Postgraduate

MSc, Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate in Managing Rural Development

Syllabus

C116 Economics and institutions for development

Examines the economic behaviour of people and firms, and interactions between these, institutions and national economies in development processes. It introduces development concepts and standard economic models and their relation with each other. The module explores the roles of institutions in economic exchange and resource allocation, and their contribution (or hindrance) to more efficient and equitable resource allocation and to development.

C230
Rural development
Introduces rural development, looking at its history, key challenges, role in poverty reduction, the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, rural services (government and market roles in provision of infrastructure, finance, agricultural research and extension, and health and education) and natural resources (notably land and water policies).

C131
Management in rural development
Considers the management and organisation of interventions to promote rural development. The course examines the scope and demands of rural development management, dimensions of rural development, the relevance of management theories of organisations and management, and the changing roles of the state, the private sector and civil society in rural development.

C125 Food security and social protection

Considers in a unified manner two highly topical policy areas that too often are treated in isolation: food security and social protection. The basic conceptual approach centres on the livelihoods of poor individuals and households and their management of risk and shocks. Policies to help households manage risk and accumulate assets are critically evaluated and particular attention is paid to how greater complementarily can be achieved across policies for agricultural development and social protection.

C140
Gender and social development
Examines gender and social development from both an analytical and a practical perspective. It describes tools and frameworks for analysing social and gender relations, and the relationship between academic and policy work in this field. Current thinking relating to the practice of social development and to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment is explored.

C110
Agricultural trade and policy
Introduces neo-classical trade theory and examines trade theory as it applies to a range of interventions in trade, in particular, agricultural trade. The course also introduces standard agricultural policy analysis tools, a review of current issues affecting international trade in agriculture, and analysis of the major environmental influences on trade and policy.

C138 Marketing for Small Agribusinesses

Markets are a key component of development. You will analyse the marketing challenges for micro- and small enterprises within a broad range of natural resource product and service sectors, focusing on how markets function, marketing management, and policy measures to support small firms and business services.

C119 Understanding poverty
Introduces concepts and definitions of poverty. It explores trends in poverty (especially rural poverty) across and within continents, along with debates about the causes of these trends, and introduces the national and international policy architecture for poverty reduction.

C132
NGO management
Covers NGO growth trends, strategic planning, structures, systems, and management challenges. It explores these in relation to accountability, transparency, performance, monitoring and evaluation, and organisational learning.

C134
Project planning and management
Considers the planning and management of public and private investment in the rural sector in the context of sectoral and national level programme support. Concepts of project identification, preparation, appraisal, and monitoring and evaluation are explored. Methods such as logical framework, financial and economic cost benefit analysis, and social and environmental assessment are presented.

C135
Socio-economics of rural livelihoods
Analyses the decisions facing smallholder farmers in managing their activities and resources. The course examines the circumstances and objectives of peasants and socio-economic theories that describe their livelihood strategies, and policy implications arising from this analysis.

C126
Water resource management
Explains the key themes, concepts, and tools associated with water management. The module covers determinants of availability and scarcity, assessment and management from basin to user, economics and governance, the management and sustainability of irrigated agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, and environmental, social and political dimensions of water use.

C128 Rural finance [scheduled for 2012]

Considers the importance of savings, insurance, credit and money transmission to poor rural households. It examines why these services are often either unavailable or available only on highly disadvantageous terms to such households, despite huge advances in microfinance in recent years. It then explores options for enhancing provision of rural financial services in poor economies.

 

C106
Research methods
Begins with a discussion of the nature and role of research and then seeks to provide a foundation of basic skills in research. The course covers sampling, data collection methods, basic statistical tests, an introduction to SPSS®, and procedures for qualitative data analysis.

C123 Managing knowledge and communication for development

Proven knowledge correctly applied can enhance poor people’s capabilities to participate in their own development and make choices about their lives. This module equips students to distinguish between different understandings of knowledge, evaluate alternative technologies for communication, and consider the implications for development policies and practice in the field of knowledge management and development.

RR101 Research report
MSc students only

The research report involves desk-based and/or field-based research. The report is assessed by submission of a research proposal (10%) and a 10,000 word written report (90% of final module mark). Students are individually assigned a research supervisor for support and advice. All research topics are subject to approval by the Senior Teaching Fellow.