The aims of this module are to study and compare the economic development of states and state-society relations in non-western countries in the context of an increasingly globalized world. The module will play special attention to the development of the state, its role in economic development, and whether or not it can still have a large influence on the structure and dynamics of society given the pressures of globalization.
State-society relations are also of fundamental importance to an understanding of development and, in particular, to the understanding of the processes of modernization which have led to a partitioning of the world into the so-called ‘developed’, ‘developing’ and ‘under-developed’ countries. Among other things, the focus will be on the influence of colonialism, international institutions and foreign aid on the development-democracy nexus.
In the first half of the module, the class will provide an overview of contemporary development theories and the key issues that developing countries face. It will critically examine the different ways of thinking about the Developing World and explore the various perspectives on economic development. The module will explore the effects of globalization on states in the development work. The goal is also to better understand the political underpinnings of economic growth and development, as well as the effects of development on democratization.
The second half of the module will introduce the major theories that focus on the different paths to economic development, state-society relations and the distribution of power. The module will then apply these theories to cases in the non-Western world such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile and examine the effects of globalization on their economic development.