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Higher education, policy schools, and development studies: what should masters degree students be taught?

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  • Michael Woolcock

    (World Bank and Harvard University, USA)

Abstract

What are the distinctive skills and attributes that should be expected of Masters (as opposed to undergraduate and doctoral) graduates of international development programmes? Given the diversity of their academic and cultural backgrounds, the inherent uncertainty of their career trajectories, the variety of country contexts and organizational environments in which they will be working, and the range of constituent groups with which they are likely to interact on a regular basis, I argue that Masters degree programmes in development studies should focus on helping students acquire three core competencies-the skills of 'detectives' (data collection, analysis and interpretation), 'translators' (reframing given ideas for diverse groups), and 'diplomats' (negotiation, conflict mediation, deal making). Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • Michael Woolcock, 2007. "Higher education, policy schools, and development studies: what should masters degree students be taught?," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(1), pages 55-73.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:19:y:2007:i:1:p:55-73
    DOI: 10.1002/jid.1300
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pritchett, Lant & Woolcock, Michael, 2004. "Solutions When the Solution is the Problem: Arraying the Disarray in Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 191-212, February.
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    3. Francois Bourguignon & Luiz A. Pereira da Silva, 2003. "The Impact of Economic Policies on Poverty and Income Distribution : Evaluation Techniques and Tools," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15090.
    4. Kanbur, Ravi, 2002. "Economics, Social Science and Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 477-486, March.
    5. Marcel Fafchamps, 2002. "Returns to social network capital among traders," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 54(2), pages 173-206, April.
    6. Jonathan Isham, 2002. "The Effect of Social Capital on Fertiliser Adoption: Evidence from Rural Tanzania," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 11(1), pages 39-60, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Harwood, 2023. "Reflecting Upon the Past? Development Studies’ Ambivalent Relation to History," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 23(2), pages 203-210, April.
    2. Kamna Patel & Amy North, 2022. "An Introduction to Revisiting Development Studies Education and an Invitation to Rethink Teaching, Learning and Knowledge Production in the Neoliberal University," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 22(3), pages 211-221, July.
    3. Thembela Kepe & Jean-Francçois Bissonnette & David J Roberts, 2008. "Why are Students Attracted to Political Ecology?," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(11), pages 2539-2543, November.
    4. Amy North & Rosie Westerveld & Chris Yates & Ian Warwick & Elaine Chase, 2022. "More than Knowledge Transfer? Alumni Perspectives on the Value of Postgraduate Study for International Development," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 22(3), pages 257-271, July.
    5. Rachel Bennett & Gianmarco Alberti & Aytekin Çibik & Tatiana Eremenko & Saviour Formosa & Janice Formosa‐Pace & María Jiménez‐Buedo & Kenneth Lynch & Leire Salazar & Paloma Ubeda, 2022. "Bringing about the data revolution in development: What data skills do aspiring development professionals need?," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(7), pages 1381-1397, October.
    6. Andy Sumner & Michael Tribe, 2008. "Development studies and cross-disciplinarity: Research at the social science-physical science interface," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(6), pages 751-767.
    7. Elisheva Cohen & Stephen Macekura, 2022. "State of the field: A comparative analysis of international development studies majors in Canada, the United Kingdom and United States," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(7), pages 1282-1301, October.

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