The political Economy of Development
Assignment questions: 100 % plagiarism free with properly written with no grammar error is expected. (Single space, 12 font size Times New Roman)
Session 1: What’s the best way to measure “development,” or the best concrete indicator of the concept? Gross domestic product per capita? The Human Development Index? Survey data on human happiness? Or something else? Why? On what basis, empirical and/or normative, do you draw your conclusions?
Session 2: Is development more likely to result from the self-seeking and/or competitive behavior of individual entrepreneurs or the deliberate efforts of public officials and organizations? Why? And how would you know?
Session 3: Is unfettered trade more likely to produce development or reproduce underdevelopment? Why? And how would you know?
Session 4: Did East Asia outperform Latin America (not to mention Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia) by insulating the private actors from the depredations of public actors, or by insulating public actors from the depredations of private actors? And how would you know?
Please write a 5 pages paper addressing one of above session questions. (Single space, 12 font size Times New Roman) Please read the below links article on each session. The recommended readings, in particular, are designed to elaborate on the issues underpinning the respective debates.
SESSION 1
Introduction: What Is Development?
This session will discuss different definitions and indicators of "development," including traditional interpretations that prioritize per capita income and more encompassing alternatives that take nonpecuniary goals more seriously. Students should prepare for class by reading the assigned materials and making note of anything that seems unclear or controversial.
By the end of this class you should be able to define “development,” discuss the merits and limits to at least three different concrete indicators of development, describe the relationship among the indicators over time and space, and locate the relevant indicators for a large number of countries and years.
Reading Links
R.A. :Callen, Tim. Gross Domestic Product: An Economy's All. IMF, Finance & Development, March 28, 2012
R.A. :The Economics of Well-Being. R1201D-PDF-ENG
SESSION 2
Entrepreneurship and Development
This session will evaluate the entrepreneur’s role in late development. After discussing what we mean by “entrepreneurs,” we will consider their likely origins and contributions in different countries and contexts—and pay particularly careful attention to the state’s potential role in filling the alleged gap in entrepreneurship in the developing world.
By the end of this session you should be able to define “entrepreneurship,” discuss its role in the development process, and review different perspectives on the social and political origins of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship.
Reading Links
R.A. :Bayrasli, Elmira. Entrepreneurs Save the World. World Policy Journal, 29 (2), pp. 89-96.
R.A. :Wadwahani, R. Daniel. How Entrepreneurship Forgot Capitalism. Entrepreneurship Teaching and Research in Business Schools. Society, 49, pp.223-29
SESSION 3
Import-Substituting Industrialization in Latin America
This session will delve into the radical accounts of underdevelopment that predominated in the mid-twentieth century and their policy legacies. We will pay particularly careful attention to the doctrine of comparative advantage that has traditionally underpinned the case for free trade, Raúl Prebisch's critique of the doctrine's applicability to late developing countries, and the achievements and limitations of the import-substituting industrial policies that were inspired in large part by his critique.
By the end of this session you should understand the law of comparative advantage, be able to discuss potential limits (or challenges) to the law including the theory of “unequal exchange,” understand the relationship between the unequal exchange doctrine and the growth of import-substituting industrialization (ISI) in the mid-20th century, and discuss the consequences of ISI in Latin America in particular.
Reading Links
R.A. :Sunkel, Osvaldo. Big Business and "Dependencia." Foreign Affairs. pgs XXXXXXXXXX
R.A. :Velasco, Andrés. Dependency theory. Foreign Policy XXXXXXXXXXpgs. 44-45
SESSION 4
Export-led Industrialization in East Asia
In this session we will discuss the postwar economic performance of the East Asian newly industrializing countries. We will distinguish the export-led development models common in East Asia from their import-substituting Latin American counterparts and differentiate laissez-faire from activist versions of the former in particular.
By the end of this session you should be able to define and discuss export-led industrialization (ELI), contrast ELI and ISI, and discuss the underpinnings and consequences of the latter in late 20th century Asia.
Reading Links
R.A. :Gibson, Robert. “Asia’s Little Dragons Spew Economic Fire,” Los Angeles Times, July 15, 1984.
R.A. :Amsden, Alice. “East Asia’s Challenge.” American Prospect Summer 1990.
R.A. :Recommended: Wade, Robert. 1992. “East Asia’s Economic Success: Conflicting Perspectives, Partial Insights, Shaky Evidence.” World Politics 44 (2): XXXXXXXXXX.