MA Poverty and Development

MA Poverty and Development

Poverty reduction is the ultimate measure of development effectiveness. This one-year Masters or MA programme is designed to examine thinking, policy and practice on vulnerability and poverty. It provides students with the knowledge and skills to engage professionally with the design, implementation and assessment of national and international efforts to reduce poverty.

During the three terms students will take four compulsory courses and two shorter options. These are taught through lectures and group tutorials and assessed through term papers of 3-5,000 words.

Students also write a 10,000 word dissertation on an aspect of poverty reduction. All students will have a personal supervisor from the IDS Vulnerability and Poverty Reduction research team. During the second and third terms there are also compulsory professional skills for development courses, which provide knowledge and resources on using the analytic tools of development studies.

Terms Schedule:

Autumn Term

• Core Course 1: Ideas in Development and Policy, Evidence and Practice; Introduction to Economics.
• Core Course 2: Poverty & Development - Disciplinary Perspectives.

Spring Term

• Core Course Option 3: Poverty and Inequality
• Core Course Option 4: Vulnerability and Social Protection
• Core Course Option 5: Economics for Development.

Summer Term

• Specialised Courses: Choose two half-length options
• Dissertation: 10,000 word dissertation under the supervision of a faculty member.

Professional Skills for Development Workshops will run through the term.

Ideas in Development and Policy, Evidence and Practice in Development (Autumn term)

This course is the foundation for all the Masters' programmes at IDS. It provides students with the opportunity for shared learning across the different programmes as well as to meet IDS researchers from across all the disciplines and points of view represented in the Institute. A weekly lecture series provides students with an appreciation of different perspectives on development theory as presented by some of the Institute's most distinguished Fellows. Each lecture is followed up by a tutorial that allows students to explore further the issues raised in the lecture and consider how these relate to their own specific area of study.

Introduction to Economics

The course is aimed at those with limited previous exposure to economics and aims to provide students with a basic understanding of key concepts in economics, and of their application in development policy and practice.

Poverty and Development - Disciplinary Perspectives

This is a poverty and development foundation course. It is designed to allow students to appreciate the key contributions of different disciplines to the analysis of poverty and development. During the course of study the students will learn or refresh their knowledge on the key approaches and methods used in the social science disciplines, including economics. They will learn the specific contributions of different disciplines to discourse and knowledge on poverty and development. This will enable students to appreciate the historic evolution of ideas on poverty in the context of development studies. By the end of the course students will have developed their understanding of the different social science disciplines and be able to critically engage with their contribution to the conceptualisation and analysis of poverty.

Poverty and Inequality (Spring term)

This course is designed to equip students with an analytic appreciation of different approaches to defining and assessing poverty. It examines the work of leading poverty theorists, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The concept and measurement of inequality is treated in depth, with special attention paid to exploring the relationships between inequality and poverty. The course examines the impact of economic growth and social development on poverty and inequality and vice versa.

Vulnerability and Social Protection

This course builds on the theoretical literature on risk and vulnerability and examines a range of policy responses focusing on social protection. From climate change to conflict, and from HIV to drought, the aim of this wide-ranging course is to understand the multiple vulnerabilities facing poor households and the most effective coping and mitigation strategies to address them.

Economics or Social Development

This course builds on the theoretical literature on risk and vulnerability and examines a range of policy responses focusing on social protection. From climate change to conflict, and from HIV to drought, the aim of this wide-ranging course is to understand the multiple vulnerabilities facing poor households and the most effective coping and mitigation strategies to address them.

Specialisation options (Summer term)

Before starting their dissertations, students may chose two short courses from the range of options. One of these is expected to be from the first four courses listed which are the options provided by the MA Poverty programme. Courses vary from year to year, but may include:

• Aid and Poverty: The Political Economy of International Development Assistance.
• Analysing Poverty and Vulnerability.
• Climate Change and Disasters.
• Post-Conflict and Very Poor Countries: Development Challenges.
• Decentralisation and Local Government.
• Governance of Violent Conflict and (In)security.
• Management of Public Finance.
• Politics of Pro-Poor Policies.
• Rethinking Health Systems.
• Doing Gender and Development.
• Reflective Practice and Social Change.
• China In Development.
• Competing in the Global Economy.
• Mobilising Knowledge for Development.

Course Objectives:

At the end of the course, students will have gained:

• Critical skills that enhance their employment opportunities in government, business, non-government organisations and industry;
• Knowledge of the main theories, concepts and debates in development situating them in their historical and contemporary contexts and the ability to critically enage in policy analysis;
• A specialised focus on science, society and policy interactions, and particularly the political and governance concerns arising around health, agriculture and environment;
• A practical understanding of research and analytical methodologies and their application in diverse policy contexts.