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International Policy Focus Field: Development
By some standard definitions, fewer than a dozen countries would be counted outside the developing world. What is the appropriate role for the state, the indigenous private sector, international trade, and foreign aid in promoting economic growth and the prosperity of ordinary citizens in developing countries? These core questions of international development have changed little in the past decade. At the same time, the global context of the past decade has produced new perspectives and greater efforts at coordination to address these issues among multinational businesses, international lending agencies, and governments of developed and developing countries. In the post-Cold War era, the problem of corruption has been more openly acknowledged as an obstacle to development. More recently, problems of development have also been viewed through the prism of global security.
Key issues for students of international public affairs are the design and practical implementation of appropriate governance structures and economic incentive structures to realize development goals.
Students of international development prepare themselves for a wide range of careers in government agencies, international organizations and international NGOs, and multinational businesses.
Field Coordinator: Melanie Manion
La Follette School faculty in this field
Electives from Other Departments
Students may take courses from other departments depending on their interests. Students should consult their advisors if they are unsure whether a course is appropriate for their focus field. These elective courses include:
AAE 350 World Hunger and Malnutrition
AAE 374 Growth and Development of Nations in the Global Economy
AAE 474 Economic Problems of Developing Areas
AAE 577 Economics of Growth and Class Structure in Low Income Countries
BUS 641 Transportation in Economic Development
ECON 365 Issues in Comparative Economics
ECON 474 Economic Problems of Developing Areas
ECON 475 Economics of Growth
ECON 552 Industrial Relations in Developing Countries
POLI SCI 317 Politics of Human Rights
POLI SCI 612 Transitions to the Market
POLI SCI 617 Comparative Legal Institutions
POLI SCI 948 Comparative Political Economy
RUR SOC 925 Socioeconomic Change in Underdeveloped Areas
URPL 742 International Development Planning Theory
URPL 772 Planning Problems in Urban Growth and Development
URPL 844 Housing and Public Policy
URPL 858 International Development and Policy
Core Courses
PA 818 Quantitative Tools for Public Policy Analysis
PA 850 International Governance
PA 854 Macroeconomic Policy Analysis
PA 860 Workshop in Public Affairs, International Issues
PA 880 Microeconomic Policy Analysis
PA 799 Professional Development Workshop
Recommended Public Affairs Electives
PA 827 Internship
PA 841 International Business and Government
PA 855 Governing Work and Welfare in the European Union
PA 856 Trade, Competition and Governance in a Global Economy
PA 857 Political Economy of Corruption and Good Governance
PA 866 Global Environmental Governance
PA 867 Government Finance in Developing Countries
Public Affairs Electives for this Focus Field
PA 819 Quantitative Methods for Public Policy
PA 873 Introduction to Policy Analysis
PA 881 Cost-Benefit Analysis
PA 882 Social Welfare Policy and Management
Regional Focus Fields
Students can add a focus on a region and take courses from outside departments that offer courses on that region. Certificates are offered in the following departments:
African Studies, East Asian Studies, European Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Global Cultures, Global Health, Middle East Studies, Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, South Asian Studies and Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies.
Employment in International Development
La Follette School alumni have held these positions:
- senior policy analyst, U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C.
- advocacy coordinator, CARE, Afghanistan
- chief of cabinet, Ministry of National Properties, Santiago, Chile
- area coordinator for emergency relief services, Catholic Relief Services, West Darfur, Sudan
- national solidarity program operations manager, Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, Afghanistan
- deputy director, Latin American School of Social Sciences
- analyst, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington, D.C.
Internships in International Development
La Follette School students have held these positions:
- intern, Economic and Social Council, U.S. Mission to the United Nations, U.S. Department of State, New York
- civic society intern, Europe and Eurasia Bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development
- research intern, Summits of the Americas Secretariat, Organization of American States, Washington, D.C.
- research intern, Japan International Cooperative Agency in Zambia
- intern, European Commission in Brussels, Belgium
- management intern, U.S. Department of State at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh
- intern, African Development Bank, Tunis, Tunisia
- legal intern, United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania