The Recipients of Aid

Despite international and domestic development efforts, poverty and inequity continue to characterize our world, and vastly different theories abound about how to eliminate them. In this course we will examine how development interventions might support empowerment and, more frequently, how development has reduced the capability of its recipients to address their own needs in the future. We will look at these impacts through a psychological lens, applying theories from social psychology to better understand the effects of external development efforts. We will also analyze the role that a changing global economy plays in marginalizing good development practice. We will consider how to improve development practice using techniques developed from a social psychological perspective.