Politics 248GG - Topics in Politics: 'Economic Development and a Global Green New Deal'

As recently as 300 years ago the world had a roughly equal level of development. Today, there are vast differences in average income between the richest and poorest countries. What are the reasons behind this divergence? How have the 'poor' countries attempted to reverse the gap and how have these attempts transformed societies within those countries? The course examines these general themes and consists of two components: First, we will survey contemporary debates in development, including such topics as development ethics, development theory and models, the role of international organizations, with a focus on a Global Green New Deal and the question of environmental reparations. Second, student research teams will choose a developing country at the beginning of the course to study in depth, applying the ideas discussed in class.