Development Studies

Building on the theoretical constructs and skills of earlier courses, students are introduced to Community Development from a political economy of welfare perspective. This course uses youth development and contemporary issues as a lens for learning about community assessment and intervention strategies. The course provides the basic concepts, theory, processes and skills required for culturally appropriate assessment of systems and situations at community level, and community development as a strategy of interaction within a framework of youth and youth development in South and Southern Africa. Course entry requirements: At least second-year status.

This course explores key sustainable development challenges, including climate change, poverty, inequality and social justice. It explores the concept of sustainable development and assesses the effectiveness of a range of approaches to development. The role of government, business and civil society in addressing global challenges is considered.

This course focuses on how gender is socially, economically, and politically constructed in the community/society and how gender matters in addressing development. The course also addresses the kinds of policy and project interventions to achieve sustainable development and gender equalities.

This course examine core theories and frameworks used in geography to account for the social, spatial and economic unevenness in global development. it focuses on questions relating to who are the winners and losers from contemporary patterns of global economic change. This includes the analysis of relevant conceptual approaches to understand processes of global development and inequality (including comparative advantage, global value chain theory, developmentalism, structuralism, neo-liberalism, and post-development). Then, it adopts a livelihoods approach to better understand these broader processes from the perspective of individuals, households and communities. In general, issues are tailored to themes being played out in Asia-Pacific countries. 

Persistent gender and other inequalities in education, employment, income and other resources, including technology use, continue to deter adults and children from attaining their full potential in many parts of the world. Although there is some progress in addressing inequalities across the world, rapidly increasing access to digital devices and platforms in many parts of the world poses new challenges. This course addresses three interrelated questions about the drivers of digital inequality, how they are patterned across gender, racial, and ethnic identities as well as how they intersect with other forms of social inequalities. A strong emphasis is also placed on novel strategies for tracking and confronting these inequalities to attain a more just and equitable society for all.

This course addresses the question, "What can we/I do to create a better world?" from the perspective of Goals 10 to 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This course analyzes various data, experiences, and information to gain a global perspective; acknowledges the current situation, and considers how to address complex issues as well as solutions and actions one can take. 

This course addresses the question, "What can we/I do to create a better world?" from the perspective of Goal 1 to 9 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).  This course analyzes various data, experiences, and information to gain a global perspective; acknowledges the current situation, and considers how to address complex issues as well as solutions and actions one can take. 

This course discusses and analyzes the major challenges and current initiatives in the creation of finance industries appropriate to and effective in developing countries. The course focuses on the private financial sector and issues relating to access to finance. After a general overview, the course examines the forms of finance available for larger firms in developing countries, mainly the banking sector and the stock market. Subsequently, the course covers the evidence on the effects of financial development on economic growth and the role of institutional factors, such as corporate governance, in financial development. The course then examines the access to finance for smaller firms and households and the implications of a lack of access. Finally, the course touches upon private international sources of finance, namely private capital flows, FDI, and remittances to developing countries.