Economic and social development

We put a lot of emphasis in this course on the clarification of concepts used by development economists and sociologists to describe and analyze the economic and institutional situation in developing countries and Europe. We explain why these concepts were developed and what type of reality they are (un)able to capture. Concepts treated are ‘the poverty line’, ‘the multidimensional analysis of poverty’, ‘human development’, ‘the demographic transition’, ‘autocratic versus democratic institutions’, ‘the greed versus grievance theory of conflict’.

Next to teaching the core concepts of our respective disciplines, we plan a few sessions together in class where we confront insights from the sociology of the welfare state and the sociology of migration in Europe with the economics of development and poverty in developing countries. It makes a lot of sense to look at these two sides of the same coin in globalized economy, where events who seemingly happen far away have a profound impact on our own societies. We will apply this to the European Refugee Crisis.

the course has two parts: development economics and sociology of the welfare state

In the first part We study the economics of poverty, population growth, economic and political institutions, the delivery of health and education in developing countries, violent conflict. in the second part we study the sociology of poverty and inequality in Europe, migration, multiculturality and seggregation

lectures and guest lectures

Contribution to the teaching profile

From the 'Profile d'Enseignement':

Compentency : ‘acquérant les outils méthodologiques de base (mathématique, statistique, économie, modélisation, informatique, comptabilité, etc.)’;

• Competency :‘ analysant une situation à travers différents canevas disciplinaires (gestion, finance, comptabilité, droit, économie, etc.)

• Comptency : ‘faisant constamment preuve d’esprit critique’;

• Comptency : ‘démontrant une rigueur scientifique de travail et d’analyse’;

• Comptency: ‘maîtrisant les langues étrangères (anglais, néerlandais/allemand)’

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

will be schown in class

Contacts

prof.philip verwimp prof.dirk jacobs

philip.verwimp@ulb.ac.be dirk.jacobs@ulb.ac.be

https://sites.google.com/site/philipverwimp1/

Method(s) of evaluation

• Other

Other

the exam will have two parts for each respective part of the course. There is no

intermediate exam or essay.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

50% for each part

Language(s) of evaluation

• english