DEC-52306 Farms, Firms and Rural Networks
Course
Credits 6.00
| Teaching method | Contact hours |
| Lectures | 24 |
| Literature study | 44 |
| Practical extensively supervised | 12 |
| Tutorial | 24 |
| Self-study |
| Course coordinator(s) | prof. dr. R Ruben |
| Lecturer(s) | prof. dr. R Ruben |
| Examiner(s) | prof. dr. R Ruben |
Language of instruction:
Dutch and/or English
Assumed knowledge on:
DEC-20304 (Rural Households & Livelihoods)
Continuation courses:
AV Development Economics
Contents:
This advanced course offers an introduction to the main topics of the current debate on the dynamics of the behaviour of farms, firms and rural households and the organisation of peasant livelihoods in a context of agrarian dualism and fragmentation of factor and product markets.
The course topics focus on the organisational forms and institutional arrangements of agricultural production, consumption and exchange in developing countries and their impact on rural households' welfare. The dynamic interactions between the structure of property rights, the organisation of exchange and the choice of technology have a major influence on the objectives and constraints of agricultural households. Attention is given to theories and approaches that consider the household as decision-making unit and analyse the modifications in their performance due to changes in the economic, social, biophysical and institutional environment.
The changing role of the peasantry within the process of agricultural structural transformation is illustrated through the dynamics of land tenure and labour use giving rise to rural differentiation. Special attention is given to the influence of factors like risk and incentives on the technology choice and organisational structure of agricultural farms, firms and households.
Aims:
This course provides opportunities to broaden the knowledge regarding the response reactions of rural households to different types of incentives, taking into account the specific production and exchange conditions in developing countries. Special topics for discussion include themes like risk and uncertainty, interlinked markets, scale and specialisation, economics of sharecropping, bio-economic agrarian household and village models, and the analysis of rural institutions.
Activities:
Participation in lectures; presentation of research papers; practical assignments.
Examination:
Written examination; Paper presentations; Practical assignments.
Literature:
Reader and Course Guide available at the secretariat of the Development Economics Group.