The Politics of Economic Development
| Module title | The Politics of Economic Development |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC2121 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Joanie Willett (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 12 |
Module description
Uneven development is an ongoing policy problem throughout the Western world, causing inequalities of life experiences, severe difficulties for people in poorer regions with regards to being able to participate effectively in the things that people in wealthier areas consider normal (which threatens social cohesion) and inefficiencies for the national economy. In this module you will explore how we frame Economic Development as a discourse, drawing on research from the UK, mainland Europe, and the United States. You will consider the main theories and policy landscape around economic development, and consider the role of the politics of identity throughout this process.
This module complements British Government and Politics; Political Geography; and National and Community Identity
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module will introduce you research at the forefront of knowledge into the politics, policy, and practice of governance at a regional level in both Mainland Europe the UK, and the US, considering the ongoing impacts of policy and the global economy on localities. It presents key contemporary theories in regional development such as the politics of lifestyle, the creative economy, peripheralisation, and the role of knowledge and innovation, endogenous and exogenous development, and asks what a politics of identity has to offer to these.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. consider and critically analyse theories and concepts of regional economic development, and the major critical positions related to development issues;
- 2. demonstrate a critical understanding of the role that identity plays within regional development, and the impact that this has for communities and policy;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. critically engage with key arguments about events, ideas and institutions;
- 4. critically analyse and apply concepts, theories and methods used in the study of politics to the analysis of political ideas, institutions and practices;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. formulate nuanced arguments about theory and practice with clarity and precision, communicated in written and oral form
- 6. develop your own knowledges based on differing forms of evidence
Syllabus plan
The topics covered will broadly take the following structure
- An introduction to the background of economic development studies
- A local or national problem? Regional policy and political decentralisation
- Uneven development, competitiveness, and the New Regionalism
- The knowledge economy and clustering
- Development from within, or introducing new industries and skills?
- The regional brand: Social Capital, and identity
- Regional development and evolution: innovation and entrepreneurship
- The creative economy and the politics of lifestyle
- Peripherality, the urban and the rural
- The production of place: Power, knowledge, and representation
- Regions, communities, and neighbourhoods
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 11 | Lectures (11x 1 hour) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 11 | Seminars (11x 1 hour) |
| Guided Independent Study | 128 | Reading in preparation for seminars 55 hours; Research in preparation for essay 55 hours; Writing essay 18 hours. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detailed essay plan | 1000 words | 1-6 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 100 | 4000 words | 1-6 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4000 word essay | 4000 word essay | 1-6 | August/September assessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Andy Pike, Andres Rodriguez-Pose and John Tomaney, 2010. Local and Regional Development. Oxon: Routledge
Keating, M. (1998) The New Regionalism in Western Europe. Territorial Restructuring and Political Change. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Hilary Tovey. 2008. Introduction: Rural Sustainable Development in the Knowledge Society Era. Sociologia Ruralis. 48 (3).
Shucksmith, M. “Endogenous Development, Social Capital and Social Inclusion; Perspectives from LEADER in the UK,” Sociologia Ruralis 40 (2000) pp. 208-218.
Putnam, R. 2000. Bowling Alone; The Collapse and Revival of American Community London: Simon Schuster Paper Backs
Ron Boschma and Ron Martin (eds). 2010. The Handbook of Evolutionary Geography. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Willett, J., Lang, T.(2018)“Peripheralisation: A Politics of Place, Affect, Perception and Representation”. Sociologia Ruralis 58 (2) 258-275.
Willett, J. (2016) “The Production of Place: Perception, Reality, and the Politics of Becoming” Political Studies 64 (2) 436-451.
Richard Florida. 2012. The Rise of the Creative Class Revisited. New York: Basic Books
Thomas Burk. Manfred Kuhn, and Hanna Sommer. 2012. Stigmatisation of Cities. The Vulnerability of Local Identities. Raumforsch Raumordn. 70. 337-447.
Crescanzi R and Giua M (2016) The EU Cohesion Policy in Context: Does a Bottom-Up Approach Work in All Regions? Environment and Planning A 48 (11): 2340-2357.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 18/12/18 |
| Last revision date | 18/12/18 |
