UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA School of International Development Main Series PG Examination 2016-17 MA CONFLICT, GOVERNANCE AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT DEV-7016B Time allowed: 3 hours There are THREE sections in this examination paper Answer ONE question from EACH section Please use a SEPARATE answer booklet for each section Notes are not permitted in this examination Do not turn over until you are told to do so by the Invigilator DEV-7016B Module Contact: Dr Ulrike Theuerkauf Copyright of the University of East Anglia Version 2
Page 2 SECTION A Development Perspectives 1. Are traditional values and attitudes a barrier to development? Explain and evaluate how different theories of development have addressed this question. 2. How have neo-liberal ideas been applied in development practice, and what have been their effects? Illustrate using examples. 3. What are institutions and why are they important for development? Discuss using examples. 4. Discuss and compare the contribution to development studies made by the Human Development Approach and the Capability Approach. 5. Piketty s (2014) book Capital in the XXI Century contains a number of empirical findings and conceptual arguments regarding wealth inequality. According to Piketty, what is the trend in income inequality, what are the causes and what is the implication for the future of our societies? SECTION B - Governance, Democracy and Development 1. Does the good governance concept create more problems than it solves in the development discourse? 2. How important is political agency when trying to explain the emergence of democracy? 3. Why are some dictatorships more durable than others? 4. What is the relationship between democracy and economic development? 5. How important are political institutions for a country s economic development prospects? DEV-7016B Version 2
Page 3 SECTION C Conflict, Civil Wars and Peace 6. Civil wars are caused by greed rather than grievances. Critically discuss this statement. 7. Why does wartime sexual violence occur? 8. Are countries rich in natural resources doomed to experience civil war? 9. Do the weaknesses of the liberal peacebuilding paradigm outweigh its strengths? 10. Does transitional justice help to bring sustainable peace to formerly war-torn societies? END OF PAPER DEV-7016B Version 2
MA CONFLICT, GOVERNANCE AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXAM GENERALISED FEEDBACK 2016/17 SECTION A Development Perspectives 1. Are traditional values and attitudes a barrier to development? Explain and evaluate how different theories of development have addressed this question. A good answer to this question began by making the point that according to modernisation theory (psychological and sociological versions), traditional values and attitudes are a barrier to development: they prevent/limit investment, entrepreneurship, risk-taking behaviour, a sense of venturesomeness links to fatalism etc. Successful development requires a change in attitudes economic development will not occur through foreign aid/big push strategies without this change. A good answer also emphasised that this is a critique of economic versions of modernisation theory (e.g. Big Push theory). It went on to discuss counterarguments from dependency theory (barriers to development are external rather than internal), and from post-development theory (traditional values and attitudes should be protected against development). To evaluate these theories, a good answer assessed their strengths and weaknesses. Other points which could be mentioned were a) criticisms of the idea of traditional values vs. modern values (a false dichotomy?), and b) recent literature in behavioural economics is putting a renewed emphasis on values and attitudes (e.g. learned helplessness). 2. How have neo-liberal ideas been applied in development practice, and what have been their effects? Illustrate using examples. A good answer to this question began by explaining the main neo-liberal ideas, in particular the importance of individual freedom, the benefits of private markets, and the limits of interventions. Various examples could be given to show the application of these ideas in practice, including education vouchers, cash transfers, and more generally the Washington Consensus. A good answer also went on to discuss the debates and evidence regarding effectiveness of these sorts of policies. For example, on the experience of cash transfer programmes in the 2000s, or on structural adjustment and other Washington Consensus type policies implemented in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. SECTION B - Governance, Democracy and Development 1. Does the good governance concept create more problems than it solves in the development discourse?
Page 2 In answering this essay question, students were expected to outline some of the key strengths and weaknesses of the good governance concept, including how it is arguably more apolitical than democracy, its broad scope and, related to this, ambiguity. In this context, students should have contrasted the usefulness of the good governance concept with Grindle s good enough governance concept, and critically assess their respective merits and drawbacks with reference to concrete empirical evidence. Only one student answered this question with good use of references to readings and empirical evidence so that no generalised feedback on answers can be given. 2. How important is political agency when trying to explain the emergence of democracy? In answering this essay question, students were expected to clearly outline the central tenets of the agency-based approach to democratisation and contrast its strengths and weaknesses with structuralist explanations such as economic and cultural modernisation theory. Good answers clearly contrasted the agencybased approach with structuralist arguments.very good answers to this question also focussed on the interplay of structure and agency factors, using references to readings and empirical evidence efficiently to provide a clear answer either in favour of agency-based or structuralist arguments. 3. Why are some dictatorships more durable than others? In answering this question, students were expected to clearly distinguish different types of dictatorship and critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of theories on the survival of dictatorship, focussing either on Selectorate Theory or the institutional approach to dictatorship. No student answered this question so that no generalised feedback on answers can be given. 4. What is the relationship between democracy and economic development? In answering this question, students were expected to critically assess three proposed relationships of democracy and economic development according to the academic debate : that democracy is needed for economic development, that it is a hindrance to economic development, or that political regime type does not matter at all for economic development. No student answered this question so that no generalised feedback on answers can be given. 5. How important are political institutions for a country s economic development prospects? In answering this question, students were expected to critically assess the relevance of political institutions specifically : legislatures in dictatorships and electoral systems in democracies for economic development prospects. No student answered this question so that no generalised feedback on answers can be given. SECTION C Conflict, Civil Wars and Peace DEV-7016B Version 1
Page 3 6. Civil wars are caused by greed rather than grievances. Critically discuss this statement. In answering this question, students were expected to critically assess the relevance of greed vs. grievance factors when seeking to explain the causes of civil wars. Good answers clearly distinguished different generations of greed- and grievance-based arguments in their discussions. Very good answers explicitly discussed the interplay of greed and grievance factors, and their differing applicability to either ethnic or non-ethnic civil wars. 7. Why does wartime sexual violence occur? In answering this question, students were expected to critically assess three key theories on the occurrence of wartime sexual violence : essentialism, structuralism and constructivism. Good answers to this question explicitly contrasted essentialist with constructivist claims, and discussed the potential functions of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Very good answers considered the symbolic as well as strategic functions of wartime sexual violence in different civil war contexts. 8. Are countries rich in natural resources doomed to experience civil war? In answering this question, students were expected to critically assess the direct and indirect effects of natural resource wealth on the risk of civil wars, drawing on different generations of greed- and grievance-based arguments. Good answers to this question clearly defined specific types of natural resource, distinguished natural resource dependence from abundance, and specified whether they focussed on the onset, duration or intensity of civil wars. Very good answers discussed the relevance of different types of natural resources during different stages of concrete civil war examples. 9. Do the weaknesses of the liberal peacebuilding paradigm outweigh its strengths? In answering this question, students were expected to critically assess the content, strengths and weaknesses of the liberal peacebuilding paradigm. Good answers to this question clearly distinguished the political and economic components of the liberal peacebuilding paradigm and compared it to alternative peacebuilding models such as hybrid peacebuilding. Very good answers also distinguished clearly between issues regarding the underlying assumptions vs. issues regarding the implementation of peacebuilding projects. 10. Does transitional justice help to bring sustainable peace to formerly war-torn societies? In answering this question, students were expected to critically assess the likely effects of transitional justice mechanisms such as truth commissions, amnesties and trials. Good answers emphasised the lack of robust empirical evidence in this academic debate and clearly defined the aims of transitional justice, thereby distinguishing clearly between different types of peace and justice. Very good answers discussed the potential trade-offs between peace and justice, and DEV-7016B Version 1
Page 4 emphasised the proximity of transitional justice ideas to the liberal peacebuilding paradigm. END OF PAPER DEV-7016B Version 1