Course description

MSc International Development: Politics, Governance and Development Policy examines the obstacles to, and pathways towards, more legitimate, democratic and pro-poor forms of governance at global, national and local levels - a topic that is currently centre-stage on the international development agenda.

The course interrogates the discursive paradigms and material interventions in the area of politics and governance, which has moved to the centre of the international development agenda since the late 1980s.

It is therefore ideal if you're interested in the many ways that politics is critical to the success of development, and would like to examine the 'lived' or 'real' politics in developing countries and the dynamics underpinning change.

Aims

• Provide critical insights into different theoretical and disciplinary perspectives on the politics and governance of development.
• Develop your analytical skills in critically evaluating and employing different theories of politics, governance and policy analysis.
• Provide you with an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the how politics, governance and the formulation and implementation development policy interact in the global South.
• Provide critical insights into the key strategies, policies and practices currently employed to promote `good governance' and improved policy processes in the global South.
• Develop professionally-oriented skills related to formulating, investigating and implementing different approaches to promoting good governance.
• Provide a wide range of options for advanced training in areas of specialist expertise relevant to politics, governance and development policy.
• Develop advanced competencies in transferable areas, including developing reasoned arguments, gathering, organising and using evidence and information from a wide variety of sources, undertaking both team-based and independent work to deadlines, and both written and verbal forms of communication.
• Assist you in developing your specialist area of expertise within the field of politics, governance and development policy, and applying their understanding and skills through supervised individual research culminating in a dissertation.

Coursework and assessment

The taught elements of the course, carrying 120 credits overall, is continuously assessed by a variety of methods (eg project-based reports, essays), involving largely individual submissions, but also elements of group work.

You must also complete a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation on a topic of your choice approved by the Programme Directors. You are encouraged to base your dissertation on topics of direct professional concern.

Career opportunities

Teaching and research at the Global Development Institute covers a wide variety of topics and as a result our students can be found in a range of jobs and careers.

Our teaching aims to support students from all backgrounds to acquire valuable knowledge, skills and attributes to achieve their educational and professional goals. It includes regular contributions from researchers and practitioners with a view to equip our students to make a positive difference in their chosen sphere.