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 Syllabus 2/16/24 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. Recent News More news Affordable Care Act Led to Parents Staying in Jobs Longer, Study Finds Tue., July 16, 2024 Harris Voices: Amilcar Guzman, CLA'24, on an Education Inside and Outside the Classroom Mon., July 15, 2024 What's the Right Amount of Repression? UChicago Scholars Explore the Dictator's Dilemma Mon., July 15, 2024 Upcoming Events More events Get to Know Harris! A Virtual Information Session Wed., July 17, 2024 | 12:00 PM Civic Leadership Academy 2025 Virtual Information Session Thu., July 18, 2024 | 12:00 PM Virtual Event Chicago, IL 60637 United States Harris Campus Visit Thu., July 25, 2024 | 10:00 AM Keller Center 1307 E 60th St Chicago, IL 60637 United States