| Kommentar |
The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) economic miracle surprisingly takes place in one of the poorest and, at the same time, wealthiest populations in the world, along with increasing inequality, and virtually without any (liberal) democratic institutions. China’s fast economic evolution emerging without the development of equality and democracy, challenges conventional ideas about the interrelation between a wealthy economy and free citizens enjoying social equity. This ambiguity is also apparent with regard to China’s “underdeveloped” western provinces and a relatively “developed” east coast, making China a beneficiary as well as a provider of development aid. Therefore, the PRC can serve as a significant case to trace and discuss development policies on a locale and central scale, and on a national and international level. China’s transition from a mainly ideologically based political system towards an increasingly technocratic regime is internally legitimated by national modernization and development policies, while simultaneously, the PRC seeks to externally become a role model of development for other developing countries. Against the backdrop of poverty, inequality, the digital divide and security in the Chinese case, this seminar aims to supplement the related lecture on developmental issues by deepening students’ expertise of applied regional specific development policies and to strengthen students’ skills to critically address the main discourses on development aid.
Bemerkungen: Note that the communication language of this seminar is English and requires the willingness to practice speaking English and reading academic English-language articles. However, the term paper can be either written in German or English. |
