The Global Political Economy of Development

DEVS 230/3.0

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Overview

Topics at a Glance

  1. Introduction to Economics, Political Economy and Some Conceptions of Power
  2. Political Economy of Post-War Development (The Bretton Woods Regime)
  3. The Debt Crisis (1982) and its Precursors
  4. Conditionality and Structural Adjustment
  5. Midterm
  6. A Crisis of Confidence in the Washington Consensus to the Post-Washington Consensus and the Good Governance Agenda
  7. Trade and the World Trade Organization (WTO)
  8. Foreign Direct Investment
  9. Foreign Portfolio Investment and the Asian Crisis
  10. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  11. NGOs and the Aid Industry

Learning Outcomes

After completing DEVS 230, students will be better equipped to:

  1. Describe the variety of ways that power relations between the various political economic actors shape the processes and outcomes of global development.
  2. Summarize the evolution of the dominant (in terms of policy) development paradigms and assess the impact of their implementation in practice.
  3. Outline the functions and critiques (past and present) of three key institutions in global political economy of development: the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and World Trade Organization (WTO).
  4. Summarize and evaluate the strength of some of the key debates over development strategy, from trade liberalization to the role of NGOs and global finance, based on a solid theoretical and practical understanding.
  5. Evaluate motivations and impacts of current developments in the global political economy grounded in a historical understanding of the evolving politics, policies, institutions and theory.

Terms

Winter 2026
Course Dates
–
Exam Dates (if applicable)
–
Delivery Mode
Online

Evaluation

30% - Discussion Activities
30% - Midterm Take-home Test
40% - Take-Home Final Exam

** Evaluation Subject to Change **

Live Sessions

This course has required and optional live sessions (e.g. webinars, synchronous activities). Please consult the Timeline in the first week of class.

Final Examination

Students must write their exam on the day and time scheduled by the University. The start time may vary slightly depending on the off-campus exam centre. Do not schedule vacations, appointments, etc., during the exam period.

Textbook and Materials

ASO reserves the right to make changes to the required material list as received by the instructor before the course starts. Please refer to the Campus Bookstore website at  to obtain the most up-to-date list of required materials for this course before purchasing them.

Required Textbook

  • Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to the Economics of Capitalism, 2nd Edition. Jim Stanford 2015 Fernwood Publishing ISBN: 9781552667651

Time Commitment

Students can expect to spend, on average, about 9-10 hours per week completing relevant readings, assignments, and course activities.