Politics, Policy Making and Accountability in International Arenas for Development

This course will deepen insights into the dynamics and complexity of the politics and policy making that takes place within and between diverse international arenas: multilateral ones of the United Nations or the Bretton Woods institutions; mini-lateral ones, such as G7 and G20; bilateral ones, such as the EU and USA negotiating the TTIP; and private ones, like global roundtables. The course addresses (1) key concepts from international relations and governance studies to unpack politics and policy making in international arenas for development; (2) different strategies for consolidating, challenging and changing negotiations and power struggles at international arenas. Altogether, this course provides students with substantive expertise and analytical skills necessary to understand and become leaders in the study and practice of changing international development policies and politics.

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to: 

• understand and analyse the complexity and dynamics of politics and negotiations in different international arenas in terms of arena-specific rules of the game;
• use the concepts of sovereignty politics, two-level games and accountability politics for analysis of policy making processes in different international arenas;
• prepare, execute and adapt negotiation strategies that are actor-specific, arena-specific, game-specific and reflect a clear understanding of the key concepts of the course (see 2);
• formulate an extensive argument on politics and policy making processes on a specific issue in an international arena for development;
• propose a strategy for changing the rules or politics of an international arena for development, with a view to contribute to a desired situation in the field of development.

Assumed Knowledge:
Bachelor social science;
ENP30506 Theories on Politics and Governance or equivalent;
SDC23306 Law and Political Power or equivalent;
SDC36306 Perspectives and Themes in International Development Studies or equivalent.