The Global Development Course…

These two week courses provide an introduction to the most important issues in the field of social and economic development, particularly as it affects the South. The course is taught in the evenings and weekends in a way that is accessible to a person who has not studied these topics in detail before.

You may contact Benny Dembitzer (Director), at director@ethical-events.org or the deputy director, Ms Marja Voutilainen at Marjav@freeuk.com for more information about the course. Alternatively please use the button below.

The next course…

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE 42
9th – 21st March 2020
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We invite an average of 14-15 guest speakers at each course. Specialists from different organisations, NGOs and international organisations, research organisations, universities, Government departments and consultants have shared their expertise with the participants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the course for?
  • Staff members of development agencies who wish to enhance their knowledge of development issues.
  • People who intend to work in development in the UK or internationally.
  • People preparing for a gap year in a developing country.
  • Members of the general public who wish to give structure to a general interest in the field of development.
What will I gain?
  • Better understanding of the main terms, concepts and arguments related to economic and social development.
  • Clear understanding of the policy options facing voluntary organisations and governments.
  • Greater clarity in the choice of possible future studies or career changes.
  • Course notes and reading lists for further studies.
  • Certificate of attendance for those who have completed the course.
  • By the end of the course the participants will have identified a number of valuable contacts in development agencies as colleagues.
What are the main elements of the course?
  • 12 modules of two hours each.8 evening modules.
  • Two Saturdays (one at the end of each week) comprising of two modules each.
  • Each module focuses on a different major topic and is introduced by specialists from relevant development agencies.
  • Small groups of a maximum of 25 people to ensure discussion and full participation.
How are the two weeks broken up?

Week 1
Monday – Thursday: 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Module 1: WHAT IS POVERTY?

  • The process of economic and social development.
  • Challenges facing the South.
  • The role of government the private sector and aid in development.
  • Development and the environment.

Module 2: HUMAN SECURITY

  • Human rights v economic rights.
  • Legislation to protect vulnerable people; refugees and asylum seekers.
  • Causes of conflicts and wars.
  • The role of governments and the international community.

Module 3: MIGRATION

  • International migration and urbanisation.
  • Internal migration.
  • Migration and development; remittances, brain drain.
  • The Diaspora.

Module 4: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

  • Environment and development.
  • The Stern Report.
  • The role of women in development.
  • Case study.

Week 2
Saturday: 11am-4pm

Module 5: HEALTH

  • State of the world’s health.
  • Major challenges in the field of health.
  • Why some poor countries are healthier than others.
  • Globalisation and health.

Module 6: EDUCATION

  • Priorities in education.
  • Appropriate education.
  • Cost and delivery of education.
  • International aid to education.

Monday – Thursday: 6.30pm-8.30pmModule 7: INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

  • The need to industrialise
  • Industrial policies
  • The role of SSEs and SMEs
  • Tourism and its local impact

Module 8: AGRICULTURE

  • The principles of national food security
  • The economics of food production
  • Water policies and agricultural development
  • Famines and their causes

Module 9: TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT

  • Domestic trade and international trade
  • Accessing international markets Ð barriers to trade
  • Globalisation and the free trade argument, WTO
  • The concept and practice of Fair Trade

Module 10: THE ROLE OF CAPITAL

  • International Financial Institutions
  • The Third World Debt
  • Multinational corporations and the South
  • Microfinance


Saturday

Module 11: AID IN ITS WORLD CONTEXT

  • The Millennium Development Goals
  • Aid and advocacy
  • The United Nations family of agencies
  • The British NGO community

Module 12: A VIEW FROM THE NORTH / A VIEW FROM THE SOUTH

  • Planning priorities of developing countries
  • Aid and development priorities of donor countries
  • Who decides?
  • Does aid help?
  • Corruption; myths and realities
Where is it held?

Salvation Army
International Headquarters
161 Queen Victoria Street
London EC4V 4EH

What are the costs?

Full fees £350
Concessions £300
(full time students, unemployed and retired persons)

Who are the guest speakers?

We invite an average of 14-15 guest speakers at each course. Specialists from different organisations, NGOs and international organisations, research organisations, universities, Government departments and consultants have shared their expertise with the participants. These speakers come from a range of organisations including:

NGOs and international organisations
ActionAid, CAFOD, ComputerAid International, Fairtrade Foundation, FARM Africa, International Health Exchange, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Learning for Life, LEPRA, MEDACT, Microloan Foundation, Refugee Council, SaferWorld, Salvation Army International Development, Save the Children Fund, Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), the World Bank, Tourism Concern, Trade Justice Movement, Transparency International.

Universities and research institutions
London School of Economics (LSE), Natural Resources Institute (NRI), New Economics Foundation (NEF), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), University College London (UCL), University of Greenwich, University of Kent, University of Reading, University of Sussex/Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Wales in Cardiff, University of East Anglia (Uppingham Seminars in Development).

Government Departments and other organisations
Crown Agents, Department for International Development (DFID), British Safety Council.

Who are the organisers and teachers?

Ethical Events Ltd is a not-for-profit entity whose mission is “learning to manage a small planet”. The organisation does this through a series of events and projects that have the cause of world poverty at their core.

Course Leaders

Benny Dembitzer
Director, is an Economist who has taught at Cambridge, Cranfield and Southbank Universities. He is currently visiting Lecturer of Economics at Greenwich University. He has worked for some 40 years in the development field in 35 African and two Asian countries with various statutory and voluntary agencies. These include Service Civil International, FRIDA (Fund for Research and Investment for the Development of Africa), International Voluntary Service, SID (Society for International Development), War on Want, OXFAM, CARE International. He has worked with the following intergovernmental bodies over the period; the International Trade Centre (ITC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Industrial Development Organisation, Commonwealth Secretariat, the World Bank, UN Capital Development Fund, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UNESCO. Benny Dembitzer was European Director of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), winners of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.

In the mid 1980s Benny Dembitzer set up GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP with help from Bob Geldof after working in Ethiopia. More recently he set up the GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT FORUM that ran a twice-a-year series of development debates at St James in Piccadilly from 2000 to 2009; the FAIR TRADE FAIR that ran annually at Christmas from 2000 to 2007. He has also been an adviser to the House of Lords committee on Overseas Aid chaired by Baroness Jay of Paddington.

Marja Voutilainen
Deputy Director, holds a Master’s Degree in Development Studies from University of Sussex. She specialises in international trade and has worked for a Trade Development Program financed by the Government of Finland as part of the Finnish development co-operation and as a consultant on trade related projects initiated by the Nordic Development Agencies. She has undertaken short term assignments in Africa, Asia and Latin America and has published manuals and papers on issues of foreign trade and foreign trade policy.

When is the next course and how do I apply?

The next course date is shown on the top right hand side of your screen. You can apply by simply filling in the short form here or hitting the button underneath the date.

A bit more background?

The first GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE was organised in June 2003 to fill a perceived gap in the field and it was well received. The continuing positive feed-back from participants has encouraged us to organise the course three to four times each year ever since.

The courses bring together people who have a general interest in the development of the global South. Interaction of the group is an important component of the programme.

We introduce the course by giving a strong structure and framework within which we can then invite speakers who have great in-depth knowledge of the special fields in which they operate Ð be they micro- credit, human rights, agriculture, education, health, or other specialisations.

We provide a list of reading material that will help the generalist; we make it a point not to make the subject so specialised that only a few people in each course will be able to follow them.

The course is held in central London, thus allowing easy access to the premises from all parts of the capital.

I have another question…

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