Final Semester: What am I Studying?

I recently started my last semester of graduate school, which means I am nearly finished with my MPA-DP degree. It seems like only yesterday I was vehemently defending my program (before even starting it). Looking back at that post, there are some points that have held up well ("I realize the main draw of the MDP program is the people") and others that may need to be re-visited after graduation ("I reject the idea that the MDP program is a reactionary leviathan opposed to new or different ideas"). The first year was tough, from economics exams to wikis to field placements, but overall it was a good experience. Starting my second year, I had enough hubris to offer unwanted advice to new development grad students. Maybe I will revisit some of those old thoughts as graduation approaches (like, am I now a part of Jeff Sachs' Army!?). For now, as my program is winding down, I thought I would provide some details on my final classes, including a reading or two from the first weeks of class. Maybe this will help my friends and family to (begin to) understand what I am studying, at long last!

This semester, I am studying:

• Microenterprise Development - taught by DAI consultants Dan Charette and Lief Doerring. From the syllabus: "The objective of this course is to understand the role of small firms (which includes micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in agricultural and non-agricultural sectors) in developing economies and to identify and assess a range of programs and policies to promote their development." One avenue for future employment that I would love is finding and investing in promising entrepreneurs and their ideas, so this class seems like a great fit. Here is a great breakdown of different analytical approaches used in the sector, including my old friend, Value Chain Analysis. Investing in these small enterprises means investing in people wherever they live, even in middle-income countries (rather than focusing only on low-income countries). Finally, a description of the "mysterious" Informal Economy that microenterprises may or may not operate within.
• Creating a Social Enterprise - taught by Sarah Holloway, who has launched social enterprises such as Mouse. From the syllabus: "The course will focus primarily on the knowledge and skills required to launch a new Social Enterprise." While I do not have my own entreprenurial idea at this time, this practical class is ver useful as we work through the process of helping another student get their idea off the ground. Here is an article describing the social entrepreneur, and here is how to form your mission statement (in 8 words).
• Project Management - taught by Thomas Quaranta. From the syllabus: "Project management is defined as the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of the particular project." Not too many interesting (free) readings to share, but definitely a useful skill as I would also like to get a job managing a development project.
• Political Economy of Development: Africa and the World - taught by Chris Blattman. While I was initially disheartened that my class would miss the capstone MPA-DP class on human ecology taught by Jeff Sachs (due to his involvement with the post-2015 development agenda), it did open up my schedule to take this class taught by everyone's favorite development blogger! From the syllabus: "Why are some countries so poor, repressive, and violent? Why have some seen growing incomes and freedoms while others stagnate or decline? What is the root of state capacity, political participation, and other aspects of “political development”? What role has the West played in both failure and success, and what role (if any) should it play in future? The goal is to get students to think critically about development theory and practice." Sounds like my kind of class, no? (and it is working against that potential "groupthink" I mentioned above). We have had some dense economic reading, but also some interesting pieces, like How to Write About Africa (see the video below for the author's reaction) and Poor Economics, which I have previously written about a bit.