The University of the West Indies, Mona

Lecturer:

Dr. Michael Witter, michael.witter@uwimona.edu.jm
Office: Room 18  Office Hours (Monday 1-2, Wednesdays 5-6)      

I.    Methodology
  

Objectives:

Establish
1.    a set of basic concepts for socio-economic analysis with a common set of meanings to sustain meaningful discussion and debate
2.    the meaning and importance of methodology in social science
3.    the meanings of economic development
4.    the place of Theories of Economic Development in Economics

Expectations of students:
At the end of Unit I, students should be able to define the following concepts clearly and, at a minimum, give examples of the application of these concepts to the Caribbean Economy of their choice.

        

Readings:
1.     T. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
2.     H. W. Arndt, Economic Development: the History of an Idea, University of Chicago, 1989
3.     Magnus Blomstrom and Bjorn Hettne, Development Theory in Transition, Zed, 1988, Ch.1 - 5
4.     Diana Hunt, Economic Theories of Development, Ch.1
5.     A. Sen, “Development as Capability Expansion”, Journal of Development Planning, UN, 1989
6.     UNDP, Human Development Report, 1996, Ch.2
7.     United Nations, “Rio Declaration on the Environment and Development”, http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=78&ArticleID=1163
8.     UNDP, “Agenda 21”, http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/english/agenda21toc.htm
9.     A.P. Thirlwall, Growth and Development, with special reference to developing economies, Palgrave.Macmillan, 7th edition, 2003, Ch.1
10.     Ha-Joon Chang, Kicking away the ladder: development strategy in historical perspective, Published London : Anthem, 2002



II.    Development of the Colonial Economy in the Caribbean         [6]   
Objectives:
Establish and discuss a stylized interpretation of:
1.    the transition from feudalism to industrial capitalism in W. Europe, 1500-1800
2.    the colonization of the Caribbean
3.    British colonization in the Caribbean, and where possible in comparison and in contrast to non-British colonization
4.    the establishment of slave economies
5.    the transition from slave economies to dependent capitalist colonies
6.    the challenge to colonial development in the 20th century
7.    Capitalism in the 19th and 20th centuries

At the end of Unit II, students should be able to define the following concepts clearly and, at a minimum, give examples of the application of these concepts to the Caribbean Economy of their choice.

In addition, students should be able to present a succinct written and an oral discussion of the following themes clearly and, at a minimum, give examples of the application of these themes to the Caribbean Economy of their choice

1.    The broad stages in the development of capitalism and the main reasons for the transition from one stage to the next
2.    The process of establishing a colonial economy in the Caribbean
3.    The main relationships between the capitalist colonizing economy (the metropole) and the colony
4.    A stylized but complete description of a slave economy
5.    The reasons for the establishment, growth and eventual decline of the slave economy in the Caribbean
6.    The structure and role of the Plantation as the principal institution of production in the slave economy
7.    Where relevant, the process of the emergence of the Peasants and the economy they built after the Emancipation of the slaves and the collapse of the economy built on slavery
8.    Comparison and contrast between any two of the following: the pre-Columbian Caribbean economy, the slave economy in the Caribbean, and the economy established in the first 100 years after the Emancipation of the slaves
9.    The relationship between classes, races, and genders in the colonial economy
10.    The relationship between the colonial economy in all its stages and the natural environment

Readings:

1.     E. Williams, From Columbus to Castro, Vintage Books, 1984
2.     E. Williams, Capitalism and Slavery, London, 1964
3.     M. M. Fraginals, The Sugar Mill: The Socio-economic Complex of Sugar in Cuba, 1760-1860,  Monthly Review, 1976
4.     Michael Craton, Empire Enslavement and Freedom in the Caribbean, Ian Randle Publishers, 1997
5.     G. Beckford, Persistent Poverty, Ch. 1-4
6.     G. Eisner, Jamaica: 1830-1930, Ch. 9-13
7.     K.Post, Arise Ye Starvelings, CH.II-V
8.     C.Y. Thomas, The Poor and the Powerless, Part 1

III.    Leading Ideas in Economic Development Thought            [8]
Objectives:
Critically review the main concepts, ideas, and Theories advanced to explain economic underdevelopment and/or to promote economic development.

Expectations of students:
At the end of Unit III, students should be able to define the following concepts clearly and, at a minimum, give examples of the application of these concepts to the Caribbean Economy of their choice.

 
In addition, students should be able to:
1.    present a succinct written and an oral discussion of the main ideas set out in the readings below
2.    compare and contrast any two sets of theories
3.    at a minimum, give critical interpretations of how these theories have been or can be applied to the Caribbean Economy of their choice

Readings:
   
1.    Colin Clark, “Population Growth and Living Standards”, in A&S
2.    W.W.Rostow, “The Take-off into Self-Sustained growth”, in A.N.Agarwala
and S.P.Singh, The Economics of Underdevelopment, Oxford University Press.                      Henceforth referred to as A&S.
3.    R. Caves and H. G. Johnson, Readings in International Economics,
Irwin, 1968, readings No. 17-20
4.    J. Schumpeter, The Theory of Economic Development,
5.    Baran, Paul. The Political Economy of Growth, New York: Monthly
Review Press, 1973, Introduction and Ch. 1.
6.    Gerald M. Meier, Leading Issues in Economic Development, Oxford
University Press, 1995, Ch. I – III
7.    Theotonio Dos Santos, “The Structure of Dependence”, in American Economic Review, Vol LX, No.2, May 1970, p. 231-236, and reprinted in C.K.Wilber (ed), P.109
8.    Andre Gundar Frank, “The Development of Underdevelopment” in Monthly Review, Vol 18, No.4, September 1966, and reprinted in C. K. Wilber (ed), The Political Economy of Underdevelopment, Random House, 1973, P. 94
9.    Sachs, I. "The Quantitative and Qualitative Measurement of Development
Its Implications and Limitations", International Social Science Journal, No. 143, March 1995, pp.1-10.
10.    M. Todaro, Economic Development in the Third World, Ch. 1-3
11.    Diana Hunt, Ch. 2-7
12.    D. Colman and F. Nixson, Economics of change in less Developed Countries, Harvester-Wheatsheaf, New York, 1994, Ch. 1,2
13.    A.P. Thirlwall, Ch. 2-4, 7,8
14.    T. Szentes, The Political Economy of Underdevelopment, Ch. 1-6



 
IV.    Post-War Caribbean Economic Development: Theory and Practice, 1950-1980 in the Anglo-Caribbean, with special reference to Jamaica                  [6]   

Objectives:
Critically review the main concepts, ideas, and Theories advanced by Caribbean thinkers to explain economic underdevelopment and/or to promote economic development in the Caribbean

Expectations of students:
At the end of Unit IV, students should be able to define the following concepts clearly and, at a minimum, give examples of the application of these concepts to the Caribbean Economy of their choice.

     
In addition, students should be able to:
1.    present a succinct written and an oral discussion of the main ideas set out in the readings below
2.    compare and contrast any two sets of theories
3.    at a minimum, give critical interpretations of how these theories have been or can be applied to the Caribbean Economy of their choice
4.    compare and contrast any of the Caribbean theories with those presented in Unit III

Readings:

1.     O. Jefferson, The Post-War Economic Development of Jamaica, ISER, 1971
2.     W.A.Lewis, “Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour”, in A&S.
3.     L. Best, “A Model of Pure Plantation Economy, SES, Sept.1968; also, D. Pantin, The Caribbean Economy – a Reader, Ian Randle Press, 2005, Reading N0.2
4.     N.Girvan, “The Development of Dependency Economics in the Caribbean and Latin America, in Social and Economic Studies, vol 22, no.1, 1973
5.     G. Beckford, Persistent Poverty, Ch. 5-9
6.     G. Beckford, “Social Costs of Plantations”, in D. Pantin, Reading No. 3
7.     W. Demas, The Economics of Development in Small Countries, Montreal: McGill University Press, 1965.
8.     Best, L." Size and Survival, " in N.Girvan and O.Jefferson, Eds., Readings in the Political Economy of the Caribbean, Jamaica: New World Group, 1971.
9.     Briguglio, L. "Small Island Developing States and Their Economic Vulnerabilities", World Development, Vol. 23, No. 9, 1995, pp.1615-1632
10.     W. Demas, Essays on Caribbean Integration and Development, ISER, 1976
11.     W. Demas, “The Political Economy of the English Speaking Caribbean” in D.Pantin, Reading No. 5
12.     C. Y Thomas, Dependence and Transformation, Monthly Review Press, 1974
13.     G. Beckford, N. Girvan, L. Lindsay and M. Witter, Pathways to Progress,  Maroon Publishers, 1982
14.     R. Bernal, M. Figueroa, M. Witter, “Caribbean Economic Thought: the critical tradition”, SES vol.33, no.2, June 1984
15.     D. Pantin and D. Mahabir, (eds), “Plantation Economy Revisited”, Marronage, Vol. 1, No.1, 1998
16.     Eric St. Cyr, “The Theory of Caribbean-Type Economy”, in S. Lalta and M. Freckleton, Caribbean Economic Development: The First Generation, Ian Randle Press, 1993, P.8
17.     Evelyne H. Stephens and John Stephens, Democratic Socialism in Jamaica, MacMillan, 1986
18.     Dennis Pantin, The Caribbean Economy – a Reader, Ian Randle Press, 2005
19.     K. Polanyi Levitt, Reclaiming Development, Ian Randle Press, 2005, Readings 7,8,11

V.    Structural Adjustment of Jamaica                     [3]   

Objectives:
Critically review the process of structural adjustment in Jamaica.

Expectations of students:
At the end of Unit V, students should be able to define the following concepts clearly and, at a minimum, give examples of the application of these concepts to the Caribbean Economy of their choice.

In addition, students should be able to:
1.    present a succinct written and an oral description of the process of structural adjustment, the reasons advanced for it, and the positive and negative effects of the process on the economic development of Jamaica
2.    compare and contrast the views of critics and proponents of structural adjustment, and be able to identify the theoretical bases of each
3.    explain the relationship, if any, between structural adjustment and any of the following: rising debt burden, equity or inequity of income distribution, poverty, growth, export competitiveness, economic dependence
4.    suggest lessons that can be drawn for other Caribbean economies

Readings:
   
1.     K. Levitt, “The Origins and Consequences of Jamaica’s Debt Crisis, 1970-1990”, in K. Levitt, Reclaiming Development, , Reading No. 6
2.     P. Anderson and M. Witter, “Crisis, Adjustment and Social Change”, in E. LeFranc, (ed.), Consequences of Structural Adjustment: A Review of the Jamaican Experience,  Canoe 1994
3.     The World Bank, Jamaica: A Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction - Country Economic Memorandum, April 1994
4.     D. King, “The Evolution of Structural Adjustment and Stabilization Policy in Jamaica”, Social and Economic Studies (SES), vol. 50, No.1, March 2001.
5.     D. King and Sudhanshu Handa, “Changes in the Distribution of Income and the New Economic Model in Jamaica”, Social and Economic Studies (SES), vol. 50, No.1, March 2001.
6.     Diana Hunt, Ch.10

VI.    Current Development Strategies: Are there alternatives?        [6]

Objectives:
Examine whether critiques of current development strategies are advancing any feasible alternatives to explain the persistent underdevelopment of the Caribbean, and particularly Jamaica, and to promote economic development.

Expectations of students:
At the end of Unit VI, students should be able to:
1.    present a succinct written and an oral discussion of the main ideas set out in the readings below
2.    identify alternative theories and perspectives in the readings or any other sources the student has researched

Readings:

1.    World Bank, The Road to Sustained Growth in Jamaica, 2004
2.    UNDP, “Agenda 21”,
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/english/agenda21toc.htm
3.    “SIDS (Barbados) Programme of Action”, UNEP ISLANDS Web Site
4.    M. Witter, “The Informal Economy in Jamaica”, in D. Pantin, Reading No. 20
5.    C. Kirton, “Informal Financial Activity in Jamaica”, in D. Pantin, Reading No. 22
6.    Stephanie Black’s Film: Life and Debt
7.    D. Alleyne and N. Karagiannis, A New development strategy for Jamaica: With special consideration of international competition and the FTAA, Arawak Publications 2003
8.    Owen Arthur, "The Commonwealth, Small States and Free Trade: the Case of the Caribbean" Address by the Rt. Hon Prime Minister of Barbados to the Royal Commonwealth Society on 17 January 2005,
    http://www.rcsint.org/events/?os=62&subSection=public&os=64

VII.    Lessons from the Development Experience         [3]   

Objectives:
Critically review the lessons extracted from the development experience by the authors of the readings below.

Expectations of students:
At the end of Unit VII, students should be able to:
1.    present a succinct written and an oral discussion of the main ideas set out in the readings below
2.    present a succinct critique of the Washington Consensus
3.    at a minimum, give critical interpretations of how these lessons have or can be used to understand underdevelopment and/or promote development in the Caribbean Economy of their choice

Readings:

1.     H. W. Singer, “Lessons of Post-War Development Experience, 1945-1988”, Institute of Development Studies, Discussion Paper 260, April, 1989
2.     M. Witter, “Some Reflections on the Economic Development of Jamaica”, in Rethinking Development, ed. by J. Wedderburn, Consortium Graduate School of Social Sciences, UWI, 1991.
3.     N.Girvan, “Reflections on Regional Integration and Disintegration”, in J. Wedderburn (ed.), Integration and Participatory Development, FES, 1990
4.     World Bank, Beyond the Washington Consensus, 1998
5.      Ha-Joon Chang (ed) Rethinking development economics, Published by      London : Anthem Press, 2003
6.     K. Levitt,  Reclaiming Development, , Readings No. 12,14
7.     N. Girvan, “Reinterpreting the Caribbean”, in D.Pantin, Reading No. 14



 
Useful Websites for EC63A

 
www.ace.20m.com
www.acs-aec.org
www.caricom.org
www.eclac.org
www.economist.com
www.iadb.org
www.imf.org
www.oecd.org
www.sidsnet.org
www.undp.org
www.worldbank.org
www.worldbank.org/devforum/current.html



COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Presentation                               10 marks
2 Papers (20 marks each)            40 marks    
Final Exam     (3 Hours)               50 marks


Due Dates:

First essay    -  October 26, 2009, 12 noon
Second essay  - December 4, 2009, 12 noon


Each Paper

•    10 pages, excluding title page, Table of Contents, References
•    Space -1.5
•    Font Times new Roman 12 point
•    References – Chicago style

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html

•    The criteria for grading each paper will be:
 Content                             40%
 Coherence                         20%
 Presentation                      20%
 Data and documentation     20%
 Plagiarism               -         100%

Please ensure that:
•    you use proper grammar and spelling
•    submit both an electronic copy by email, and a hard copy of the paper to the Department office
 
Presentation
•    PowerPoint
•    15 minutes maximum
•    Structure of Presentation