Development Studies

This course focuses on the changes in Singapore's urban landscape. It places these changes within a framework that considers Singapore's efforts to globalize and examines how policies are formulated with the idea of sustaining an economy that has integral links sub-regionally with Southeast Asia while developing new spatial linkages that will strengthen its position in the global network. Emphasis is also given to recent discussions about how diversity and difference in the perception and use of space pose a challenge to the utilitarian and functional definition adopted by the state.

Full course description

The long-run economic development of countries, as well as inequality within countries are the major topics of this course. The long-run growth part deals with topics such as basic growth theories, including institutions, population, education, health, and migration. The inequality part relates to how the distribution of income, access to education, health services, or infrastructure can be highly uneven and become a major obstacle for economic development. Throuhout the course, policy implications and potential actions related to these topics are taken into consideration and discussed.

Course objectives

• To provide participants with an overview of major economic concepts and policies in development issues, such as growth and population dynamics, education, aid, trade and debt. 
• To deliver the skills needed to consider development problems and approach them in a rigorous and critical way, using both economic theories and policy analysis. 

Prerequisites

SSC1027 Principles of Economics. Knowledge of basic quantitative concepts such as reading and working with graphs and simple equations is also a prerequisite. 

This course critically examines the various key approaches which have dominated international development debate and underlie the multifarious development practices and policies of the last few decades. Using a perspective on the different channels, the main actors, and institutions involved, including new donors, private sector, international organizations, and international agreements that impact development processes in the global south. Focus is on the interfaces between academic paradigms, practitioners’ approaches, and the debate on questions of international cooperation and development in society at large. The course deals explicitly with the ethical and moral aspects related to development cooperation. The multidisciplinary character of this course makes it well suited for students of other programs, who may approach development issues from their own respective disciplinary backgrounds.

This course addresses some of the major problems of economic development in low- and middle-income economies: the relationship between poverty, inequality, and economic growth; long-run growth and structural change; microeconomic issues in agricultural development, including theories of peasant resource allocation and farm size and efficiency; market performance in the rural and informal sectors of less developed countries; industrialization and trade policy; the roles of monetary policy and foreign aid in resource mobilization; stabilization and structural adjustment; and investment in human capital.

This course examines development economics with a feminist lens. It describes how economic growth and economic development have differential impacts on men, women, intersectional groups, and on gender equality. Based on theoretical perspectives from feminist economics and on human development, the course describes and assess the impact of policy solutions and aid projects. The course introduces concept of gender in general and in relation to the development discourse in particular. It describes how policy has moved from women in development to gender and development and the emergence of post-colonial feminist approaches. Main features of mainstream development economics are contrasted with feminist economics. Labor market and employment is discussed in relation to concepts such as productive/reproductive and formal/informal, with an emphasis on the relevance of these concepts for the global south in particular. Various indicators of economic inequalities are presented and gender disaggregated data is introduced to enhance the understanding of concepts such as the feminization of poverty and multidimensional poverty both theoretically and empirically. A social provisioning approach to the gender dimension of economic life is discussed. The course deepens the understanding of the underlying power structures of economic and gender inequalities. It brings in the broader concept of human development and capability approaches. It discusses ways of conceptualizing and practically working with critical perspectives on men and masculinities in economic development. This course discusses and problematizes the relationship between economic growth and gender equality: to what extent does economic growth impact on gender equality? Does gender equality spur economic development? The course looks at more practical policy solutions to the problem and brings up policies, methods, and strategies for reducing gender inequalities. It gives a short theoretical background to each of the strategies. Examples of strategies that are discussed include women's movements, gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting, micro-credits, and corruption.

This course is designed for students wishing to clarify and advance their career goals through a 16-week internship in Thailand. It provides a structured learning environment to help students make the most of their internship experience. While there are no regularly scheduled class meetings, internships are conducted under the close academic supervision of the Social Policy & Development department at Thammasat University. An assigned internship coordinator provides oversight and guidance for the duration of the internship. The course requires a minimum of 128 total work hours. To facilitate the completion of the internship and maximize skill acquisition, students are required to work at least one full day per week at their internships. Graded Pass/No pass only.