International development: past, present and future

Aims

This course aims to:

• develop a broad factual overview of international development practice and implement
   
• develop a comprehensive understanding of the debates surrounding the theoretical underpinnings of development practices
   
• develop a reflexive awareness of the normalised frames of reference we bring to the study, theory and practice of international development

Content

Since the end of the Second World War, the concept and imperative of ‘development’ has been central to our understanding of the world geopolitically, economically and even culturally.

The history of international development is not, however, simply a one-dimensional history of the facts of how development has been ‘rolled out’. It is also a two-dimensional history of the competing understandings of what ‘development’ is and ought to be: should it be state-led, or market-driven? Should success be measured by economic or social indicators? Does it imply an objectively ethical goal, or is it merely imperialism by other means?

But there is also a third dimension: why do we find ourselves interested in the concept, and preoccupied by the imperative, of international development? As individuals, we come to the topic with a set of presumptions about our capacity to know about our capacity to act, and about the nature of our very interest in knowing about and acting towards people in contexts far removed from our own society. This third dimension is, in a sense, the broader ‘story’ of development, in which we ourselves are key actors.

In as much as the one-dimensional facts of how development has been rolled out is subsumed within a two-dimensional history of the competing ideas of what exactly is being implemented, that history itself exists in the context of the 3-dimensional story of why we take an interest in it.

The purpose of this course is not to cast a judgment – i.e., to assess the merits of development as either a concept or imperative. Rather, the purpose is to clarify, in three dimensions, the nature of the concept’s relationship to the world, its relationship to itself, and its relationship to we who seek to understand it. That is, to clarify the facts of how it has been implemented, the theories of what it is, and the frames of reference that inform why we care about those theories and facts.

Presentation of the course 

It is impossible to project the future of international development without understanding its present, and it is impossible to make sense of its present without understanding its past. This course

therefore, takes a chronological approach to understanding the development of development. It is a concept that has had a number of evolutions over the decades, each of which emerged as a reaction to the failings – be they internal contradictions or external consequences - of previous iterations.

In taking a chronological approach, this course will establish the full political-economic context of each iteration of the concept of development, before diving into the philosophical content of the theories and world-views involved, before examining the factual consequences of these theories as they were applied to the ‘real world’.

In order to tell this rich, three-dimensional story, which will not only bring us up to the present, but leave the class better equipped to project the future course of international development, the format will be five one-hour lectures. Each will be followed by 15 minutes for questions and discussion.

Course sessions

1. Introduction to International Development as a concept and imperative 
   In this first lecture, we will explore the idea that the history of international development is best understood as the story of a secular faith. 
    
2. The Post-World War II Origins of International Development 
   In this second lecture, we will explore how the basic tenets of international development are products of a particular culture and philosophical bearing. 
    
3. Capitalist, State-Led approaches to development 
   In this third lecture, we will examine the political and economic circumstance that led to the founding of international development following World War II, and the first truly systematic approach to development – modernisation theory - that emerged in the 1950s. 
    
4. Socialist, State-Led approaches to development
   In this fourth lecture, we will discuss the backlash to the modernisation theories, and the rise of dependency theory in the 1960s. 
    
5. Hyper-Capitalist, market-driven approaches to development 
   In this fifth lecture, we will discuss the rise of neo-liberalism, the Washington consensus, and structural adjustment programmes which shifted international development from a state-led to market-driven approaches in the 1980s, and the consequences of this that we still live with today. 
    
6. Post - and Anti-Development Critiques 
   In the sixth lecture, we will review the post-development critiques that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s. 
    
7. Person-centric approached to development
    In the seventh lecture, we will explore the new model of development that emerged in the late 1990s, and which came to dominate theory and practice in the 2000s, notably through ‘micro-finance’. 
    
8. Development, Fragile States, and the Age of Intervention In the eighth lecture, we will examine the ‘age of intervention’, from the Kosovo crisis to the invasion of Afghanistan, and then Iraq. The purpose will be to outline the assumptions not only about how the world is, and how it ought to be, but also assumptions about the west’s capacity to change the world through intervention in so-called ‘fragile states’. 
    
9. Development, climate change, and the imperative of sustainability In the ninth lecture, we will gain perspective on the growing significance of climate change in international development narratives. 
    
10. The Future of International Development In the final lecture, we will tease out the similarities and the differences between development as pursued by the ‘West’, and that pursued by the People’s Republic of China, before drawing broader conclusions from the course as a whole. 

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to understand the history of international development
   
• to understand the key challenges of international development
   
• to understand our own relationship to the whole topic and imperative of international development, and to think about it critically 

Required reading

Chang, Ha-Joon, ‘Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark: how development has disappeared from today’s “development” discourse’ (2010), in S Khan & J Christiansen, Towards New Developmentalism: Market as Means rather than Master (Oxford: Routledge 2013) 

Rist, Gilbert, The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith (London: Zed Books 2008, 3rd edition)

Sen, Amartya, Introduction to Development as Freedom (Oxford: Oxford University press 1999) 

Available at https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/matnat/ifi/INF9200/v10/readings/papers/Sen.pdf

Stewart, Rory, ‘The Plane to Kabul’ (2010) in R Stewart & G Knaus, Can Intervention Work? Norton (London: W, W, Norton & Company 2011)

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.