Development Policies

The course aims to provide a basic knowledge on key topics of current debate around development and policies for its implementation. This objective is defined according to 4 directions.
1)Giving a knowledge of theoretical debate on development in historical perspective till current international commitment, with a special focus on human and sustainable development and the United Nations Agenda 2030.
2)Presenting in a critical way the available processes of elaboration of development policies at national and local level, paying particular attention to their sectorial interactions, to participatory processes and to the role played (and to be played) by the different actors (public, civil society, private sector ) and to the international interactions and interdependences arising from globalization.
3)Providing competencies to understand the basic elements and trends of financing for development, explaining the available channels to mobilize resources, constraints and opportunities, and the current international financial commitment framework.
4) Describing and showing the main interlinkages among global governance, national policies and the role played by international actors, development policies and human rights and peace.
This knowledge will be provided through lectures, analysis of official documents of the United Nations and of governments (especially policy, planning and evaluation documents). The student will also be asked to participate to work groups that will present their results within the course.

The learning outcomes are as follows: - Excellent knowledge and understanding of the political processes of democratic reforms and the public policy cycle (policy design, formulation, implementation). -Critical analysis of governance reforms, with a focus on education policies. - Ability to understand and critically evaluate the functioning of the main political institutions and outcomes (governments, parliaments, electoral systems, public administration) -Ability to apply theories of politics and public policies to specific cases and events in advanced countries: processes of nation state building, public policy reforms, decision-making and institutional processes, electoral competition and cooperation or competition between actors, formation and dissolution of governments, institutional and administrative capacity and effects of the main political dynamics on public policy outcomes.