Description | Syllabi

The last three decades have witnessed a global proliferation of public sector reform, decentralization, and democratization in developing countries. Traditional development planning has adapted to these trends as they have unfolded. This course presents an overview of the evolution of the theory and practice of planning in developing countries. A central theme is that the structure of a planning system and its success in producing good results depend heavily on the economic, political, institutional and cultural context of a particular country. The course outlines and evaluates conceptual planning models and systems, introduces a range of practices and tools used by local planners in developing countries, and reviews approaches used by international development agencies to support local development planning. The overall focus is on how local development planning systems can be designed to work effectively in different country contexts. Detailed case studies and exercises based on them are an integral part of the course.

Prerequisites:CORE-GP.1022 or URPL-GP.2660; and PADM-GP 2201