Institutions, Governance, and International Development PADM-GP 2201 Fall 2017 Professor Salo V. Coslovsky , Office 3096 Office Hours: By appointment (email me) Location: 24 Waverly Place - Room 667 This version: Sept 6th 2017 Course description Why are some nations, provinces, and cities rich while others are poor? This is a central question in international development, and this course addresses it by examining the challenges of institutional and governance reform in low- and middle-income countries. The of international development rose in prominence after World War II, when the western world grappled with the reconstruction of Europe, decolonization in parts of Africa and Asia, and the relatively low standards of living in Latin America. Since then, progress has been uneven. On the positive side, the number of people living in poverty has decreased considerably and access to health, housing, electricity and education has gone up. And yet, problems remain not only in historically disadvantaged localities but all over the world. The challenge of international development remains enormous, and the meaning, ethics, and appropriateness of this enterprise continue to be highly political and therefore hotly contested. Not surprisingly, reasonable people disagree on what development is, what should be pursued first, how it ought to be done, and who should pay the costs and reap the benefits. This course addresses a narrow slice of this large pie. To be clear, it does not examine the politics and practices of foreign aid, it does not focus on NGOs or social enterprises, and it does not emphasize the role played by international or multilateral organizations. Rather, it examines two critical challenges faced by elected politicians, career civil servants, activists and their allies around the world: (1) How to create vibrant and dynamic markets (including markets for products, services, capital, and so everyone can benefit from specialization and the gains from trade, and (2) How to create resilient and responsive government agencies that can complement, sustain and tame these markets. Correspondingly, the course is divided into two modules. The first one, named “Institutions” provides a brief survey of the history of development thinking, from the “Big Push” (class 2) to the recent emphasis on institutions & governance (class 9). The second module (class 10 to 13) explores the challenges of
Evans, Peter and James Rauch (1999) Bureaucracy and Growth: A Cross-National Analysis of the Effects of "Weberian" State Structures on Economic Growth, American Journal of Sociology Chetkovich, Carol and David Kirp (2001) Cases and Controversies: How novitiates are trained to be masters of the public policy universe, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 20 (2), pp 283-314 3- The readings in context (pointers for readers) In this session, we read a paper by Avinash Dixit in which he discusses why public servants do what they do, and why “bad” performance might seem like a chronic feature of government agencies. Even though he is drawing mostly from James Q. Wilson’s vivid book “Bureaucracy” (1989), Dixit’s summary can be a bit dry and abstract. As you read it, try to think of examples to illustrate the different points that he makes. To help in this task, we also read two testimonies by former public officials describing the challenges they faced. W. Michael Blumenthal was the CEO of a large corporation and served as Secretary of Treasury for President Carter. Akka Gordon was a caseworker with NYC Child Protection Services. What did they see, what did they learn, and in which ways do their experiences illustrate or challenge the points raised by Dixit? 11 Delivering public services I 1 – Required Readings There are no required readings. The discussion will revolve around your assignments. 2 - Recommended Readings Kremer et al (2013) The Challenge of Education and Learning in the Developing World, Science 340, 297-300. Chaudhury et al (2006) Missing in Action: Teacher and Health Worker Absence in Developing Countries. Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol 20, pp No 1. 91-116 Das et al (2008) The Quality of Medical Advice in Low Income Countries. Journal of Economic Perspectives. Vol 22, No 2. Pp 93-114 Muralidharan K. et al (2016) The Fiscal Cost of Weak Governance: Evidence from Teacher Absence in India Russakoff, Dale (2014), Schooled, New Yorker [see her subsequent book, “The Prize”]