MSc Development Management (Political Economy)

Development is not just about increasing growth and political and social rights. It’s about creating self-sustaining institutions that liberate societies from low-level deprivation traps by increasing productivity, freedom, and cooperative interdependence. The MSc in Development Management gives you the theory and practical tools to drive such transformations forward by enabling you to understand why some societies have succeeded and others have failed.

The programme is built around a theory-led approach to the role of institutions and organisations in development, using both classical institutional theory and the new institutional economics. We delve into the role of institutions in explaining the comparative statics of development (why some countries are rich and others poor), as well as comparative dynamics (the development process per se across different countries and regions).

Students pursuing the Political Economy stream focus on the political determinants of economic development in their optional courses and dissertation.

A distinctive feature of the programme is the Development Management Project, a team-based consulting exercise for real-world, public, private, and non-profit organisations, such as the World Bank, Oxfam, PricewaterhouseCoopers, GIZ, CARE, Save the Children, UNICEF, or the Emerging Markets Group.

Graduate destinations:

The analytical skills developed here have secured past graduates promising careers in organisations as diverse as central banks, NGOs, multilateral organisations, charities, investment banks, government, consultancies, manufacturing firms and religious missions, and as independent experts and writers.

Upper second class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent in any discipline, with social science or humanities an advantage.