Course:FRE340
| International Agricultural Development | |
|---|---|
 | |
| FRE 340 | |
| Section: | |
| Instructor: | Sean Holowaychuk |
| Email: | sean.holowaychuk@ubc.ca |
| Office: | MacMillan 321 |
| Office Hours: | Tue & Thurs 1115 - 1215 (or any time by appt.) |
| Class Schedule: | Tuesday & Thursday 0930 – 1100 |
| Classroom: | Frederic Lasserre Building (LASR) Rm. 104 |
| Important Course Pages | |
| Syllabus | |
| Lecture Notes | |
| Assignments | |
| Course Discussion | |
Course Outline
FRE340 offers students an understanding of the critical role that agriculture plays in international economic development – including but not limited to:
- an examination of theories of growth and development, and their relationship to the agricultural sector, along with;
- the factors responsible for growth and transformation in rural and urban areas;
- the role of agriculture in poorer countries' economic development;
- government policies that enhance the prospects for sustainable growth;
- the environmental impact of economic development;
- the social impact of economic development;
- the linkages among the industrial, natural resource and agricultural sectors;
- methods of analysis in development in order to help shape government policy;
- analysis of agricultural development problems using economic concepts;
- an analysis and critique of policies related to international agricultural development; and
- an analysis of the challenges facing contemporary international agricultural development.
Examples will be drawn from a variety of developing countries and political units. Although the agricultural sector will be covered in some detail, the complementary role of other industries will also be given attention to show how to apply, more broadly, the lessons learned in agriculture to other sectors of the economy. Our studies will reveal the complex aspects of economic development, the actuality that growth paths are difficult to achieve, and that our understanding of the intricacies of economic development is not complete.
Grading
| Guiding Research Questions - Peer Review | 3% |
| Midterm Examination – Thursday, Oct. 17 | 15% |
| 2nd Peer Review Assignment (TBA) | 5% |
| Final Examination | 25% |
| Policy Analysis Research Paper – Team Assignment | 45% |
| Class Participation | 7% |
Policy Analysis
The bulk of the grade for this course will come from a team policy paper. The idea is to use the analysis from course readings, lectures, and discussions to examine a policy failure of your choice - in groups of up to 5 - and present a policy matrix, which examines the economic, social and environmental costs of this policy failure, and its researched alternatives. The reports will be in research format as if they were being presented to a government agency that has the power to execute policy change. Teams will give 5-7 minute presentations periodically, in class, as we develop analysis tools and techniques. The project is intended to elicit the challenges of working in a group situation, and your individual contribution will be graded by your peers. Details and examples to follow.
Class Participation
I strongly encourage you to ask questions in class and to participate in class discussions. All of you have a unique perspective on topics and many of you have valuable experience in developing countries which would be helpful to share with the class. There is more than one point of view on many topics, and there are many myths or misunderstandings that pervade the problem of economic development. The group assignment will benefit greatly from the insights and points-of-view of other projects. Consequently, I want to include class participation in the grading structure. I also want to encourage you, if you feel we have neglected important elements, to raise these points in class.
Peer Multiplier
For all team/group projects there will be a confidential peer multiplier ranging from 0.80 – 1.05 to assess individual contribution to the group effort. Collaborative skills and a keen understanding of group dynamics are essential to working in the field of international development.
Readings
Selected chapters from these excellent works will be presented for study during this course. You will not be expected to read the entire text. I will provide copies of the chapters of the two books that are not available online and post them on Canvas. As well, these books will be on reserve in the library.
The reading assignments are listed below in chronological order:Maddison, Angus, OECD iLibrary, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Development Centre. 2006. The world economy. Paris, France: Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. - Full text online through the UBC Library (Required Reading: Introduction and Summary, Chapter One: The Contours of World Development)
Rodrik, Dani. 2014. The past, present, and future of economic growth. In. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Required Reading: Up to end of p.28 with the focus on material up to p.14)
Banerjee, Abhijit V., and Esther Duflo. 2007. The economic lives of the poor. The Journal of Economic Perspectives 21 (1): 141-67. (Required Reading: Entire text – no numbers; concepts only)
Cervantes-Godoy, D. and J. Dewbre (2010), “Economic Importance of Agriculture for Poverty Reduction”, OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Working Papers, No. 23, OECD Publishing. doi: 10.1787/5kmmv9s20944-en (Required Reading: Entire text – no numbers; concepts only)
Schultz, Theodore W. 1964. Transforming traditional agriculture. Vol. 3;3.;. New Haven: Yale University Press. (Required Reading: Ch5 & Ch9 – Text available on Canvas)
Schultz, Theodore W. 1979 Nobel Prize Lecture. (Required Reading: Entire text – Full text available on Canvas)
Monke, Eric A., and Scott R. Pearson. 1989. The policy analysis matrix for agricultural development. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. (Required Reading: Part I (Ch I & Ch II – Full text available on Canvas)
Panaĭotov, Todor (Theodore Panayotou). 1993. Green markets: The economics of sustainable development. Vol. no. 7; no. 7.;. San Francisco, Calif: ICS Press. (Required Reading: Ch2 & Ch3 – Text available on Canvas)
Easterly, William. 2001; 2002. The elusive quest for growth: Economists' adventures and misadventures in the tropics. 1st ed. Vol. 1. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. - Full text online through the UBC Library. Required Reading: Ch3 – Solow’s Surprise: Investment Is Not the Key to Growth)
Collier, Paul. 2007; 2008. The bottom billion: Why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it. New York: Oxford University Press. - Full text online through the UBC Library. Required Reading: Ch3 – The Natural Resource Trap)
Acemoglu, Daron, James A. Robinson, and Ebooks Corporation. 2013; 2012. Why nations fail: The origins of power, prosperity, and poverty. London: Profile. - Full text online through the UBC Library. (Required Reading: Ch3 – The Making of Prosperity and Poverty & Ch15 – Understanding Prosperity and Poverty)
Easterly, William. 2013; 2014. The tyranny of experts: Economists, dictators, and the forgotten rights of the poor. New York: Basic Books. - Full text online through the UBC Library (Required Reading: Ch1 - Introduction & Ch2 – Two Nobel Laureates and the Debate They Never Had; [Ch12 Optional])
Extra Reading
Schultz, Theodore W. 1993. The Economics of Being Poor. Cambridge, Mass: Blackwell.
Website
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html
Late Submission
If you anticipate having difficulty meeting deadlines, please talk to me sooner rather than later. Within reason, I am more than open to discussing alternative deadlines. Unless negotiated with me or accompanied by official documentation from UBC or a health professional, late submissions will be penalized 5% (out of a mark of 100%) per day. Unexcused late submissions will only be accepted up to seven days (including holidays and weekends) after the due date. For obvious reasons, extensions cannot be granted for in-class activities.
Academic Honesty & Standards
Please review the UBC Calendar “Academic regulations” for the university policy on cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty.
www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,286,0,0
Other Important Resources
UBC Counseling Services provide stress management, group therapy, and individual counseling for students. See their website: http://www.students.ubc.ca/livewelllearnwell.
The UBC ombudsman office provides an independent, impartial and confidential resource to assist students in addressing and resolving concerns about unfair treatment at UBC Vancouver. See their website: http://ombudsoffice.ubc.ca/.