330048 SE Nutrition Economy in Developing Countries (2008W)

The concepts of poverty have become increasingly more sophisticated and multi-dimensional, encompassing important aspects of human deprivation such as inadequate nutrition, environmental degradation, inability to participate in strategic decisions that affect one's life, etc. From the premise that malnutrition is the worst kind of poverty, this course is designed to equip students with an understanding of how --- through what social and institutional mechanisms --- people slide into poverty and remain there. The course develops a systematic understanding of the socio-economic and geo-political contexts of hunger and poverty. It explores the various thinking on and practices of development over the years, and examines the role of nutrition as a foundation for economic development. The course examines the implications of contemporary initiatives (e.g., the Millennium Development Declaration, the Economic Partnership Agreements, the Paris Declaration, World Food Summits), and trends (e.g., globalization, regional integration, privatization) for alleviating poverty and malnutrition in developing countries.