Development Strategies
Prof. Francis Fukuyama and Prof. Brian Levy
Spring 2007 Course Syllabus link to electronic reserves class protected area Overview Study of development reveals a wide range of proposals for economic and political reform, and an equally wide range of political and economic constraints to reform. But the challenge confronting development practitioners is neither to decide which measures are optimal (the optimal is rarely implementable), nor to explain why action is infeasible. The aim is to find a tractable and promising way forward, given country-specific realities.
This course will explore our evolving understanding of the tension between a normative vision of ‘good’ economic and political reform, and the practical challenge of identifying a feasible set of ‘next steps’ in a concrete setting – that is, of strategic sequencing. The exploration will have four parts. First, we begin by describing and critiquing the two normative visions that have dominated the policy discourse over the past two decades – the ‘Washington Consensus’ approach to economic policy, and the vision of open and democratic societies globally. Second, we contrast these normative approaches with the actual experiences of economic policymaking and political development in the second half of the twentieth century in the East Asia ‘miracle’ countries. Third, we contrast the normative approaches with the realities of weak, clientelistic states – and explore some emerging insights as to how economic and political progress can be achieved even in these difficult settings. Finally, we draw some broader lessons as to how to approach strategic sequencing -- how to identify priorities for reform which are feasible in particular country circumstances, and which have the potential to build and sustain momentum for economic and political development. Requirements Students are required to submit three 1500-word strategy memos on three of the cases studies presented in the course (15 percent each). The instructors will provide signup sheets on the second week of the course. In addition, there will be a blue book exam on the official final exam date (9-12 May 3, R206, 35 percent of the grade). Participation will be 15 percent of the grade.
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