GV225-5-AU-CO:
International Economic Development
2025/26
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
15
08 August 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA L900 International Development,
BA L2CS Social Sciences,
BA L2ES Social Sciences
Why do countries vary in their relative levels of economic development? What is the relationship between economic development and human development? Why do poverty rates grow in some countries, remain unchanged in many, and decline in others? What actions can international organizations and national governments take to promote economic and human development? How can academic research inform the strategies of international organizations and national governments in their approach to promoting economic and human development?
This module addresses these questions through a political science lens, introducing students to the frontier of research on the role of democratic political institutions and social welfare policy-making in promoting economic and human development.
In the first half of the module, we examine how political institutional arrangements ensuring political accountability, the rule of law, and bureaucratic oversight contribute to economic development by changing the behavior of politicians and businesses. In the second half of the module, we examine how social welfare policies promoting gender, ethnic, financial, and ecological inclusivity contribute to human development by changing the behavior of individuals and communities. In both halves of the module, we examine how academic research shapes the strategies of policy practitioners in international organizations and policy makers in national governments for promoting development within nations.
The aims of this module are:
- To develop students’ conceptual understanding of economic and human development
- To develop students’ causal understanding of the complex processes linking a country’s political institutions to the behavior of political and economic actors and how this behavior aggregates to affect development
- To develop students’ causal understanding of the complex processes linking a country’s social welfare policy to the behavior of individuals and communities and how this behavior aggregates to affect development
- To develop students’ understanding of how academic research contributes to the design of political institutional and social policy measures to improve development.
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
- Explain the role of political institutions and social policy in economic development.
- Explain how international organizations and national governments undertake policy interventions to ensure economic and human development.
- Analyze how targeted political institutional reforms work to promote development.
- Analyze how targeted social policy reforms would work to promote development.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
1 x 2-hour seminar per week
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
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Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Allyson Benton, email: allyson.benton@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Allyson Benton
Module Supervisor: Dr Allyson Benton, allyson.benton@essex.ac.uk / Student Administrator: govquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Stefano Pagliari
City, University of London
Senior Lecturer in International Politics
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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