DEC-20306 Rural Households and Livelihood Strategies

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Studiepunten 6.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch and/or English

Assumed knowledge on:

RSO-20806, DEC-20806

Continuation courses:

RDS-21306, DEC-53306, DEC-30306

Contents:

Decisions made by rural households to secure their livelihood are central to understanding many of the key issues of international development studies. The aim of this course is to increase the awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches for analysing these decisions and the factors that must be taken into account for a real understanding of livelihood strategies, acknowledging the interactions within and between rural households and agrarian policies. In particular, the course is designed to enhance the understanding of the complementarity of (micro)economic and sociological / anthropological approaches to rural households and their livelihood strategies. These different perspectives of households and their livelihoods have implications and consequences for the formulation of policy and for the empirical research undertaken to support policy-making. These implications will also be discussed during the course.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- explain the differences in theoretical and analytical paradigms with respect to rural household behavior and livelihood strategies;
- apply different theoretical and analytical approaches to examine concrete cases of livelihood strategies;
- analyze the complexities of rural household decision making, including gender issues, in different cultural contexts;
- work together in a multidisciplinary group and prepare and defend a jointly prepared report.

Activities:

Lectures, workshops and group assignments.

Examination:

Written exam and working group assignments.

Literature:

Ellis, Peasant Economics (Cambridge University Press, 1993); course reader.