11.471 Targeting the Poor: Small Firms, Workers, and Local Economic Development, Fall 2004

Covers conditions under which public-sector policies, programs, and projects succeed in enhancing the economic activities of poorer groups and micro-regions in developing countries. Topics include local economic development; small enterprises; various forms of collective action; labor and worker associations; nongovernment organizations. Links these to literature on poverty, economic development, and reform of government, and to types of projects, tasks, and environments that are conducive to equitable outcomes. From the course home page: Course Description This course treats public-sector policies, programs, and projects that attempt to reduce poverty and unemployment in developing countries, mainly through directly income-generating activities and employment. Topics covered are: * employment and local economic development, particularly as related to the informal sector, small and medium enterprises, and workers; * the political economy of local economic-development initiatives; * lessons from policy and implementation experiences; * workers and labor issues; and * associationalism among small (and often medium) firms, and among workers.