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DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
SEMESTER 2018/2019 ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Code and Title: NGOS AND DEVELOPMENT
IN AFRICA
Course Credit : 3
Credits
Lecture Period(s)
and Venue: 09:30-11:20 hrs GMT(JQB 23)
Prerequisites: Not Applicable
Course Instructor :
- Lloyd G. Adu Amoah,
Ph.D.
- Office Location:
Department of Political Science, Room 15
- Office Hours :
Mondays-13:00hrs-14:30hrs
- E-mail: lgamoah@ug.edu.gh
Graduate Assistant: Mr.Frank Bitafir Ijon(Ph.D Candidate)
Course Overview
The
1980s were marked by an increased movement of Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) into Africa. These NGOs have undertaken activities spanning the
corporate, security, charity, academic, economic and policy sectors among
others. As a consequence NGOs have come to play so pervasive and critical a
role on the continent that they seem to have usurped vital responsibilities of
the state including the provision of basic necessities of life - potable water,
security, health, etc. The presence and activities of NGOs raise worrying
queries about weak state capacity in Africa which has allowed NGOs to fill the
vacuum created.
While
NGOs, have made some contributions to Africa’s development, a needling question
arises on whether NGOs have the magic wand to turn the continent’s development
around. Some have argued that only African states can engineer their own
development and not NGOs. At best, what NGOs can do is to play a complementary
role as African states pursue and control their own development agenda.
This course
is designed to critically examine the arguments raised above regarding the
contributions of NGOs to the continent’s development. Many questions are
implicated in this unpacking:
-what
conditions catalyzed the movement of NGOs into Africa?
- which
theories underpin and frame NGO studies and Government-NGO relations?
-
should NGOs be a key part of Africa’s development strategy?
-
should there be limits for NGO activity in Africa?
These
questions among others will be engaged in order to provide students with wide
ranging perspectives on the nexus between NGOs and African development in
contemporary times.
Course Objective/Goals:
The Course will attempt to expose students
to:
1. the
contested nature of the idea of development.
2. the
historical context within which NGOs emerged and the theoretical conceptions
which shaped this at the global and continental levels.
3. the practical workings, strengths and
weakness of NGOs as agents of development in Africa.
Learning Outcomes
The Course seeks:
1. To
improve critical thinking via reading, reflection, critique, analysis
and synthesis and exercising the ability to contemplate from multiple and even
disparate lenses and frameworks.
2. To develop strong communication skills, both verbal and written, by
closely engaging assigned texts, participating in discussions, self -directed
research, and presenting to the class.
3. The acquisition of Group work and field research skills.
Course Delivery
There would be 13 weeks of Lectures(infused
with multimedia if and when the technology in the class effectively allows
this) and students must endeavour to attend lectures regularly. Course Preparation Assignments (CPAs) are
directed at ensuring that students read and reflect(individually or in groups)
on the texts and cases assigned for the class and serve as preparation for
class discussions. CPAs will involve write ups on assigned texts and case
reflections based on rubrics provided by the instructor. These will be graded
(in addition to other forms of assessments) and be part of your 30% interim
assessment. This course involves 1 Group Work Research involving field trips,
in-class presentation and a Report. The details will be provided. Pop Quizzes (unannounced
in-class tests) will be used as and when necessary. Sakai(the University of Ghana academic information portal) will be
used extensively for post reading materials, lists, announcements etc.
Plagiarism policy
The integrity of the classes offered by any
academic institution solidifies the foundation of its mission and cannot be
sacrificed for expediency, ignorance, or blatant fraud. Therefore, rigorous
standards of academic integrity in all aspects and assignments of this course
will be enforced. For the detailed policy of the University of Ghana regarding
the definitions of acts considered to fall under academic dishonesty and
possible ensuing sanctions, please see the Plagiarism
Policy here….. In case you have any questions about possibly improper
research citations or references, or any other activity that may be interpreted
as an attempt at academic dishonesty, please see the professor before the
assignment is due to discuss the matter.
Assessment Instruments
CPAs 15 %
Group Work 15 %
Final Exam 70
%
Grading Scale
Kindly Refer to Undergraduate
Handbook.
Reading Materials[2]
Week 1-7
Adrian, L. “Bringing Politics
Back In: Towards Model of the Developmental State”, The Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 31, Issue 3 (Feb
1995) pp. 400-425.
Bacon, F. (1860), “Novum
Organum,” in Charles Hirschfeld, ed., Classics
of Western Civilization, New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc.p.1-13.
Brautigam, D. (1996) “State
Capacity and Effective Governance” in Ndulu, B. (eds.) Agenda for Africa’s Economic Renewal (Oxford: Transaction
Publishers) pp. 81-105.
Condorcet, A. N. (1955). “The
Progress of the Human Mind” in Charles Hirschfeld, ed., Classics of Western Civilization, New York: Harcourt, Brace and
World, Inc.p.209-232.
Desai, V. (2014) The Role of
non-governmental organizations. In Desai, V. and Potter, R.B. (eds.) The Companion to Development Studies, 3nd
Ed, (London: Routledge) pp. 568-573.
Diop, C.A. (1978). Black
Africa: the Economic and Cultural Basis of a Federated State. -Illinois,
Chicago and Trenton, New Jersey: Lawrence Hill Books. Chapter 1.
Lockwood,
M. The State They’re In, 2nd
Ed. (Warwickshire: Practical Action
Publishing) pp. 1-45.
Lubeck,
P. “The Crisis of African Development: Conflicting Interpretations and
Resolutions.” Annual Review of
Sociology 18: 519-540.
Mazrui,
A.The African Condition(London:
Helnemann).
McNulty, M.L.(1995) “The
Contemporary Map of Africa,” in Africa,
edited by Phyllis M. Martin and Patrick O’Meara. Bloomingdale: Indiana
University Press.
Rugendyke, B. (2014)
Non-government public action networks and global policy processes. In Desai, V.
and Potter, R.B. (eds.) The Companion to
Development Studies, 3nd Ed, (London: Routledge) pp. 573-578.
Willets, P.(2011). Non-Governmental Organizations in World
Politics. London, New York: Routledge. Chapter 4. Chapter 1.
Week 7-13
Amoah,
L.G.A.(2011).Public Policy Formation in Africa in the Wake of the Global
financial Meltdown: Building Blocks for a New Mind in a Multi-polar World.
In African Engagements: Africa
negotiating an emerging multipolar world. Edited by T. Dietz, K. Havnevik,
M. Kaag, and T. Oestigaard. Leiden and Boston, MA: Brill.http://www.brill.nl/african-engagements.
Amoah,
L.G.A.(2013).Private Think Tanks, International Networks and Public Policy
Formation in a democratizing Ghana (1980-2010): An Exploratory
Interrogation(Technical Research Report, Institute for Social, Statistical
and Economic Research, University of Ghana, Legon, 2013, ISSER).
Amoah,
L.G.A.(2010).Mainstreaming or Caricaturing Gender in a democratizing Ghana? The
Gender “Movement” in search of Results and Authenticity. Paper presented at the
2010 National Gender Forum organized
by Ghana Research and Advocacy Programe
(G-RAP).
Katsriku, B. and Oquaye, M.
(1996) Government and NGO Relations in
Ghana Accra:Friedrich Ebert
Foundation
Kishwar, M.P. (2014) Feminism
and feminist issues in the South: A critique of the “development” paradigm.In
Desai, V. and Potter, R.B. (eds.) The
Companion to Development Studies, 3nd Ed, (London: Routledge)
pp. 402-407.
Willets, P.(2011). Non-Governmental Organizations in World
Politics. London, New York: Routledge. Chapter 4.
Puplampu, K.P. and Tettey,
W.J. “State-NGO Relations in an Era of Globalisation: The Implication for
Agricultural Development in Africa” Review
of African Political Economy Vol. 27, No. 84 (June 2000) pp.251-272.
Course Delivery
Schedule
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Course Title
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Non-Governmental
Organizations and Development in Africa
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Course Code
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Poli
456
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Lecturer
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Dr. Lloyd
G. Adu Amoah
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Assessment
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A
series of assessments will constitute 30% of the overall assessment of the
course. The final examination will constitute 70% of overall assessment.
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Week No.
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Date
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Lecture Topics
|
Venue
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1
|
8th Feb.,
2019
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§ Course admin. Issues
§ Overview of syllabus
§ Just what is Development?-Classical and
Contemporary debates( I)
|
JQB23
|
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2
|
15th Feb., 2019
|
Just what is
Development?-Classical and Contemporary debates (II)
|
JQB23
|
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3
|
22st Feb.,2019
|
The African Development
Context
|
JQB23
|
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4
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1st March
, 2019
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Just what are NGOs?-History, Conceptual and Definitional Debates
|
JQB23
|
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5
|
8th March., 2019
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Emergence of NGOs in Africa-Theoretical Issues[Governance
and Good Governance]
|
JQB23
|
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6
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15th March,2019
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Emergence of NGOs in Africa-The Political-Economy
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JQB23
|
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7
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22nd March,2019
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African NGOs and NGOs in
Africa
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JQB23
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8
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29th March,2019
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African Development and NGOs(Problem
Discovery and Response Group Work)-Economic Issues
|
JQB23
|
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9
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5th April, 2019
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African Development and NGOs(Problem
Discovery and Response Group Work)-Governance Issues
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JQB23
|
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10
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12th April, 2019
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African Development and NGOs(Problem
Discovery and Response Group Work)-Gender Issues
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JQB23
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11
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19th April, 2019
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African Development and NGOs(Problem
Discovery and Response Group Work )-Information Communication Technology Issues
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JQB23
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12
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26th April, 2019
|
African
Development and NGOs-Critiques
|
JQB23
|
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13
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3rd May, 2019
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African Development and NGOs-What
Next?
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JQB23
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14
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6th May , 2019
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Revision Week
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Free
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[1] This syllabus is not cast in stone. The instructor reserves the
right to alter content as an when the need arises.
[2] This includes texts that will be assigned.
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