governance and explores the political settlements framework, a prominent alternative approach to understanding how states operate.
Economic Governance
Economic governance is a broad and diverse theme that focuses on power relations in spaces related to the production and consumption of goods and services at a local, national, and international level. This lecture will focus on several aspects of economic governance. At the international level, it will discuss the controversial impact of FDI in Africa and China's investment in infrastructure projects in Africa as well as regional economic integration with reference to ECOWAS, SADC, and the recently established AfCFTA. At the local level, it will cover urban economic governance, especially in the spheres of transportation and informal economy which are vital yet neglected economic spaces in many African countries.
Governance and Democratization
The class starts with an overview of phases of rule in Africa over the last few decades, and the emergence of a human rights and democracy agenda. Democratization actors are discussed, alongside the role of elections. We look at measurements of democracy, and consider democratic 'backsliding', and the frequency of coups on the continent.
Governance and Non-State Actors: NGOs and Civil Society
The lecture begins with non-state actors, then turns to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs). We take a brief historical glance, then look at a couple of contemporary country case studies with Uganda and Zambia, then look at how CSOs are covered in some recent literature, looking at CSOs and COVID pandemic in Africa. We finish with an alternative, wide-lens view of civil society as popular cultural expression.
Governance and Non-State Actors: (Un)Civil Society and Violent Groups
The class turns again to non-state actors, this time looking at violent non-state actors. We discuss the social contract and accountability, and then turn to a focus on Somalia. We look at fractures in the political system, and some of Somalia's development challenges. We then turn to 'rebel governance', with a case study of al-Shabaab. We consider the role of external actors, and end on a short video that links to next week's class.
Governance and the (Dis)Information Landscape
The lecture focusses on how civil society and the state attempt to influence citizens' actions online.
Digital Technologies and Governance, Development and Inequality
The recent advancements in technologies have transformed the ways government systems are structured and operate, which has in-turn positioned technologies at the centre of governance and development. This session examines Africa's journey towards becoming a digital society. The first part examines the e-government project (digitising the civil service and achieving digital sovereignty) and how African states fare internationally. The second part examines some of the digital-enabled interventions for development to appreciate the emerging dynamics in international development.
Essay preparation
In this session we will discuss the long essay assignment, and essay writing.
Natural Resources and Governance
Natural resource endowment is often associated with underdevelopment and poor governance in low-income countries. This session unpacks the contending perspectives that underpin the governance dimensions of the so-called 'resource curse' thesis.
New Governance Dynamics? Pandemics, Food Systems, Ubranisation, Climate Change and Artificial Intelligence
In this session, we consider how what we have learnt about governance in the course might apply in different arenas: pandemics, food systems, urbanisation, climate change, and artificial intelligence (AI). We also reflect on the changing meanings, actors, and dynamics of governance in Africa and what these changes suggest about the future of governance on the continent.
Student Learning Experience:
The course encourages you to explore the connections between theory, research, policymaking and the lived experience of 'developers' and 'developed' in Africa. It is a combination of lectures and tutorials with student discussions. The course is cross-disciplinary and draws on social anthropology, African studies, political science and development studies.
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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:
- Familiarity with academic and policy debates about governance and the postcolonial state in the context of development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Ability to contextualise these theories against the historical background and debates about contemporary Africa and its place in the world.
- Understanding of the importance of academic analyses of development and poverty in Africa for work in international development.
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Reading List
| Two or three essential readings are provided each week. These are referred to in the lecture, and are the basis of the seminar discussion. Additional readings covering all the references made in each lecture are also provided through a link on the Resource List. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Thomas Molony
Tel: (0131 6)50 6976
Email: Thomas.Molony@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Celia Atherton
Tel:
Email: cathert2@ed.ac.uk |
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