The International Development (IDEV) Program provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of developing countries, with the aim of preparing students for careers in development. Students in the IDEV Program receive rigorous academic training that helps them better conceptualize the development process in its economic, political and social dimensions.
Academic Calendars [2]
Coordinated and led by IDEV students, this events series provides speakers the opportunity to address the challenges of global development assistance and to suggest new initiatives that will improve the field. Learn more about the Development Roundtable [33].
Executive Director of UN Women, Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. (Photo Credit: Noel St. John)
Internships are an integral part of the learning experience and an entrée to future employment. The IDEV Program encourages students to pursue internships and research opportunities in developing countries during the summer and in Washington, D.C., during the school year. IDEV collaborates with a range of partner agencies, NGOs, think tanks, and government agencies to help students secure substantive summer internships that build on the skills learned during the first year. Providing stipends for unpaid internships offers students the flexibility to accept overseas positions which meet their needs and interests. Please click the links below to read more about sponsored students' internship experiences in the blogs they have written for SAIS Perspectives:
Savannah Newman took time to visit the Taj Mahal during her summer internship with the Mann Deshi Foundation in India.
Charley Allegar got up close and personal to a turtle during his internship at Save the Children in Mexico.
Each spring IDEV publishes Perspectives, with articles on cutting-edge issues in development, many written by IDEV faculty, students and alumni. Each annual issue focuses on a specific theme of development. The editorial team has launched a new online platform http://www.saisperspectives.com/ [40] in November 2014 to host the IDEV program's perspectives on international development.
You can visit our archive here [41].
AY2018-19 Perspectives Annual Launch event was held on October 23rd, 2018 and it is available for viewing here [42].
Learning Goals and Objectives [43]
MA students must complete 64 credits and all degree requirements in order to graduate.
Students who are approved for a Dual Degree program or with Advanced Standing only need to complete 48 credits or 56 credits as determined by Academic Affairs, but still must fulfill all degree requirements.
Students concentrating in International Development (IDEV) must complete at least 24 credits of applicable coursework and a program capstone. IDEV concentrators must complete a Plan of Study [44] and have it approved by the program.
In addition, International Development concentrators must complete constrained International Economics and Quantitative Reasoning courses. Students may not double-count the constrained International Economics or Quantitative Reasoning courses toward their concentration.
IDEV concentrators must complete Microeconomics (with a grade B- or above) prior to matriculating at SAIS through Summer, Non-Degree, or Pre-Term programs or by passing the waiver exam.
IDEV Concentration Requirements
To complete the IDEV concentration, students must complete:
Approved Courses for IDEV Professional Tracks AY18-19 [45]
The concentration requirements, along with the other requirements for the MA, can be found on the IDEV Requirements Chart [46].
Spring 2019 IDEV Course Schedule [47]
Students who wish to add a second policy/regional concentration must choose IDEV as their primary concentration.
Capstone
International Development concentrators must complete one of the following capstones:
Students must complete 16 credits. The four required courses are:
Students may not double-count the constrained International Economics course toward their 6 required IDEV concentration courses.
If a student is waived [48] from a required course(s), the student must take a replacement International Economics course(s) to fulfill the concentration requirement.
International Economics GPA Requirement
Students must achieve an International Economics concentration GPA of at least 2.67.
In the standard case, the concentration GPA is the average of the grades in Macroeconomics, International Trade Theory, International Monetary Theory and the Constrained IDEV economics course. If one or more of the required courses is waived, the highest grade(s) from any eligible replacement International Economics course(s) is used.
Students who do not meet the minimum International Economics concentration GPA must re-take required courses (or take additional replacement courses if any required course(s) are waived) until the minimum is achieved. The highest grade from any attempt at a required course is used in this calculation.
Students must complete one course from the list below as their constrained IDEV course.
Students may not double-count the Quantitative Reasoning course toward their 6 required IDEV concentration courses.
Students may not double-count the same course toward the Quantitative Reasoning requirement and as a replacement International Economics concentration course and vice-versa.
If a student is waived [49] from a Quantitative Reasoning course, the student must take a different course from the list above to fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
Students who pass the non-credit Statistical Methods for Business & Economics course in Pre-Term [50] will have fulfilled the Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
MA students must fulfill two Core requirements from the subjects below. Students may fulfill a Core requirement by passing a for-credit Core course or by passing a non-credit Core exam.
International Development concentrators are strongly encouraged to complete Comparative Politics as one of the Core requirements.
Students may not take a Core exam in the semester in which they plan to graduate. If Core requirements are not completed before the start of a student’s final semester, the student no longer has the option of completing the exam and must enroll in the Core course(s) for credit.
MA students must pass exams to demonstrate proficiency in a non-native language taught at SAIS. Students enroll in non-credit language courses to prepare for the proficiency exam.
Students whose native language is not English may use English as their proficiency language. All non-native English speakers are required to pass an English placement exam upon entering the school, even if not using English for proficiency, and may be required to take additional English language coursework.
Beyond the requirements, MA students may have room in their degree for electives, a minor, and/or a specialization(s).
Students may pursue an optional minor in any policy/regional area [51] other than General International Relations.
Students may pursue an optional specialization(s) in five areas International Economics [52] or Emerging Markets [53].
Entering Class 2017-2018 [54]
Entering Class 2016-2017 [55]
Entering Class 2015-2016 [56]
Entering Class 2014-2015 [57]
Entering Class 2013-2014 [58]
Entering Class 2012-2013 [59]
Entering Class 2011-2012 [60]
Entering Class 2010-2011 [61]
Entering Class 2009-2010 [62]
IDEV Professional Tracks AY17-18 [63]
IDEV Professional Tracks AY16-17 [64]
IDEV Professional Tracks AY15-16 [65]
International Development Minor Requirements:
General Minor Requirements:
International Development Practicum
In order to expand the opportunities to work directly with public, private and non-governmental organizations, IDEV offers a two-semester Practicum class to second year students for credit. Successful completion of the Practicum also serves as a Capstone for graduating students. In academic year 2018-19, 24 students are enrolled in the Practicum.
What is a Practicum?
A practicum is a course designed to provide students the tools and opportunity to work with an external client on a development problem or opportunity. It allows students the opportunity to apply their research, analysis and practical skills to an issue that is of direct relevance to a client. The team of students works closely with the client to produce a high quality output in the form of a publishable report, policy or program that may be implemented by the client. In addition to allowing students to translate their knowledge into practice, the practicum experience also allows students to make valuable contacts with potential employers.
How is the Practicum implemented?
Approximately 20 second year IDEV students are eligible for taking the practicum as a course for credit, over two semesters. They are selected in the Fall semester based on their coursework, prior experience and demonstrated interest. Students form teams and work with a professor throughout the Fall semester to conduct research and design a proposal collaboratively with previously identified clients. They meet once a week to discuss research methods, their proposals, and progress with the professor assigned to lead their team. Teams undertake field research during winter break and complete a report to the client upon their return. Students are required to meet with the professor at an assigned class time each week. Every member of the team is held responsible for the timely completion of assignments. The practicum requires that student teams meet outside of class both with each other as well as with the client. The entire team is held responsible for coordinating logistics with the client. Students are evaluated both individually and on the basis of the final product that they deliver to the client. Professor Deborah Brautigam, Director of the International Development Program, has been quoted in Foreign Policy magazine saying that the practicum "gives students an invaluable, hands-on experience to work with an international development organization and address an important development challenge. Participants often say their practicum work was one of the most important experiences they had in graduate school. These are not research projects. Practicum students address practical problems that the client needs to solve.” To read more about the the Practicum program in the Foreign Policy Guide article, click here [67].
In AY 2018-19, 24 students were selected for the IDEV Practicum. Six teams will travel to Taiwan, the Caribbean, Nepal, India, and Angola to support their clients.
New Balance (Taipei, Taiwan): The New Balance team is evaluating the presence of forced labor and recruitment fees in New Balance's global supply chain, with a particular focus on the company's Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.
PANCAP (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago): The PANCAP team will be working with the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the World Health Organization's "treat all" HIV/AIDS policy for four countries in the Caribbean region. To this end, our team will be conducting a broad economic analysis of the region to create an overarching research report on the regional implications of the policy, as well as country-specific economic analysis reports. Additionally, we will be creating a standardized cost-benefit analysis tool that will be used at the country level to determine the actual cost of advancing the "treat all" policy.
Winrock (Kathmandu, Nepal): The Winrock team will travel to Kathmandu to conduct research on how Winrock’s employment platform, Bong Pheak, can be replicated in different contexts to reach unskilled and low-skilled workers and connect them to employment opportunities regardless of qualifications. The team will create a case study to document Bong Pheak’s transition from a USAID-funded project to a social enterprise and draft a business plan to be guide replication of the platform in other countries and/or migration corridors.
Athena Infonomics (New Delhi, India): The Athena team will be supporting Athena Infonomics’ ongoing research for the Gates Foundation by analyzing the challenges to the effective operation of the cooperative banking system and government crop procurement system. These institutions have the potential to help poor farmers in Uttar Pradesh access higher prices, but Athena’s research has found that many farmers are unable to benefit from them. Based on desk research, data collected by Athena, and interviews in the field, the team will recommend interventions to help make cooperative banks and government procurement more reliable sources of support for farmers.
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) (Bangalore, India): The GAIN team is researching technological innovations in India's agribusiness sector, specifically in Bangalore, that can help improve access and affordability to nutritious, safe, desirable and healthy foods. We will be identifying supply chain paint points and replicable, scalable technological solutions to these issues.
Jefferies (Luanda, Angola): This team will work with Jeffries and the SAIS China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) in Luanda to conduct research on Chinese loans extended to Africa, with a focus on interpreting the principles China would apply in its restructuring of sovereign debts to Africa.
In AY 2017-18, 24 students were selected for the IDEV Practicum. Six teams travelled to India, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines to support their clients.
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), New Delhi, India - The GAIN team investigated the sanitation and nutrition environment of street vendors serving perishable, freshly-cooked food and identified challenges and opportunities in serving the urban poor in New Delhi and Jaipur. The research focused on perceptions of an enabling/disabling environment for street vending, the urban supply chain, and demand and created an assessment tool to measure the street vending sanitation and nutrition environment which GAIN can use for determining areas for future programmatic interventions. Final Deliverable [69].
International Finance Corporation (IFC), Manila, Philippines - The IFC team conducted global stocktaking of successful models for financing young entrepreneurs. They compiled a set of case studies to identify best practices and lessons learned to inform concrete policy recommendations for the G20's Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion.
International Development Enterprises (iDE), Hue, Vietnam - iDE is an international non-profit organization dedicated to creating income and livelihood opportunities for the rural poor, in Vietnam. The goal of this team's project was to develop a business case on the replicability of Hydrologic, a viable social enterprise started by iDE in Cambodia, in the Vietnam context. Hydrologic manufactures, distributes, and sells water filters in rural Cambodia and has to date successfully sold over 500,000 filters to households at the base of the pyramid. Final Deliverable [70].
LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India - This project aimed to assess the cost effectiveness of LVPEI, a network of ophthalmologic clinics in India serving over 2.5 million mostly-low-income patients in India. Additionally, it performed an operational analysis of a select sample of primary care centers. Altogether, the results helped the organization improve its allocation of resources while getting a better understanding of its impact to the communities it serves. Final Deliverable 1 [71]. Final Deliverable 2 [72].
Water.org, Phnom Penh, Cambodia - This team worked with Water.org in Cambodia to design a business model for scaling-up access to Water and Sanitation Services (WSS) for financially excluded people through Digital Financial Services (DFS). Final Deliverable [73].
Athena Infonomics, Chennai, India - The Athena team worked to identify a social infrastructure project in India that was a viable candidate for a Social Impact Bond (SIB) funding and partnership structure. They then proposed a primer for such SIB structure for the selected project based on consultations with potential investors, implementing partners, government officials, and other relevant actors. Final Deliverable. [74]
2018 IDEV Practicum Team
© All information contained herein is the sole property of Johns Hopkins SAIS International Development Program. Any unauthorized use, such as distributing, copying, modifying, or reprinting, is not permitted. To obtain permission to reproduce or distribute this document contact saisidev@jhu.edu [75].
In AY 2016-17, 23 students were selected for the IDEV Practicum. Six teams travelled to India, China, Kenya, and Uganda to support their clients. The field work conducted by each team in January 2017 is summarized below:
IDEV AY2016-17 Practicum Client Presentation on 4/26/2017 with Presentation Video [81] and PowerPoint Presentation, as well as a Storify [82].
In AY 2015-16, 23 students were selected for the IDEV Practicum. Six teams traveled to Kenya, Nigeria, India, Egypt, and Sri Lanka, in order to support clients by working on projects ranging from decision-making tools for sanitation decision makers to evaluating business models for training and vocational education. The field work conducted by the teams in January 2016 is summarized below:
IDEV AY2015-16 Practicum Client Presentation on 4/27/2016 with Presentation Video [88]and PowerPoint Presentation. [89]
2016 IDEV practicum team (Photo Credit: Jacquelyn Kasuya, Johns Hopkins SAIS)
In AY 2014-15, the Practicum grew to include 22 students who traveled with their teams to Cambodia, the Philippines, China, India and Mexico, based on the location of the client and the project. Consulting teams once again negotiated a demanding terms of reference with their clients and produced an array of high quality outputs, described below.
IDEV AY2014-15 Practicum Client Presentation on 4/29/2015 with Presentation Video [98] and PowerPoint Presentation [99].
In AY2013-14, 16 second year students successfully completed the first IDEV Practicum. Four teams delivered high quality, valuable products to a diversity of clients from the World Bank to large and small NGOs in India. Deliverables included surveys in rural Indian villages and large cities such as Bangalore, primary data collection through phone interviews in the US, stakeholder and sector analysis based on secondary sources. Students completed business plans, monitoring and evaluation guides, new research guides and methodologies for their final deliverables with the following clients:
IDEV Practicum Client Presentations 2013-14 [100] on 4/29/2014 with 2013-14 Student Final Deliverables [101]
These are typical International Development Courses:
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 policy and ‘good governance’, and the practical challenge of identifying a feasible set of ‘next steps’ in a concrete setting – that is, of strategic sequencing. The focus will be on feasible ways forward in countries with low-incomes, and politics and institutions that are not supportive of development. Half of the classes will comprise lecture-style presentation and discussion of emerging concepts, approaches and tools that help us better think about the development constraints and options in institutionally challenging settings. The other half will be discussion-based; these classes will each focus on a country case study, and will explore alternative options for addressing a specific difficult development policy challenge in that country, in a way that highlights the intersection between economics and politics.
Money management is a fundamental part of everyday life, yet low-income families are typically excluded from the formal financial sector. The delivery of quality financial services (loans, savings, insurance, money transfers, etc.) at affordable costs to all segments of society is an important policy goal in closing the income gap and improving quality of life. This course is designed to give the student an overview of the history and key issues involved in “Financial Inclusion,” which has evolved as an industry from “Microfinance.” The course assignments are intended to teach practical technical skills and critical thinking about financial systems and the unbanked, assessing the financial needs of and designing products for the poor, operational aspects of managing a microfinance institution, and major debates about impact, socially-responsible investing, and future trends. This course is complementary to SA.400.724 Impact Investing: Financial Inclusion and Creating Value at the Base of the Pyramid, offered in Spring 2016.
The Practicum is a course designed to provide students with the opportunity to apply their research, analysis and practical skills to an issue that is of direct relevance to a client in the international development space. Through the practicum, students not only refine the skills that they have gained but also make a tangible contribution to the practice of international development. Working in teams, and responding to client demands gives students a glimpse of working life upon graduation. Students are expected to meet all deadlines outlined in the Terms of Reference provided by the client. The IDEV Practicum is only open to second year IDEV students. For these students it also serves as a culminating educational experience and capstone, taking the place of an oral examination. The exception will be those students who quality for Johns Hopkins SAIS honors orals. Such students may wish to take the orals in addition to completing the Practicum.
Basic services such as drinking water, sanitation, solid waste disposal and public transport are essential to development, yet in many countries their provision remains extremely problematic. While crowded cities with potholed roads, overflowing garbage heaps, and waterways clogged with untreated sewage are the images that come to mind when one thinks about missing services, rural areas are often even worse off. In this course we will review the main challenges to effective and reliable service delivery, the roles of key players, how these roles have been changing over time and how they may change in the future. We begin by discussing the theory of the state’s role in service provision, why some services are harder to provide, or some populations more difficult to serve. Next we focus on four sectors—drinking water, sanitation, solid waste and public transport. Problems specific to each sector, policies and programs used to address these challenges, to what extent they have been successful and why, and what approaches may work in the future, will be discussed. The course will pay special attention to innovations in service delivery—clearer incentives for regular service provision, strengthening municipal financing, integrating the private sector and communities into service provision. Students will study the costs associated with service delivery; service delivery planning; tools used for benchmarking utilities; and innovations in financing services.
Development is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon that must be studied from a number of disciplinary approaches. Much of development theory focuses on economic growth, and students will have the opportunity to learn about the economic aspects of development in other classes. Economic growth is necessary to development, but not sufficient. Societies also change politically and socially, and politics, culture, and social structure are important in determining the quality of their institutions and the opportunities they offer their citizens. This course provides a general interdisciplinary foundation for the study of international development that includes history, theory, analytical tools, and institutions, and that will enable our students to be better prepared to analyze and address current issues.
This is a required course for first year IDEV concentrators, and all IDEV affiliated students (MIPP/Minor).
Bologna Faculty: William Hynes [107]
This course will help students develop critical skills in applying methodologies and strategies for the evaluation of international development projects. It will provide the conceptual and theoretical framework to help students navigate decisions about the most appropriate tools for assessing project achievements and evaluating their impact through formative, process, and summative approaches. Students will learn to identify sound evaluation questions, develop logic models to assess their utility for project monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and select performance and evaluation indicators and apply these in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods designs. The course will provide insight into how methodological choices influence research design, data interpretation, and the strength of evaluation results. Students will learn to critique reported program results against standards of validity, reliability, efficiency, and effectiveness and will gain skills relevant for research uptake, instructing students how to present findings in appropriate formats for diverse audiences. Students will also be challenged to navigate ethical dilemmas of evaluation in the context of international development programming and reflect on appropriate alternative designs. The course will include brief lectures, in-class exercises, plenary discussions, and small group sessions. Case studies will be used to review and compare the M&E practices of major donors (multi-laterals, bi-laterals, and private foundations) and to critically assess examples of good and bad practice. The final project will showcase students’ skills in designing a rigorous and appropriate evaluation to answer a real world development question.
Social Entrepreneurship: Driving Innovation in Development is focused on understanding social entrepreneurship and the challenges of building sustainable, impactful businesses that address critical underserved needs in emerging global marketplaces.
The course aims to create in each student an appreciation of the qualities, values and skills of social entrepreneurs and also entrepreneurial opportunities in critical sectors of human need in complex, resource-constrained markets that are plagued by fragmented infrastructure, inadequate institutions and other governance challenges. Students will learn first-hand how businesses serving the needs of the poor contribute to community development and “do well by doing good”. The capstone project in the course is a group presentation based on a partnership with an existing social enterprise, or a newly conceptualized social enterprise based on student ideas.
In addition to making a decisive impact on the field of international development, IDEV graduates have established an active alumni network and maintain a close relationship with the program. They also give back to the program in many ways - delivering presentations at brown bag lunches, assisting in the school's Admissions Office and on career development panels, offering job and internship advice to current students, and serving as the best possible advocates for recruiting new students.
If you would like to stay connected, check us out on LinkedIn, Twitter [115], and Instagram [116].
We appreciate the responses from all of you who have contacted us regarding your current endeavors. We hope to establish a complete list of IDEV student alumni updates.
If you are interested in contacting our alumni or have additional questions regarding IDEV alumni affairs please contact the International Development Program at saisidev@jhu.edu [75].
To refer a prospective student to Johns Hopkins SAIS, please click here [117].
Alumni are welcome to walk in to the SAIS library at any time to use books and online resources for no charge, and can borrow books for a fee. Alums also have free access to some online resources remotely via KnowledgeNet [118]. Check out the SAIS Library's Guide for Alumni [119] for more information.
We've launched our Alumni Newsletter in AY2015-16 to keep you updated with the latest news, research and events from IDEV, and to provide an opportunity for you to connect with your fellow alumni. Within the newsletters, you will find: alumni updates and contact information, news from the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI), information on how to contribute to SAIS Perspectives, updates on this year's IDEV Practicum Projects, upcoming IDEV events, information on new courses, professors, and more!
Below are links to our previous newsletters:
Fall 2015 Edition [120]
Spring 2016 Edition [121]
Fall 2016 Edition [122]
Spring 2017 Edition [123]
Fall 2017 Edition [124]
Spring 2018 Edition [125]
Fall 2018 Edition [126]
SAIS Perspectives [40] is an annual publication of the International Development program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC. The publication provides a forum for discussion of critical, cutting-edge topics with the goal of proposing innovative ways of thinking about the practice and policy of international development.
Professor Cinnamon Dornsife, Faculty Advisor prior to 2014, promoting SAIS Perspectives.
2018-2019 Perspectives Editorial Team
Professor Tanvi Nagpal, Editorial Advisor (tnagpal1@jhu.edu [5])
Maya Gainer, Editor-in-Chief (mgainer1@jhu.edu [128])
Allison Decker, Senior Editor (adecke16@jhu.edu [129])
Deboleena Rakshit, Senior Editor (drakshi1@jhu.edu [130])
Saksham Khosla, Editor (skhosla4@jhu.edu [131])
Yifan Powers, Editor (ypowers1@jhu.edu [132])
Sarah Sassoon, Editor (ssassoo1@jhu.edu [133])
For Professors Nagpal, Dornsife, and Honig, please sign up at Sign Up Genius http://www.signupgenius.com/ [135]
You will need your e-mail address for making or changing an appointment online. If you need to meet with Professor Brautigam or Professor Nagpal outside of office hours, please contact Nicole Kazi at nkazi1@jhu.edu [138] to schedule an appointment.
According to "The Red Book: Johns Hopkins SAIS Student and Academic Handbook", enrollment at the school obligates each student to conduct all activities in accordance with the rules and spirit of the school’s Honor Code. The Honor Code governs student conduct. It covers all activities in which students present information as their own, including written papers, examinations, oral presentations and materials submitted to potential employers or other educational institutions. It requires that students be truthful and exercise integrity and honesty in their dealings with others, both inside the school and in the larger community. For more details, please see The Red Book [139].
An online course is available to students to help learn about JHU academic standards, and how to avoid plagiarism during your studies. This course covers important topics on how to cite, quote, paraphrase, and summarize. To access this online course, please have your JHED and password ready and login here [140].