Course # 32740 Section Number 1 Day(s) Tu- Th Time(s) 11:00am-12:20pm Term Fall 2024 Specialization Global Conflict Studies International Policy Course Instructor Christopher Blattman Syllabus Draft Syllabus 9/18/24 Most countries in the world have been independent for about 50 years. Some are peaceful and have prospered, while some remain poor, war-torn, or both. What explains why some countries have succeeded while others remain poor, violent, and unequal? Moreover, fifty years on, a lot of smart people are genuinely surprised that these countries’ leaders have not been able to make more progress in implementing good policies. If there are good examples to follow, why haven’t more countries followed these examples into peace and prosperity? Finally, we see poverty and violence despite 50 years of outside intervention. Shouldn’t foreign aid, democracy promotion, peacekeeping, and maybe even military intervention have promoted order and growth? If not why not, and what should we do about it as citizens? This class is going to try to demystify what’s going on. There are good explanations for violence and disorder. There are some good reasons leaders don’t make headway, bureaucrats seem slothful, and programs get perverted. The idea is to talk about the political, economic, and natural logics that lead to function and dysfunction. Quarter Title Instructor Day(s) Time(s) Syllabus Fall 2024 Order and Violence Christopher Blattman Tuesday, Thursday 11:00am-12:20pm Syllabus Recent News More news Provost Katherine Baicker Appointed Emmett Dedmon Distinguished Service Professor Thu., July 03, 2025 Alumni Profile: Daisuke Kageyama, MPP'23 Thu., June 26, 2025 Inside the Machinery of Misinformation: Konstantin Sonin Explores How Authoritarian Regimes Manipulate Minds Wed., June 25, 2025 Upcoming Events More events Harris Summer Mixer in Bogotá Sat., July 05, 2025 | 8:00 PM Andrés DC Cl. 82 #12 -21 Bogotá, DC, 110221 Colombia Harris Summer Campus Visit Mon., July 07, 2025 | 10:00 AM Harris School of Public Policy 1307 E 60th St Chicago, IL 60637 United States Get to Know Harris! A Virtual Information Session Wed., July 09, 2025 | 8:30 AM
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