Description: UNIT 1. Understanding the Developing World 1. The Great Divide in the Global Village, Bruce R. Scott, Foreign Affairs , January/February 2001 While globalization offers developing countries the potential for progress, several factors prevent their ability to take advantage of this opportunity. Wealthy countries restrict immigration and protect their domestic markets. Poor countries have a difficult time attracting investment owing to weak institutions and reliance on primary products. 2. The Poor Speak Up, Rana Foroohar, Newsweek International , February 11, 2002 Developing countries are uniting in their efforts to extract concessions from the industrialized countries, especially concerning trade issues. Shifting coalitions of developing countries are taking a pragmatic approach on issues that are important to them. 3. Institutions Matter, but Not for Everything, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Finance & Development , June 2003 The West has placed increasing emphasis on the importance of institutions to development. Economist Jeffrey Sachs argues that while institutions matter, other factors play a role in generating economic development. Focusing on fighting disease, enhancing agriculture, and building infrastructure in poor countries would have a bigger impact on reducing poverty than institutions and governance. 4. Development as Poison: Rethinking the Western Model of Modernity, Stephen A. Marglin, Harvard International Review , Spring 2003 The West's conception of development emphasizes markets and assumes that following its lead will result in development. In reality, Western culture undermines indigenous culture, especially that of community. The West should realize that the values underlying its culture are not necessarily universal. 5. Why People Still Starve, Barry Bearak, New York Times Magazine , July 13, 2003 The persistence of starvation, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, can be attributed to several factors. This profile of the Malawi shows that poverty, corruption, climatic conditions, the global economy, and aid conditionality have contributed to the problems of malnutrition and famine. 6. Putting a Human Face on Development, Rubens Ricupero, International Social Science Journal , UNESCO 2000 Rubens Ricupero notes that in the past too much emphasis was placed on macroeconomics without sufficient attention to inequality, the environment, sustainability, and the role of women, indigenous peoples, and minorities. A new paradigm must take into account the critical economic role of information, which is crucial to prosperity in developing countries. UNIT 2. Political Economy and the Developing World 7. The Free-Trade Fix, Tina Rosenberg, New York Times Magazine , August 18, 2002 Proponents claim that globalization is the solution to poverty in the developing world. To enjoy its benefits, poor countries are pressured to adopt policies designed to promote economic growth. Tina Rosenberg questions the rules of international trade, which she contends are stacked against the poor countries. She offers nine new rules to govern globalization and improve the lives of the poor in the developing world. 8. Trading for Development: The Poor's Best Hope, Jagdish Bhagwati, The Economist , June 22, 2002 While acknowledging that the industrial countries maintain barriers against certain imports from developing countries, Jagdish Bhagwati maintains that poor countries hurt themselves through their own

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