This course aims to provide students with a grounding in international development concepts, theories and approaches. Students are equipped with the analytical and practical skills they need to engage critically in development issues and debates from an interdisciplinary perspective, and to work across broad areas of development policy, research and practice.

Politics of Development

This specialisation uses social theory to analyse and interpret the geopolitical dimensions of development. You will gain an understanding of the key conceptual, historical and policy issues surrounding development. This specialisation considers the changing role of states, markets, firms, institutions and non-governmental organisations in the process of negotiating and implementing development policy. It also introduces you to a range of approaches and frameworks employed by policymakers and practitioners in designing, implementing, and evaluating development policy. You will explore issues such as the role of gender in development; the origin and impact of ‘good governance’ agendas; the politics of aid programing and foreign policy; the historical and contemporary relationship between security and development, particularly in Africa; and the development dimensions of natural resource governance.

You'll be well positioned to pursue a career with aid agencies, government, non-government organisations, and international research institutions, such as the FAO and United Nations.