Week 1 discussion
"The Other Half."
Please respond to the following:
According to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund
(IMF), over one billion people in the world today are caught in the poverty
trap. Identify key economic, social, or political reasons why some people
within the developing world live on $1 a day. Next, determine at least three
(3) possible economic, social, or political steps that developing countries
overall can take to extricate their poor citizens from this dilemma.
Week 2 discussion
"International Finance." Please respond to the
following:
The IMF and World Bank are the world’s two leading lending
institutions, but much of their monetary assistance disappears once it enters
the banking systems of developing countries. Cite concrete evidence that
supports the assertion that much assistance to developing countries is simply
stolen by officials. Determine other main factors that account for the misuse
of these funds.
Week 3 discussion
"War and Peace." Please respond to the following:
Based on the lecture and Webtext materials, address the
following:
Discuss substantive ways in which armed conflict can
contribute to or distract a developing economy and infrastructure. Analyze
specific reasons why developed nations do not experience the same kinds of
social upheaval. Note: Consider discussing a country you will use for
Assignment 1 next week.
Week 4 discussion
"Institutions." Please respond to the following:
Based on the lecture and Webtext materials, address the
following:
Every country in the world is constructed around the same
set of institutional frameworks that differ only in how governments manage
them. Identify the specific components of an institution. Next, use two (2)
examples of institutions —such as a financial system, a judicial system, or the
armed forces — to illustrate what developing countries overall have done to
weaken or strengthen such institutions.
Week 5 discussion
"Growing Cities." Please respond to the following:
Based on the lecture and Webtext materials, address the
following:
Examine the main reasons why people are attracted to urban
areas in the developing world, and select the key issues that make this rural
to urban migration such a difficult problem for governments to deal with.
Week 6 discussion
"Education." Please respond to the following:
Based on the lecture and Webtext materials, address the
following:
Outline the most significant obstacles to obtaining an
education in developing countries. Suggest at least two (2) reasons why
education should be a priority in the developing world. Next, propose
significant overall strategies - aside from building more schools - that those
in leadership positions in developing countries may use in order to help their
people escape poverty through education.
Week 7 discussion
"Health." Please respond to the following:
Based on the lecture and Webtext materials, address the
following:
Describe your understanding of the north / south divide as
it relates to the health of populations in developing counties. Determine
specific steps — aside from building more clinics — that the leadership in
developing countries can take to improve their health care systems and, as a
consequence, the health of the population.
Week 8 discussion
"The Trouble with Aid." Please respond to the
following:
Based on the lecture and Webtext materials, address the
following:
Identify the most significant problems with the way foreign
aid is presently dispensed by international lending institutions. Then, discuss
at least three (3) recommendations that you would make to remedy this situation
so that food, medical, and financial assistance actually reaches the poor.
Week 9 discussion
"Rocky Road." Please respond to the following:
Based on the lecture and Webtext materials, address the
following:
Some of the most serious abuses taking place in developing
countries deal with child labor, human slavery, sweatshops, bad governance, and
environmental degradation. Select one (1) developing country, and examine the
extent to which two (2) of these five (5) issues are occurring. Support your
response with specific examples.
Week 10 discussion
"Act Local." Please respond to the following:
Based on the lecture and Webtext materials, address the
following:
Select one (1) developing country, and discuss the
fundamental actions that the leadership of the selected country is — or is not
— taking to improve the living standards of its people. Next, using this same
country, cite one (1) specific example of progress or regress that its
government is making in terms of the economy, the political system, and the
environment.
Week 11 discussion
"Application and Recommendations." Please respond
to the following:
Determine two (2) ways to apply what you learned in this
course in your current or a future position.
Create a list of three (3) best practices to follow that
would improve the quality of life in developing countries.
SUBMIT ASSIGNMENT 1
Assignment 1: The Effects of War and Peace on Foreign Aid
Due Week 4 and worth 200 points
Use the Internet to research one (1) developing nation of
your choice. Your research should include an examination of the effects that
war and peace have on the distribution of foreign aid, as well as the material
covered by the Webtext and lectures in Weeks 1 through 3.
Write a three to four (3-4) page research paper in which
you:
Assess the positive and negative effects that peace and war,
respectively, have on the distribution of foreign aid in the developing country
that you have selected. Support your response with concrete examples of each of
the results that you have cited.
Analyze the specific actions that the leadership of the
selected country has taken, through the use of its foreign aid from donor
nations and international lending institutions, to relieve the severe problems
caused by warfare.
Discuss whether or not the extension of foreign aid has
successfully reduced poverty and the incidence of warfare in the selected
country. Support your response with examples.
Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this
assignment. Note: Wikipedia, blogs, and other nonacademic websites do not
qualify as academic resources. Approval of resources is at the instructor's
discretion. Resources must also be within the last seven (7) years.
When referencing the selected resources, please use the
following format:
Webtext Format:
Name of the author. Name of title. Retrieved from website
url.
Example:
Understanding development (4th ed.). (2016). Asheville, NC:
Soomo Learning. Available from: http://www.webtexts.com.
Lecture Format:
Name of the Author. Name of the lecture [lecture type].
Retrieved from lecture url.
Example:
Strayer University. (2013). Understanding Development
[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
/bbcswebdav/institution/SOC/300/1136/Week1/lecture/story.html.
Internet Resources:
Author's Name. (Date of publication). Title of the resource.
Retrieved from website url.
Example:
Wuestewald, Eric. (2014). Portraits of people living on a
dollar a day. Retrieved from http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2014/04/living-on-a-dollar-a-day-photos-renee-byer-thomas-nazario.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow
APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,
the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The
cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment
page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Analyze how funding in the form of aid, investment, and
loans moves from industrialized nations to the developing world to alleviate
the problems caused by warfare.
Use technology and information resources to research issues
in sociology of developing countries.
Write clearly and concisely about sociology of developing
countries using proper writing mechanics.
SUBMIT ASSIGNMENT 2
Assignment 2: Lending Institutions, Health Care, and Human
Capital
Use the Internet to research one (1) developing nation of
your choice. Your research should include an examination of lending
institutions, health care, and human capital, as well as the material covered
by the Webtext and lectures in Weeks 6 through 9.
Write a three to four (3-4) page research paper in which
you:
Explore whether or not funding from international lending
institutions like the World Bank and the IMF are helping or hindering the
social, economic, or political development of the country that you have
selected. Support your response with examples.
Discuss, with examples, at least four (4) substantive ways
in which a healthy population strengthens the economy of the country that you
have selected.
Ascertain the degree to which the leadership of your chosen
country has used foreign aid to improve its health care system. Support your
response with concrete examples.
Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this
assignment. Note: Wikipedia, blogs, and other nonacademic websites do not
qualify as academic resources. Approval of resources is at the instructor's
discretion. Resources must also be within the last seven (7) years.
When referencing the selected resources, please use the
following format:
Webtext Format:
Name of the author. Name of title. Retrieved from website
url.
Example:
Soomo. Understanding Development [Webtext]. Retrieved from
http://www.webtexts.com/courses/9218-cathey.
Lecture Format:
Name of the Author. Name of the lecture [lecture type].
Retrieved from lecture url.
Example:
Strayer University. (2013). Understanding Development
[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
/bbcswebdav/institution/SOC/300/1136/Week1/lecture/story.html.
Internet Resources:
Author's Name. (Date of publication). Title of the resource.
Retrieved from website url.
Example:
Wuestewald, Eric. (2014). Portraits of people living on a
dollar a day. Retrieved from http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2014/04/living-on-a-dollar-a-day-photos-renee-byer-thomas-nazario.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow
APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,
the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The
cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment
page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Determine how human capital is used and what effect gender
disparity has on these decisions.
Determine what role health plays in developing economies.
Examine the role that the International Monetary Fund and
World Bank play in transfers and the conditions they set to effect this
funding.
Use technology and information resources to research issues
in sociology of developing countries.
Write clearly and concisely about sociology of developing
countries using proper writing mechanics.
Midterm Part 1
Question 1
What is meant by the criticism that development is an
attempt to “force the poor countries of the world...into a 'single cultural
model'"? Choose the BEST answer.
Question 2
What was the goal of the Bretton Woods conference in 1944?
Question 3
Why is Anthony’s job so desirable?
Question 4
Which of the following BEST explains what is meant by the
statement “development is often much bigger than just material progress”?
Question 5
What does the term Global South refer to?
Question 6
What does it mean if a country has a “fixed” exchange rate?
Question 7
Which of the following statements about Barbados’s economic
crisis is true?
Question 8
In which of the following ways does the World Bank
facilitate development?
Question 9
According to Joseph Stiglitz, the former chief economist of
the World Bank, what is the choice poor countries currently face?
Question 10
What was the purpose of the speech given by US Secretary of
the Treasury James A. Baker in 1985?
Question 11
How do countries "lose twice over" from civil war?
Question 12
According to the report, most deaths during civil war are
due to:
Question 13
How long has war in Somalia been going on for?
Question 14
What is the difference between intrastate conflict and
traditional war?
Question 15
Which of the following statements about health care and war
is true? Choose the BEST answer.
Question 16
How did Mugabe ensure loyalty to his rule after Zimbabwe's
independence?
Question 17
In a state that is practically ruled by a paramilitary
group, the paramilitary group will do which of the following?
Question 18
Which of the following is true about Colombia?
Question 19
When a nation is ruled by one large party, there is a
tendency to see which of the following outcomes?
Question 20
Which of the following was an outcome of the currency reform
in North Korea?
Midterm Part 2
Question 1
Which of the following statements BEST expresses the beliefs
of modernization theory?
Question 2
Which of the following statements BEST expresses the beliefs
of social-conflict theory?
Question 3
What is meant by the term “income distribution”?
Question 4
Which of these numbers is the best approximation of how many
people live on $1.25 a day or less?
Question 5
The World Bank ranks countries in 3-4 broad bands, from
least developed to most developed, according to which of the following
criteria?
Question 6
In order to receive International Monetary Fund (IMF)
assistance, what must member-countries typically do?
Question 7
Which of the following describes “dependency theory”?
Question 8
Why would a nation choose to take on debt?
Question 9
What does it mean if a country has a “fixed” exchange rate?
Question 10
Countries that take on IMF loans typically use the money to
do which of the following?
Question 11
Which of the following factors is LEAST likely to increase
chances of civil war in a developing country?
Question 12
Which of the following BEST predicts that a country will
have a civil war?
Question 13
Which of the following is a reason why it is relatively easy
for a rebellion to form against governments in poor countries? Choose the BEST
answer.
Question 14
By definition, natural resources come from the land, and
therefore must be harvested, mined, drilled for, or extracted. This can
increase the likelihood of civil war for which of the following reasons?
Question 15
Which of the following BEST explains why conflict is
sometimes characterized as a trap?
Question 16
Which of the following was the result of extractive
institutions in Sierra Leone?
Question 17
Which of the following is a sign that a country has weak
institutions? Choose the BEST answer.
Question 18
Which of the following increases the likelihood that a
country will suffer from weak institutions?
Question 19
In the eyes of reformers, the best way to transform
extractive institutions is to make them more:
.
Question 20
From an economic standpoint, extractive institutions damage
countries in which of the following ways? Choose the BEST answer.
FINAL EXAM PART 1
Question 1
Slums often emerge near scavenging sites such as dumps and
recycling centers. Which of the following statements about scavenging sites is
true?
Question 2
Government policy toward slums in cities such as Lagos and
Rio de Janeiro could BEST be described as:
Question 3
For people in developing countries, which of the following
is an economic advantage cities have over rural areas?
Question 4
Slums have emerged across developing nations for which of
the following reasons? Choose the BEST answer.
Question 5
Which of the following groups of people are less likely to
be residents of a slum?
Question 6
From an educational perspective, which of the following is a
commonÑand majorÑproblem in schools in developing nations?
Question 7
Which three geographic regions of the world have the highest
literacy rates?
Question 8
Countries with low literacy rates are more likely to have
which of the following?
Question 9
Which of the following provides the BEST explanation for why
secondary school (high school) is so rarely free in developing nations?
Question 10
Some education reformers argue that efforts should be
focused on increasing demand for education. Which of the following lines of
reasoning do they use to make their point?
Question 11
Why have economists generally supported subsidies for health
care?
Question 12
What is the "health trap"?
Question 13
In the view of "health trap" supporters such as
Jeffrey Sachs and Bill Gates, what is the best way to beat back diseases that
disproportionately affect developing countries?
Question 14
What common issue in developing nations is directly
responsible for the outbreak of infectious diseases such as cholera?
Question 15
Which of the following is an example of a government-imposed
safety measure that people in the developed world have come to take for
granted?
Question 16
Which of the following is a common criticism of modern
development?
Question 17
In the view of anti-aid advocates such as Dambisa Moyo,
historically, what has been the effect of aid on developing countries? Choose
the BEST answer."
Question 18
Why is the relationship between an NGO and its beneficiaries
different than the relationship between a business (or a democratic government)
and its beneficiaries?
Question 19
In the face of development-related climate change concerns,
what defense of development do supporters in growing developing countries make?
Choose the BEST answer."
Correct Climate change is mostly the fault of developed
countries, and developing countries have the right to grow their
economies."
Question 20
In the view of aid opponents such as Dambisa Moyo, the
problem with aid is that it enables political leaders in developing countries
to "abdicate their responsibility." Which of the following statements
BEST expresses this view? "
Question 21
Which of the following statements BEST describes the risk
that developing countries must take in order to become developed?
Question 22
All of the following factors have helped transform countries
from developing nations to developed ones. Which of the following is an
"intangible" that has contributed to this transformation?
Question 23
What is Rwanda's strategy for increasing its GDP and
accelerating its development?
Question 24
Chile is one of the most recent nations to go from
developing to developed country status. Which of the following statements about
Chile's economic progress is true?
Question 25
Which theory of development does Chile's success seem to
endorse? Choose the BEST answer.
Question 26
Which of the following statements regarding progress toward
MDG 3 (the empowerment of women) is true?
Question 27
What are the Millennium Development Goals?
Question 28
How has the United Nations Development Programme's milk
production program in India helped empower rural Indian women?
Question 29
Which of the following statements about MDG 3Ñreducing
gender inequalityÑis true?
.
Question 30
The final say on Millennium Development Goals success rests
with whom?
FINAL EXAM PART 2
Question 1
According to the author of Shadow Cities, which of the
following statements about Rocinha is true?
Question 2
In contrasting the communities of squatters and legal
residents, the author of Shadow Cities finds the squatter community to be which
of the following?
Question 3
How does Lagos dump worker Eric Obuh see his scavenging work
in the dump?
Question 4
What does the text mean by the statement "the places
may have changed, but the story largely remains the same"?
Question 5
What is the main complaint about “asfaltização” by some
Rocinha residents?
Question 6
Think back to the charts in Gapminder to answer this question.
Keeping in mind changes since 1980 for both men AND women, which of the
following statements BEST describes the comparison between gender groups?
Question 7
The various studies on cash transfer programs provide strong
evidence for which of the following statements?
Question 8
Which of the following is true about Mexico?
Question 9
Which of the following is true about India?
Question 10
Of the following explanations for low student enrollment in
developing countries, which do the authors of Poor Economics find most likely?
Question 11
Which of the following statements summarizes Hans Rosling’s
view on what constitutes a “developing” country?
Question 12
Why do the authors of Poor Economics not care whether or not
their heath recommendations are seen as paternalistic?
Question 13
How does Hans Rosling describe the health gains of Africa in
the last 50 years?
Question 14
According to the text, what impact has investing in
preventative health care had on health outcomes?
Question 15
What did the studies of bed net recipients through the
TAMTAM program reveal about usage rates and bed net cost?
Question 16
In addition to utilizing new technologies and energy
sources, how have wealthy nations been able to lower their emissions in recent
years?
Question 17
What distinction does aid critic Dambisa Moyo draw between
the Marshall Plan and typical development programs?
Question 18
Which of the following statements BEST expresses development
critic Ivan Illich's argument?
Question 19
According to development critic Ivan Illich, which of the
following has been a result of the United States' attempt to export
"democracy"?
Question 20
What was Senator (and future President) John F. Kennedy's
challenge to American university students when he founded the Peace Corps?
Question 21
Which of the following is a reason why it's so difficult for
poor Guatemalans like Yonada (and poor people in the developing world in
general) to get a loan from a bank?
Question 22
Which of the following is a reason given by Jeffrey Sachs,
the author of The End of Poverty, for the reduction in the number of children
born to Bangladeshi women?
Question 23
Which of the following BEST describes Rwanda’s postwar
development program?
Question 24
According to The End of Poverty author Jeffrey Sachs, which
of the following should be a responsibility of wealthy nations?
Question 25
Which of the following statements about India’s recent
information technology (IT) boom is true?
Question 26
What does Chinese activist Deng Fei believe will be the
result of leveraging “more resources from the government and society”?
Question 27
A recent study on malnourishment found that 12 percent of
poor, rural Chinese children were what?
Question 28
According to the video about the company that makes the
ReadySet, what is the company's biggest challenge?
Question 29
No one speaker or article can resolve such a complicated
issue as development, but Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz reminds us of a few
key points. Which of the following statements would she most likely agree with?
Question 30
Which of the following solutions is Acumen CEO Jacqueline
Novogratz committed to?
