Political Economyof the Global South

Prof. Tyson Roberts

The Global South includes economic stars and laggards; stable dictatorships, failed states, and democracies

Some questions this class will address

• What is development, and what are its causes and consequences?

• What distinguishes politics in the Global South from those in the advanced, industrialized countries of the Global North?

• What problems do these countries face, and what guidance can policymakers take from scholarly research to meet these challenges?

Course Goals

1. Develop a solid understanding of important theories regarding political economy in the Global South developing countries.

2. Acquire substantive knowledge about politics and economics in a range of countries, including “mini-expertise” in one.

3. Hone research and analytical skills, including the application of theories to specific cases, and written and verbal communication skills.

Course Requirements

• Map Quiz 5%

• Country Research Assignments 10%• Country Presentation

25%• Midterm Exam

20%• Final Exam

40%

Map Quiz

• Week 3• In class• Blank map with 20 numbered countries

Country research assignments

• 5 assignments• Each student will research a country throughout

the quarter • Professor will do a sample for each assignment

with suggested sources using Benin– So don’t choose Benin

• No late work accepted• First assignment is to choose a country – Due April 9

Country Presentation

• Over the course of the quarter, each student will deliver a presentation, with slides, on their country, relating to the topic studied that week.

Exams

• In class• Multiple choice & short answers

Extra Credit: Reading Responses

• Each evening before lecture at midnight, submitted online, answering the following: – What did you think was most important or most interesting

in each reading? – How would you rate the reading on a scale of 1-10, and why?

• Aim for 8-12 sentences for each reading. • Students who complete – 5 reading responses will receive 1 point extra credit; – 10 will receive 2 points extra credit.

• No late work accepted

Books and Readings

The primary texts will be two documentary films

This Thursday we will watch Mobutu, King of Zaire, about what is today the Democratic Republic of Congo

Over the following weeks we will study topics relating to the film

• Impact of colonialism on national institutions & development

• Factor endowments & the “resource curse”• Economic & political effects of foreign aid• Law & order vs. state failure• State-led development & import substituting

industrialization• Coups d’etat & military rule• Personalistic rule & corruption

After the Midterm in Week 6, we will watch Our Brand is Crisis, set in Bolivia

Over the following weeks we will study topics relating to the film

• Ethnic politics• Class politics• The economics of globalization• The politics of globalization• Debt crisis & debt forgiveness• Democratization & democratic survival• Economic effects of democracy• Social effects of elections in developing countries

All readings will be available online:

http://sites.uci.edu/peofgs/