Dr. Nadia Farah
Pols 4030, Fall 2015
American University in Cairo
Democracy & Development: The Controversy
Class Hours: W, 5:00-7:40
Class Room: CP 70
Office Hours: WU 3:30-4:45
This seminar focuses on the interrelationships between democracy and development especially in the Third World. Up to the 1980s the overall wisdom in development studies referred to the necessity of focusing on economic development first and this will lead to political liberalization by necessity. However, a more recent Neoliberal school alleges that democracy is the main determinant of development and growth.
Modernization and Neo-Modernization theorists believe that economic development, especially industrial development, results in the emergence of more stratified social structures. Industrialization is responsible for the emergence of a working class and a more educated entrepreneurial and middle class.
The traditional Marxist theory also adopts an economistic explanation for political democracy. The economic structure is the determining structure, i.e., the economic structure is responsible for the determination of other structures, especially the political structure. Capitalism in its industrial phase leads to a class structure, mainly divided between the bourgeoisie on one hand and the proletariat on the other hand. A class struggle between bourgeoisie and proletariat is an outcome of the exploitation of workers by the bourgeoisie. The democratic political system is an essential means to mediate the expected class conflict.
Therefore, Modernization and Marxist theories both contend that democracy is an outcome of economic growth and not vice versa. From the 1980s and with the emergence of Neoliberalism, the relationship between democracy and economic development has been questioned. Does economic development lead to democracy or is the adoption of political liberalization and democratic values, a necessary pre-condition for the promotion of economic development?
A politicist trend in political science stipulates that since the political system controls the economic system, then economic growth is simply a measure of how well the political system is performing. Accordingly, democracy is no longer an effect of economic growth. Contrariwise, all countries, which pursue economic development, need first to adopt a democratic political system as a precondition for growth and development.
Democracy entails that the citizens of a state or country determine the policies that influence their lives. It involves the contestation over policy and competition for office, the participation of citizens in decision-making processes, the accountability of rulers, the rule of law and civilian control over the military. The arguments for the primacy of democracy and the necessity of a democratic political system for the promotion of economic growth and development involve the question of the protection of property rights and a better allocation of resources.
In this seminar we will study the interrelationships between democracy and development, in order to delineate the real causal relationships between democracy and development.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Participation10%
Assignments 30%
Presentations or a book review30%
Final Research Paper Last Week30%
Class Policies
- No one is to enter the classroom after the instructor
- Cell phones are to be switched off
- No taping of lectures
- Cheating during written exams is heavily penalized. A student caught cheating will earn an F for the Whole course and will be referred to AUC Academic Integrity Committee.
- Students are required to submit written assignments. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. To avoid the suspicion of plagiarism, the instructor may ask students to present the rough work used in preparation and submit to an oral exam. If evidence of plagiarism is found, the student will automatically earn an F grade for the whole course and he/she will be referred to AUC Academic Integrity Committee.
- Late assignments will be penalized by a subtraction of 5% of the grade for each day of the first week. No assignments will be accepted after the first week of determined date for submission and the student will earn an F grade on the assignment.
- 10% of the grade of every written assignment will be based on “Adequacy of English Usage.”
Readings: A CD containing all the readings will be handed to the students.
Introduction
Democracy and Development
-Chan: Liberalism, Democracy and Development;
-Goldstone: Democracy and Development New Insights;
-Grosjean: Should Market Liberalization;
-Hadenious: Democracy and Development
Macedo: Globalization Democracy and development
-Persson & Tabellini: Democracy and Development the Devil in the details
-Przeworski: Democracy and Economic Development;
-Przeworski: Democracy as Equilibrium;
-Robinson: Economic Development.
Democracy and Development: The Controversy
-Blum: Do the Poor Need Democracy;
-Chen: Controversy over Democracy and development;
-Chen: Development First;
-Rakner: Democratization Third World;
-Gerring: Democracy Human Development;
-Lekvall: Development First;
-Lipsett: Some Social Requisites;
-Omotola: Democratization, Governance
-Przworski: Were Fortunes Reversed
Democracy and Development in Third World
-Dae Jin: Politics and Redistribution;
-Editor; Explosion of Third World Democracy
-Engberg: Illiberal Democracy;
-Jhonson: Democracy and Development Challenges for the Islamic World;
-Johannsenn: Beyond Modernization
-Menocalm: Hybrid Regimes;
-Stephens: Capitalist Development and Democracy
Democracy and Regime Type
-Durham: Economic Growth and Political Regimes;
-Freund: Regime Change Development and Growth;
-Gough: Social Policies Regimes;
-Grier: Democracy, Regime Duration and Development;
-Hadenius: Authoritarian Regimes and Pathways to Democracy;
-Mcfaul: The Fourth Wave;
-Zinecker: Democracy Diversity and Conflict
Authoritarianism and Social Democracy
-Forrat: Welfare State;
-Giroux: Democracy in Crisis;
-O'Donnell: Transitions
-Petras: Authoritarianism Democracy and the transition to Socialism;
-Solt: Social Origins
Case Studies
-Shukr: Relationships Between Security and Failures of D & D Egypt;
-Adejumobi : Between Democracy and Development Africa;
-Alfonso: Regime Transitions and Redistribution in Egypt and Lybia;
-Bardhan: Democracy and Development in India;
-Brown: Egypt's Failed Transitions;
-Oladiran: Democracy and Development Nigeria;
-Sarkin: Botswana
-Shin: Quality of Democracy South Korea;
-Zupana: Ghana