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Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
This course examines how economic and social development decisions interact with local and global political considerations. It tracks the rise and fall of different development paradigms across the Middle East and North Africa, including state capitalism, neoliberalism, new state capitalism, rentierism, and late-rentierism. The course moves between theoretical debates and in-depth empirical case studies of real-world development strategies applied in the Middle East and North Africa, drawing out local debates over the definition and purpose of ‘development’, the interaction of different social and political forces that shape state views on economic development planning, and how these strategies transform class and societal politics over time. While paradigms of sustainable economic growth, natural resource wealth, and equitable distribution of wealth will be among the central concerns of the course, its scope will be much broader, dealing with the fundamental questions of where these societies are headed, by which paths, and with what human consequences.
Development Policy Brief (1,500 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
15 minute seminar presentation
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Development Policy Assessment (4,000 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 24 hours of seminars; and b) 106 hours of online activities, practice exercises, readings and assessment, conducted over 5 weeks. Other Information Issues of Development in Middle East
There is no prescribed overview text for this course. Readings will be made available to students at the start of the course. Students should conduct their own searches for additional material, which usually will be available through the library or online. The course assumes only basic background knowledge of the Middle East, and the early few weeks are devoted to background and contextual issues. However, students with no background knowledge are advised to consult a textbook on Middle East politics or political economy before commencing the course. Some books to consult include: On Middle Eastern politics in general: Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2006, 2nd Edn); On modern Middle Eastern history: Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, (London: Faber and Faber, 1991) or Peter Mansfield, A History of the Middle East (London: Penguin, various edns); On Middle Eastern political economy and development: Clement M. Henry and Robert Springborg, Globalization and the Politics of Development in the Middle East, 2nd Ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010). Students are strongly encouraged to keep up to date with relevant journals on the Middle East, including The Middle East Journal, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Middle East Policy, Arab Studies Quarterly, Middle East Report, Journal of Arabian Studies, Journal of Palestine Studies, Journal of North African Studies, and International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies. All of these routinely have articles on political economy and development issues that are of use for weekly seminar preparation and essay research. Broader political science and international relations journals are useful, especially Foreign Affairs, Third World Quarterly, Journal of Developing Societies, World Development, Development and Change, The Washington Quarterly, Survival, International Affairs, and International Organization