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Economic and Political Development (EPD)
Despite the stunning pace of technological progress and high economic growth rates in some parts of the world, we continue to live with growing inequalities and unacceptable levels of poverty. According to the most recent estimates of the World Bank, 1.4 billion people live under extreme poverty (under $1.25 a day) and more than double (3.1 billion) live under double that meager amount. UNICEF tells us that every year ten million children die before age five from preventable diseases and still a large number of them do not finish primary education. In many parts of the globe, inadequate social protection systems, persistent violence, institutional instability and environmental degradation create complex poverty traps that condemn many to lives that are “nasty, brutish and short”. How to transform this morally unacceptable situation through effective practice and policies at global, regional, national and local levels remains one of the greatest challenges of our time.
The Economic and Political Development Concentration (EPD) attracts diverse students from around the world who are dedicated to the fight against international and national inequality, eradication of poverty and its causes, and the expansion of human development in the form of expanded rights and freedoms – civil and political as well as economic and social rights and freedoms. EPD graduates go on to become administrators, managers, advisors and analysts with non-governmental organizations, multilateral institutions, consulting firms, development banks, and governments.
We recognize that no simple solution exists to the human development challenges we face. Therefore, our approach not only exposes students to the evolving frameworks used in development theory and practice, but also equips them with the tools to critically analyze them. Our curriculum also gives students opportunities to develop key skills in policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and advocacy.
More specifically, the EPD curriculum consists of the following elements:
- EPD Core: two required courses providing a solid foundation in the political and economic dimensions of development;
- Professional Track: students select two courses from one of four professional tracks (economic development, political development, social development, or sustainable development);
- Development Practice: a course in development methods, culminating in the Workshop in Development Practice.
The development practice sequence is one of the most enriching and exciting opportunities within EPD. It begins in the fall semester of students’ second year through the development methods course, which focuses on project management and field research tools. The capstone workshop, which is conducted over the remainder of the fall semester and the following spring, provides the opportunity to engage in on-going, cutting-edge development efforts, usually involving fieldwork. Organized in consulting teams, students undertake real-life assignments for a variety of clients in international development, and often the resulting reports have been published or made public by the client. Past clients have included international organizations, national and local governments, development advisors and NGOs. Workshop projects have involved issues related to microfinance and microenterprise development, food security and rural development, water and sanitation, vocational education, health, foreign direct investment and corporate social responsibility, and most have involved fieldwork in developing countries or in immigrant communities in the New York City area.
In recent years, EPD has developed workshops in partnership with SIPA’s Human Rights Concentration, International Media, Advocacy and Communications Specialization and the Humanitarian Affairs Program, as well as Columbia University’s Earth Institute, Mailman School of Public Health, Harriman Institute, Institute for Latin American Studies, and Middle East Institute.
Workshop in Development Practice Final Presentations Schedule