Poverty and Development
BCD 217: Understanding Poverty
Course Purpose
Poverty is both a cause and consequences of underdevelopment. This course is designed to give the students an understanding of poverty, its manifestations, causes and effects. Students will also be introduced to poverty assessment techniques as well as some of the frameworks for analysing poverty.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Explain the concept of poverty, and the various manifestations.
2. Understand the elitist views of conception held about the poor
3. Explicate the possible strategies and policies for poverty reduction and eradication
4. Relate with a poverty stricken community, and facilitate development Interventions
Mode of Delivery:
Lectures, guided discussions, small group discussions, individual exercises, and structured activities
Instructional Materials and/or equipment
Textbooks, blackboard, overhead projector, laptop, LCD projector, and DVDs
Course Evaluation:
Continuous Assessments – 30%, Final Examination – 70%
Key Reference Texts: 1. Bryant, Myres. (1999). Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices to Transformational Development. Orbis Books. New York 2. Todaro, M and Smith S (2011), Economic Development (11th edition), Pearson Education, London and others 3. Landes, D.S. (1999). The Wealth and Poverty of the Nations. W.W. Norton and Company. 4. World Bank (2010). Understanding Growth and Poverty. World Bank Publications. 5. Chambers, R. (1995). Poverty and Livelihoods. Whose Reality Counts. Further Reading 1. Anderson, David M. and Broch-Due, Vigdis (1999). The Poor Are Not Us: Poverty and Pastoralism in Eastern Africa, E.A.E.P. Nairobi 2. Brock, Karen and McGee, Rosemary (2002). Knowing Poverty: Critical Reflection on Participatory Research and Policy, Earthscan Publishers, London 3.
Course Purpose
Poverty is both a cause and consequences of underdevelopment. This course is designed to give the students an understanding of poverty, its manifestations, causes and effects. Students will also be introduced to poverty assessment techniques as well as some of the frameworks for analysing poverty.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Explain the concept of poverty, and the various manifestations.
2. Understand the elitist views of conception held about the poor
3. Explicate the possible strategies and policies for poverty reduction and eradication
4. Relate with a poverty stricken community, and facilitate development Interventions
Mode of Delivery:
Lectures, guided discussions, small group discussions, individual exercises, and structured activities
Instructional Materials and/or equipment
Textbooks, blackboard, overhead projector, laptop, LCD projector, and DVDs
Course Evaluation:
Continuous Assessments – 30%, Final Examination – 70%
Key Reference Texts: 1. Bryant, Myres. (1999). Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices to Transformational Development. Orbis Books. New York 2. Todaro, M and Smith S (2011), Economic Development (11th edition), Pearson Education, London and others 3. Landes, D.S. (1999). The Wealth and Poverty of the Nations. W.W. Norton and Company. 4. World Bank (2010). Understanding Growth and Poverty. World Bank Publications. 5. Chambers, R. (1995). Poverty and Livelihoods. Whose Reality Counts. Further Reading 1. Anderson, David M. and Broch-Due, Vigdis (1999). The Poor Are Not Us: Poverty and Pastoralism in Eastern Africa, E.A.E.P. Nairobi 2. Brock, Karen and McGee, Rosemary (2002). Knowing Poverty: Critical Reflection on Participatory Research and Policy, Earthscan Publishers, London 3.
References: Bircham, E. and J. Charlton (eds). 2001, Anti-Capitalism, A Guide to the Movement, Bookmarks, London, Sydney De Rivero, O Chen, S. and M. Ravallion, 2001, How Did the World’s Poorest Fare in the 1990s?, Development Research Group, World Bank,