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International Development & Global Justice

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International Development & Global Justice 8/22/2016 International Development & Global Justice GOV 365N (38553), Fall 2016 Tu, Th 12:30-2:00 CLA 0.120 John Gerring [email protected] Office: BAT 3.126 512-232-7254 Office hours: Tu, Th 2-3:30 This course examines the twin questions of international development and global justice. “International development” may be thought of as encompassing the empirical elements of this subject while “global justice” encompasses the conceptual and moral/ethical elements. Traditionally, international development is the province of social science while global justice is the province of philosophy. However, these two aspects of the subject are inextricably intertwined. International development is not meaningful outside of some framework of global justice, and vice-versa. That is why this course incorporates both concepts in its title and its subject matter. The key questions of the course may be summarized as follows: 1. What is global justice aka international development? How could/should these concepts be defined? 2. How should these concepts be measured? If we take the view that wellbeing (aka human development) is a key element of justice, what indicators of wellbeing should we choose? What does it mean to be lacking in basic resources? What is the lived experience of poverty? What non-material elements of wellbeing deserve to be considered? 3. What patterns of wellbeing can be discerned across countries, within countries, and through time? Does global inequality go hand-in-hand with intra-country inequality? Does income go hand-in-hand with other aspects of human development and with happiness? 4. What explains variation in human welfare? Is it (a) geography and infrastructure, (b) colonialism and slavery, (c) macroeconomic policy and international political economy, (d) agricultural policy (e) demography, (f) health policy, (g) human capital and education policy, (h) political institutions, (i) culture, or (j) some admixture of the above? These are not easy questions and they do not suggest quick answers. (One could easily spend a lifetime exploring a single facet pertaining to only one of these questions.) Through readings, lecture, and discussion we shall try to summarize the current state of research. But the purpose of this course is not to arrive at decisive conclusions. It is, rather, to introduce students to these important topics and to underline their inter-relationships. Arguably, it is difficult to answer any single question without having a sense of how it relates to other questions. It is hard, for instance, to understand the role of education in structuring the achievement of individuals and societies without grappling with problems of health and infrastructure. It is hard, similarly, to understand the role of nation-states without also grappling with the international system within which states are situated. It is hard, finally, to understand present-day problems without understanding their history. In the business of global justice, everything is connected to everything else. This means that in understanding the topic of global justice one must incorporate the work of many disciplines. This includes philosophy, economics, sociology, psychology, history, anthropology, and political science – all of which are represented on this syllabus (though not to the 1 same degree). Accordingly, this course may be regarded as a point of entrée into a variety of disciplines stretching across the social sciences and humanities. GRADES. Grades will be based on the following components, equally weighted (25% each): (a) class attendance and participation; (b) midterm exam; (c) final exam, and (d) research paper. You should be aware that this class will require a good deal of time and effort on your part. If you are unable to make this time-commitment you may be happier in a different course. PROTOCOL. Please arrive on time. Do not read, sleep, or chat with your neighbors. Put your cell phones away. If you need to use your laptop to access readings or to take notes do not surf the web or use email. Be respectful of others in your comments. Do not leave until class is dismissed. ACADEMIC CONDUCT. Each student in the course is expected to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code: “As a student of The University of Texas at Austin, I shall abide by the core values of the University and uphold academic integrity.” This means that work you produce on assignments, tests and exams is all your own work, unless it is assigned as group work. The instructor will make it clear for each test, exam or assignment whether collaboration is encouraged or not. Always cite your sources. If you use words or ideas that are not your own (or that you have used in previous class), you must make that clear otherwise you will be guilty of plagiarism and subject to academic disciplinary action, including failure of the course. You are responsible for understanding UT’s Academic Honesty Policy: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php ABSENCES, EXTENSIONS. Students are expected to take exams and complete written work at their scheduled times. By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. PARTICIPATION. I expect active participation from students, within the constraints imposed by class size. However, do not think of participation simply as a matter of “saying something.” There are insightful comments and questions, and then there is irrelevant drivel. You know what I’m getting at. Be especially judicious in the use of anecdotes drawn from your personal life. Sometimes, they are relevant to the subject matter; sometimes, not. Let me say a word about my own responses to your comments. You should realize that any instructor who incorporates discussion into classroom activity is in a somewhat awkward position. I want to encourage open and frank discussion but I must also be sure to correct any misperceptions that arise from such discussion. If a comment is factually or logically wrong I will call attention to it. The purpose is not to embarrass the speaker but simply to clarify the point – for that person and for everyone else, many of whom may share the confusion. Making mistakes is part of the learning experience. If you do not allow yourself to make mistakes you are preventing yourself from learning. I make mistakes all the time. There is nothing wrong with a wrong answer. Oftentimes, the most productive sort of answer or question is one that reveals what is not clear in people’s minds. It is problematic, however, if your answer reveals that you have not done the assigned reading or that you have not been paying attention to previous class discussion. Please be attentive to standard rules of decorum: avoid dogmatism, respect others’ views, and try to move class discussion forward (pay attention to what others say and respond to the previous 2 point). We will observe the 1-finger/2-finger rule. When you raise two fingers it means that your comment follows directly upon the preceding point. Use the locution “like” only when comparing things – not, like, when pausing in the middle of a sentence. RESEARCH PAPER. At the beginning of the semester you will be asked to choose a country to focus your research on. I want everyone to choose a different country. (In the event of conflicts, we’ll use some randomization device (e.g., coin-flipping) to determine who gets first dibs on that country. So, think about second and third-choice options if you don’t get your first choice.) This might be a country that you already know something about, have visited or have family ties to, speak the language, or have researched in other classes. It could be the United States – but only for one person. Consider your country’s current per capita profile (e.g., per capita GDP, life expectancy, educational attainment) compared to all other countries in the world, and in its region (e.g., Africa, Latin America). What short- and long-term factors might account for the relative position of your country in world today? This research paper offers an opportunity to bring together the various themes of the course together by focusing these analytic lenses on “your” country. Specifically, I want you to address each of the topics of the course as they relate to your country. A straightforward way of doing this is to divide up your paper into short sections corresponding to the headings on this syllabus – e.g., geography, globalization, food/agriculture… and perhaps some additional factors that are not represented on the syllabus. Structure the paper in whatever way makes sense to you. For each topic, I want you to consider what role it has played in the country’s overall development. For example, with respect to geography, review the country’s physical geography and consider the various ways in which it might have facilitated, or constrained, its development. You should also consider interactions among these various factors as they might have affected your chosen country. Target length: 10-15 pp (single-space, 1-inch margins all around, 12-point font). (Do not to be too concerned with the length of the paper. This is the least important aspect of the assignment.) For general suggestions on writing, please consult the following (which will be available among the class readings). Gerring, John; Dino Christenson. 2017. An Applied Guide to Social Science Methodology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch 14.
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