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Burnell & Randall: Politics in the Developing World 2e

Chapter 16

  1. What makes the idea of development a contested concept?

  2. Is all theorizing about development policy necessarily contingent on certain assumptions being made about politics and political change?

  3. Do all governments in the developing world face similar options when deliberating sensible development policy?

  4. Why is the 'Washington consensus' so controversial and why have so many developing country governments moved towards implementing at least some of the policy measures that it recommends?

  5. Do you expect poverty reduction strategy papers or programmes to make a significant difference to the way governments approach the problems of the poor, and if not, why not?

  6. What development policy initiatives do you recommend to the governments of those developing countries that have so far been unsuccessful in securing sustained development?

  7. What are the Millennium Development Goals and what effects, if any, do you expect them to have in developing countries?

  8. Why do governments of developing countries currently show so little interest in socialist development strategies?

  9. What is meant by 'second generation' economic reform and what main obstacles has it encountered in developing countries?

  10. Why are rates of poverty and malnutrition particularly high in sub-Saharan Africa?

  11. What reasons explain why some Millennium Development Goals are being achieved more successfully than others and why some developing countries are making more progress than others? How far do political considerations provide the answer?

  12. Would you expect the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals to have very significant political consequences for developing countries, and if so, which Goals in particular, and why? 

  13. What are the international political requisites of a 'global partnership for development' (Millennium Development Goal Number 8)?

  14. What are the domestic political requisites in developing countries of a 'global partnership for development' (Millennium Development Goal Number 8)?

  15. Should international donors prioritise tackling HIV/AIDS in their resource allocations for development support?

  16. What are the main differences between the so-called Washington consensus and post-Washington consensus and their implications for politics in the developing world?

  17. How much of Vietnam's recent developmental success is due to its distinctive political system?

  18. What are the positive aspects of President Hugo Chávez' rule in Venezuela and what are the negative aspects, and where does the balance lie between the two?

  19. How do you explain the popularity that Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has achieved beyond Venezuela?

  20. What strategies for development coincide with political populism in some developing countries and are there connections between the two?

  21. Critically discuss the 'post-development' proposition that the real problem facing 'developing' countries is not the obstacles to development but the development agenda itself.