SOC 468-000: Economic Development in Africa (Fall 2010)

The Ultimate Price of Politics: Identifying the players, pawns and politics of the Africa.  "The greatest challenge that we face in this modern world, particularly young people like you, is what we do about the situation in the poor parts of the world", said President Carter in our 2004 course that focused on Mali.

Today, particularly in the present worldwide economic crunch, it is more difficult than ever to attract foreign aid or non-governmental assistance to these “poor parts of the world.”

Very often the situation facing low income countries (LICs) is difficult to grasp because is it complex and multifaceted. This course will investigate and scrutinize development theories, policies and practices in LICs, and work on concrete situations to enlist new paths for economic development. One of the objectives of the course is to question and understand cultural, political and social behaviors that impact economic behavior. How can insights from the social sciences and humanities help us to understand economic behavior and development? We will see how new perspectives on economic development may enhance practice, policy and theory. We will study how different forms of capital -- social, economic, cultural, symbolic, etc. -- may mobilize or demobilize the human or financial capital necessary for laying the foundations for sustainable development. Key practitioners in the field of development and finance will be invited to speak to the course, alongside a series of extracurricular master classes that will be held on topics such as financial stability and development standards. The countries on which the course will concentrate include Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mali, Senegal, Liberia, South Africa and the Maghreb.

The course is open to all Emory College students interested in economic development in these “low-income-countries”. Students from other schools in Emory University require permission of the instructor.

At the conclusion of the course, group projects with ideas of African development will be presented to a jury. The jury consists of local, national and international businessmen, politicians and individuals of influence. Past jury members included members of the finance community, ambassadors, Fortune 500 executives and leaders from the International Olympic Community. This system of assessment, with active players in the development community, sheds light on the importance of projects. Many students are recruited from this experience to internships with members of the jury.

The goals of the course:

• Research and develop a general framework which will improve low income countries' prospects for development and their ability to attract and stimulate responsible domestic and foreign investment.
• Further identify, define, and implement specific projects that will contribute to their development.