Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Analyzes the origins and the economic consequences of globalization and the uneven process of economic development around the world in relation to poverty, by considering the measurement of poverty, its causes and dynamics, as well as public policy for poverty reduction.

COURSE DETAILS:

Despite groundbreaking advances in science and technology and the enormous material wealth created over the past couple of centuries, a considerable part of the world’s population continues to be deprived of decent standards of living and have limited access to essential services and resources such as health, education, clean water, food and shelter. The widening wealth gap undermines democracy, and the predominant patterns of wealth accumulation, production and consumption have devastating impacts on the environment.  

Why is this the case? Why do we have prosperity at one pole and immiseration at the other?  What are the patterns and extent of global inequality? How has the increasing cross-border mobility (of goods, services, capital and people) been affecting living conditions in different parts of the world? Why is globalization's impact so different across communities, regions and countries? What are the strengths and shortcomings of existing initiatives, policies, and programs designed to address global poverty and inequality? What lessons can be drawn from the multi-faceted and multidimensional crises of the twenty-first century and the vulnerabilities they have exposed? How can we build our economies to achieve a more equal and sustainable future?  

These are some of the key questions that will guide our conversations and engagement with course materials. Throughout the term, we will explore the origins, contemporary manifestations, and the future of global poverty and economic inequality. The course is divided into three parts. The first part will provide a broad picture by examining the links between globalization, poverty and inequality from a historical perspective in order to understand long-term patterns and their impacts on the present. In the second part, we will analyze contemporary trends, policy challenges, the roles and effectiveness of global governance institutions, and the extent of poverty and inequality. In the third part, we will focus on new avenues, future directions and counter-hegemonic alternatives. We will discuss the pros and cons of various policy proposals put forward for combating global poverty and inequality, including the universal basic income, global wealth tax, working-time regulation, green growth and de-growth. We will pay particular attention to the alternatives offered by indigenous and popular movements.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• develop an analytic and critical understanding of the drivers, patterns and implications of global poverty and inequality
• broaden their understanding of contemporary challenges, policy dilemmas and opportunities related to combating poverty and inequality
• interpret patterns and trends in data and identify the limitations of the most widely used measures of poverty and inequality (such as poverty lines and the Gini coefficient)
• participate in public deliberation about policy challenges and innovative ways of addressing poverty and inequality
• identify the main argument and evidence provided in an academic text and assess their strengths and weaknesses
• develop arguments with evidence from relevant scholarly sources
• apply theories and concepts to contemporary cases in an independent research project

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: