Department of Economics & International Development, Unit Catalogue 2007/08 |
EC50146 Sustainable development and livelihoods (MID) |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Masters |
| Semester: 2 |
| Assessment: CW50EX50 |
| Requisites: |
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Aims: To provide an in-depth understanding of selected issues concerning the sustainability of livelihoods of people in developing countries: their composition in terms of activities, resources and institutional options; and the implications of wider policy and cultural contexts.
Learning Outcomes: Students will appreciate the diversity of livelihood profiles and contexts in developing countries, understand how livelihoods are embedded in the key concerns of sociology and political economy expressed as an institutional landscape in which micro behaviour interacts with meso, macro and global levels of opportunities and constraints, and be able to critically assess the impact of policies at both micro and macro level on livelihood strategies. Skills: * Cross cultural and interpersonal sensitivity (Taught/Facilitated). * Comprehensive and scholarly written communication (e.g. essays) (T/F). * Concise, time-bound and effective written communication (e.g. briefings/exams) (T/F/Assessed). * Effective oral communication (e.g. seminar presentations) (T/F). * Ability to select, summarise and synthesise written information from multiple sources (T/F/A). * Ability to develop rigorous arguments through precise use of concepts and models (T/F/A). * Ability to synthesise multidisciplinary perspectives on the same problem (T/F/A). * Ability to select and use appropriate ideas to produce a coherent response to a pre-set question (T/F/A). * Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F/A). * Ability to work independently, without close supervision or guidance (T/F). * Ability to work effectively as part of a group or team (T/F). Content: The unit reviews current models, claiming to capture the multi-dimensionality of sustainable livelihoods analysis, especially in terms of the interaction between different sets of resources, assets and activities, These models are informed by key theoretical debates about the relationship between forms of capital: human, social and natural. It deploys an umbrella framework of institutional responsibility to explore the combination of options (personal, familial and wider institutional levels) available for people's agency. It therefore considers the spatial framing of sustainable development and especially the boundary between private and public behaviour, requiring different time preferences and types of institutional performance (market/collective action). These themes are revealed through discussion of empirical cases referring to life cycles, crises, inter-generational bargains, peasant analogues, pursuit of security, common property management, migration (local and global), rural-urban linkages, conservation strategies of essential natural resources. |