International Development

FINAL PAPER INSTRUCTIONS
In
preparing this assignment, please draft and submit an outline (a detailed
abstract) for the paper and include a bibliography in the document (at least 7
readings that you’d use.) by Dec the 1st.

The final paper can be submitted by the 19th of December. Final topic options are outlined further below but paper must adhere and take into consideration the following details:

·
Due on Dec 19,
·
Length: At least 2200 words (12
pages). Upper limit 4000 words (22 pages)
·
Times New Roman size 12, MS Word
format.
·
Grading will be based on 5 factors:
a) quality and scope of research
(40%);
b) evidence in support of the
arguments presented (30%);
c) Quality of recommendations/problem
solving (10%);
d) format and presentation
(10%); and
e) revisions/proof reading before
submission (10%).

Option 1 – SDG paper
Formulate
a strategy paper for achieving one or more Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) targets in a selected country. The paper must
entail what the following should do to achieve the goal: (a) government (b) a
bi- or multi-lateral donor agencies (WB, UN organization, USAID, etc.), and (c)
civil society/NGOs and, if applicable (d) the private sector. Try to focus
on a target rather than a goal
Expected Paper outline
An executive
summary (no more than a page);
An introduction that
explains why your goal/target is important, gives a very short summary of
your main messages and presents a road map for the paper;
A context/diagnostics section,
which describes the current status, challenges, and prospects for goal
achievement;
A sector
overview section, which presents the main interventions related to
your target;
An analysis section,
which discusses achievements, gaps, and lessons learned so far;
A strategy section,
which lists the next steps and what each stakeholder will do;
Feel free to choose an appropriate time-frame – it might
be challenging to develop a plan all the way to 2030, so you can choose a
shorter, more reasonable time-frame that is better aligned with donor and
government policy-making cycles (e.g. 5 years). Review the lessons learned
identified in the situation analysis and explain how your recommendations
address the bottlenecks.
A conclusion and/or
the way forward.
Option 2: Proposal
Prepare
a proposal for a development intervention in a sector/geographical area of your
choice (i.e. a draft business plan for a project/programme targeting the poor;
a project for implementing sanitation in rural areas; an advocacy campaign to
increase awareness on women’s rights; community-based conservation, health
promotion, famine relief and food security, land tenure, appropriate
technology, water resources, war and conflict, law, gender and development,
education, tourism, etc.).
You
can choose topics that interest you or are linked to past professional/academic
engagement. Such proposals are not meant to be professional, but should reflect
effort in shaping an idea, gathering evidence, and creating rough plan to
transform this idea into practice.
Your
proposal should include details of the local context (history, geographical
area, and culture) will affect the plan of action. Try to highlight a) which
ideas and theories and b) stakeholders, and c) implementation issues are the
most relevant to the proposed project[s].
Use
any of the standard formats of grant/project proposals. I can give you some
samples (remind me via email) but don’t want to restrict your effort and
reflection.

Option 3: Research paper

Critically examine a specific
development approach (refer to themes in the syllabus) – modernization, basic
needs, neo liberalism, institutions and governance, rule of law – evaluating
evidence of the development approach in practice by discussing historical
examples of that approach. Based on this evidence, the paper should
make a substantive argument about its merits or lack thereof of the particular
development approach. The development approach (es) covered during the course
can help you.

Option 4: Public Service Delivery
Select
one or a group of services (e.g. health, education, sanitation) and one
country/province. . Based on class readings and your OWN independent
research write a policy paper on What works in getting public
service delivery systems functional- As a policy paper it should
have the following sections:
·
Executive Summary
·
Literature Review
·
Case Study (or studies)
·
Constraints on public services
·
Opportunities for reform/innovation
·
Conclusions and Recommendations
·
Bibliography

Last Completed Projects