Introduction to International Development

2026/2027

Учебный год

ENG

Обучение ведется на английском языке

3

Кредиты

Кто читает:

Факультет мировой экономики и мировой политики

Статус:

Курс по выбору

Когда читается:

2-й курс, 3, 4 модуль

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the course introduces students to the theories, historical processes and events, current policy debates, and their practical implementations that are shaping the economic, political, and social direction of international development today. From histories of colonialism, the debt crisis and structural adjustment programs, neoliberalism, and aid we move to examine matters of governance, poverty, informality, and civil society, among others.

Learning Objectives

• to demonstrate that development is not just about the ‘South’ or the ‘Third World’ but that it should be understood as a global phenomenon to describe and evaluate the main intellectual traditions out of which ideas about international development have emerged to show how development can only be fully understood if its historical and political dimensions are given as much attention as its economic and social dimensions to illustrate how development policy and practice has evolved over time and why some options are seen as possible by governments, International Financial Institutions and civil society organisations while others are not to do this by looking in depth at the following key themes: ‘late’ development (i.e. industrialisation now) and industrial policy; agrarian change and rural development; governance and public policy; the international order.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• show why development should be understood as a global phenomenon
• discuss and critically evaluate the main intellectual traditions shaping international development today
• use a range of historical, political, economic and social concepts and facts in your analysis of development issues
• demonstrate a good understanding of how policy debates and practical interventions have evolved over time in the context of a number of key themes.
• provide an account of the ways in which ideas of development have changed over time since 1945, both reflecting and shaping world historical and political events
• describe and evaluate the main features of the founding theories of institutions and civil society
• explain the crucial relationship between domestic industrialisation and international trade
• describe and evaluate the main features of the founding theories of the state and market – Liberal, Marxist and Legal-Rational theories
• describe and evaluate the main features of intellectual debates about the transition from feudalism to capitalism in Europe between the sixteenth and early-twentieth centuries
• describe and evaluate the variety of pre-capitalist economic and political arrangements that prevailed beyond Europe and the impact of the West upon these arrangements over the same period
• describe and evaluate the nature of the anti-colonial independence movements that inherited political power following the end of European imperialism
• explain the meaning of late development, and its different implications for the relative power of the state and economy, and implications for domestic versus international investment

Course Contents

• Introduction. What is development?
• Ideas of development
• Theories of the state and market
• Theories of institutions and civil society
• The origins of capitalism and the rise of the West
• The rise and fall of the era of national development
• Late development and industrial policy
• Agrarian change and rural development
• Governance and public policy
• The international order

Assessment Elements

• Participation in seminars
• Group presentation
  Students' presentations are graded based on the following criteria: - Students are expected to support their talk with a few slides prepared in advance. - Students can use their notes to remind themselves of the plan of the talk. Reading the text prepared in advance during the presentation is not allowed. - Students are expected to answer questions from the audience during the Q&A session after the presentation. - Academic sources should be used and properly referenced. - Any use of AI should be disclosed and justified. Text on the slides must be created by the authors of the presentation themselves.
• Final Oral Exam
  Final oral exam on the entire contents of the course. The students cannot use any materials.
• Written assignment

Interim Assessment

• 2026/2027 4th module
  0.2 * Group presentation + 0.25 * Final Oral Exam + 0.35 * Written assignment + 0.2 * Participation in seminars

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Economic development, Todaro, M. P., 2009

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Development as freedom, Sen, A., 1999
• Economic development, Todaro, M. P., 2015

Authors

• Vishniakova Nataliia Vladimirovna
• Kuznetsova Elena Viktorovna
• VORCHIK ANDREY DENISOVICH
• Aianami Aida
• Zakharova Elizaveta Sergeevna