General Course Descriptions for Terms: east asia
981 - Law & Development
The seminar will explore changing ideas about law's role in the process of economic development and the law reform and external development assistance practices these ideas have inspired. The idea that a "modern" legal system is central to economic development can be traced back to the 19th century. After World War II, this idea became the basis for organized assistance by bilateral and multilateral development assistance agencies. Today, bilateral agencies like USAID and international financial institutions like the World Bank devote substantial resources to "law and development" and the "rule of law". While billions are being spent, the enterprise rests upon a wealth of assumptions about the definition of law, the relationship of law to market activity, the role of the state in economic governance, the definition of modernity, and the efficacy of external intervention. We will look at changing legal and economic ideas and development assistance practices, survey critiques of current models, look at experiences in areas such as Northeast Asia, Latin America and the former Soviet Union, and explore ways that reform practices might avoid some of the pitfalls of the past. Students will write short response papers during the semester and research papers of at least 20 pages due at the end. Before completing their papers students will make short presentations of their research to the class.