COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will examine the nature of politics in countries of the developing world. In the course of the semester we will cover the history of colonialism and of development, as well as both political and economic development issues. We will discuss the relationships between the state and society, the different elements of society that influence politics and economics in these states, the types of transitions undergone in developing countries (to democracy; to authoritarianism), as well as a whole host of political economy issues. Along the way we will discuss theoretical issues, policy implications, and case studies.

Be warned!: this course will be taught as an upper level seminar, so a background in political science or history as well as a willingness to slog through some pretty hefty readings will be extremely helpful!

The following books are required for the course (available for purchase in the Wilson Bookstore):

Cammack, Paul, David Pool, and William Tordoff (1993). Third World Politics: A Comparative Introduction. Second Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Griffiths, Robert, ed. (1998). Annual Editions: Developing World 98/99. Dushkin/McGraw-Hill.

O'Donnell, Guillermo and Philippe Schmitter (1986). Transitions From Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions About Uncertain Democracies. The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Other required readings will be placed on reserve in the main library, and/or will be available on the World-Wide-Web, on our class web page, at: http://www.wooster.edu/polisci/mkrain/pdc.html

All readings MUST be completed by the class session for which they are assigned. They will be necessary background for lectures and discussion, and you will be held responsible for them, both in class and on exams.

Finally, you are expected to keep up with news around the world. This will require you to get your news from two or more of the following sources:

• 1) a major national or international newspaper such as The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, or The Wall Street Journal
  
• 2) a major news website such as the above papers' sites, MSNBC-Online, or CNN-Online
  
• 3) a major news magazine such as The Economist, Time, Newsweek, or US News & World Report
  
• 4) major public news outlets with comprehensive news coverage such as NPR's National Public Radio News (89.1 on the radio) or PBS's The News Hour with Jim Lehrer

You will be responsible for three short (5-6 page) policy papers over the course of the semester. Each policy brief should:

• (1) state the problem or situation
  
• (2) summarize the policy options
  
• (3)recommend some action be taken
  
• (4) explain the reasons for the recommendation

You may want to think of yourself as a consultant or policy advisor writing a memo to your boss that outlines a situation and what action should be taken to address that situation. A good brief demonstrates knowledge of the policy problem, intelligently discusses options available, and makes a persuasive case for which policy option is best, and does so clearly and concisely. Further details will be distributed by the instructor in class.

You will be responsible for one larger (approximately 15-25 pages) research paper, due at the beginning of the last class of the semester (April 29). Each student will choose a topic, subject to approval by the instructor. Papers should address the nature of the problem/puzzle, what is generally thought in academic and policy circles about the issue, discuss your research/findings on the matter, and consider (and perhaps reject) alternative hypotheses. Possible topics will be discussed in class. Each class member will briefly present (5-7 minutes) his her paper and findings during the last few class sessions. They will then take questions for up to three minutes. The student’s grade will then be calculated considering both paper and presentation quality. Further details on both the paper and presentation will be distributed by the instructor in class.

Because of the format of the class, participation is both encouraged and required. Your input and feedback is essential to the smooth and efficient running of the class. To that end, be sure to have read the materials pertaining to that day’s discussion BEFORE that class period! My hope is that the classroom will contain an atmosphere in which ideas and opinions will be welcomed and addressed in a professional and intelligent manner. On rare occasions, discussion may have to be curtailed in the interests of covering the material.

• 45% = Policy Papers (3 papers, 15% each)
  
• 35% = Final Paper/Presentation
  
• 20% = Participation / Etc. (*)

(*) "Etc." refers to other factors such as professionalism, attendance, promptness, overall improvement, and other intangibles, to he evaluated and assigned at the discretion of the instructor.

Note #1: Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Any missed assignment or unexcused exam absence is subject to an automatic failing grade for the course (in other words, you cannot pass the class unless you do all of the work!). If you anticipate missing an exam or a paper deadline, consult with the instructor as soon as possible.

Note #2: Students are encouraged to study together and assist one another in learning the material. It is assumed that you have done your own work. In short, don’t cheat and don’t plagiarize. If you have doubts about whether something violates academic integrity, check the Code of Academic Integrity, located in the Scot’s Key. If there are still questions after you have read through the Code, make an appointment to speak with me about it.

Note #3: Students are encouraged to discuss assignments with me during office hours. However, students seeking to change their grade on an assignment or essay portion of an exam should be advised that I reserve the right to alter your grade in either direction (i.e.- if new problems are found during the regrade the grade would go down).

Note #4: It is your responsibility to inform me ahead of time about factors that are likely to interfere with your performance in the class. Measures for students with disabilities, non-native writers of English and other special issues will be taken in compliance with the college’s policies.

• NO READINGS

1/14: A Brief Introduction to the Politics of Developing Countries

• Griffiths: pp. 8-29 (#1-3); 33-37 (#5)
  
• Robert Kaplan (1994). The Coming Anarchy. Atlantic Monthly.

1/19: CLASS CANCELLED

1/21: A Short History of the Developing World

• CPT: ch's 1, 7

II. State and Society in the Developing World
1/26: State-Society Relationships

• CPT: ch. 2
  
• reserve: Charles Tilly (1985). War Making and State Making as Organized Crime.
  
• Kurt Weyland (1998). The Politics of Corruption in Latin America. Journal of Democracy. 9,2:108-121.

1/28: Coercive Elements of the State

• CPT: ch. 4
  
• Richard Kohn (1997). How Democracies Control the Military. Journal of Democracy. 8,4:140-153.
  
• Consuelo Cruz and Rut Diamant (1998). The New Military Autonomy in Latin America. Journal of Democracy. 9,4:115-127.

2/2-2/4: Transitions to Democracy?

• O'Donnell and Schmitter (1986) - the whole book!
  
• Andreas Schedler (1998). What Is Democratic Consolidation? Journal of Democracy. 9,2:91-107.
  
• reserve: Koehn, Peter (1989). Competitive transition to civilian rule: Nigeria's first and second experiments. The Journal of Modern African Studies v27(S '89) p401-30.

2/9: The Debate Over Democracy

• Griffiths: pp.30-32 (#4); 94-98 (#18); 120-132 (#24-26); 155-162 (#30-31)
  
• Robert Kaplan (1997). Was Democracy Just a Moment? Atlantic Monthly.
  
• reserve: Fareed Zakaria (1997). The Rise of Illiberal Democracy.

* * * Policy Paper #1: Assignment Distributed Feb. 9; Due Feb. 11 * * *

• CPT: ch 3
  
• Bereket Habte Selassie (1998). Creating a Constitution for Eritrea. Journal of Democracy. 9,2:164-174.
  
• reserve: Diamond, Larry (1987). Issues in the constitutional design of a third Nigerian republic. African Affairs 86:209-26.
  

2/18-2/23: Religion, Ethnic Conflict, and Identity Politics

• Griffiths: pp. 76-93 (#14-17); 99-102 (#19); 108-113 (#22); 147-154 (#29)
  
• reserve: Ted R. Gurr and Barbara Harff (1994). Ethnic Conflict in World Politics. chapters 1-3 (pp. 1-52).
  
• Bowen, John R. (1996). The Myth of Global Ethnic Conflict. Journal of Democracy. 7,4:3-14.

• CPT: ch 5
  
• Griffiths: 103-107 (#20-21); 133-140 (#27)
  
• reserve: John Walton & David Seddon (1993). Free Markets and Food Riots. ch 1 (pp.3-22).
  
• reserve: James O'Connell (1993). The Ending of the Nigerian Civil War. in Roy Licklider, ed. Stopping the Killing: How Civil Wars End. NY: New York University Press: 1993

* * * Policy Paper #2: Assignment Distributed Mar. 2; Due Mar. 4 * * *

• NO READINGS

IV. Economic Development in the Developing World

3/23-3/25 Economic Development Problems in the Developing World

• CPT: ch 8
  
• Griffiths: pp. 40-60 (#6-9); 65-66 (#11); 163-165 (#32)
  
• reserve: SGL*: ch 13
  
• reserve: David Fieldhouse (1986). A New Imperial System? The Role of the Multinational Corporations Reconsidered. Reprinted in Frieden and Lake, eds. International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Power & Wealth. 3rd Edition. St. Martin's Press: NY. 1995.
  * SGL = David Stoesz, Charles Guzzetta, and Mark Lusk (1999). INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Allyn and Bacon: Needham Heights, MA.

• Griffiths: 67-73 (#12, 13)
  
• reserve: SGL: ch’s 6, 7, 8
  
• reserve: Lawrence Summers and Vinod Thomas (1993). Recent Lessons of Development. The World Bank Research Observer. 8,2:241-254.*
  
• reserve: Robin Broad, John Cavanagh, and Walden Bello (1990/91). Development: The Market Is Not Enough. Foreign Policy, 81.*

* = (Reprinted in Frieden and Lake, eds. International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Power and Wealth. 3rd Edition. St. Martin's Press: NY, 1995.)

4/6: Case Studies of Alternative Development Strategies

• Griffiths: pp. 61-64 (#10)
  
• reserve: SGL: ch’s 9, 10, 11, 12

• CPT: ch 6
  
• Griffiths: pp. 204-224 (#41-45)

4/15: CLASS CANCELLED - Work on your papers!!!

• Griffiths: pp. 168-201 (#33-40)

Apr 22-29: PRESENTATIONS of RESEARCH

• Global Hot Spots!
  
• Nationalism Links
  
• Hisotry Reources on the Web
  
• Electoral Web Sites
  
• Revolutionaries
  
• UN Development Program's Human Development Reports (HDRs).
  
• Amnesty International's annual reports on worldwide human rights violations