Geography of Development

Course Information

Courses and exams
Prof	Loopmans Maarten Vanmaercke Matthias
Courses	Lectures
Examination	Partial or continuous assessment with (final) exam during the examination period
Background
Credits	6
When?	2nd semester
ECTS	Link

2023

Since 2022-2023 this course changed and is given by Loopmans and Vanmaercke. One guest lecture is given by Borst. Vanmaercke asks statements where you need to agree, partly agree or disagree and explain why. For questions of Loopmans you get a full page.

June

13 june

Vanmaercke:

1. Climate change is mainly caused by the global north, but more severe consequences are in the south.
2. Urbanization is the best and easiest solution to reduce land degradation.
3. Global north uses water dominantly for industrial use, this causes water stress in the global south.
4. Graph about hazard landslides and farmers

Loopmans/Borst:

1. What are the challenges of strategic coupling to a GPN by firms and regions? How can an alternative from class 5a offer a solution to these challenges?
2. Explain the rare earth crisis from a marxist perspective (Harvey scheme). What are the contradictions? How are conflict minerals a spatio-temporal fix? What new contradictions arise from it?

24 june:

Vanmaercke:

1. Forest transition is a direct consequence of urbanization. Therefore this will not happen in Global South cities because they economically rely the most on agriculture.
2. A countries political and socio-economic status may influence the vulnerability, exposure and resilience to landslides, but it also influences the susceptibility to landslides.
3. Yield gap is the difference between the yield of a dry year compared to a normal year. This is gap will keep increasing with climate change.
4. Figure given of the different levels of income and the exposure to climate change effects and the age in 2020. -> statement: poorer people will be more exposed to the effects of climate change. This is at least negative for three reasons.

Loopmans/Borst:

1. Graph given of the Egregiousness poverty. Explain this graph and how it is calculated. Explain with the system of capital why this keeps rising.
2. In Congo children work in unhealthy conditions mining gold and cobalt. In Europe it is hard to get permits for opening mines. Explain why this is with the world system analysis/GPN.

2022

Since 2021-2022 the course changed so earlier questions are not really relevant. You just get one question about all the guest lectures and you have to find links between the question and the given lectures. The exam is only one page long.

June

14 June

Explain the concept of forest transition. What are the drivers? What is the influence on the global South and why it may or may not be 'completed' in time? Explain using examples we've seen in the guest lectures and limit your answer to one page.

25 June

Write a one-page essay on the statement "The Global South will suffer more impacts from Climate Change". Explain why this might (not) be true. Explain for each argument you use how it relates to what influences these impacts (susceptibility, hazard, exposure, vulnerability and resilience). Important: only use concepts that have been discussed during the lectures and refer to these lectures if possible (eg. "In this lecture we discussed that...").  Limit your answer to the room that is provided.

2021

This used to be a bachelors course but has become a masters course. Since 2018-2019, the course is given by Loopmans & Van Rompaey. The subject changed significantly, so earlier questions are not really relevant anymore. If there are too many people, you will only do an oral exam with one of the two professors, the other question is than to be resolved by writing. It depends on your seat, with what professor you need to do the oral exam (e.g. last two rows do oral with Loopmans, the first two with Van Rompaey).

Van Rompaey

1. Explain Deficit Irrigation, in which circumstances could it best be used. What kind of community is best to organise this

Loopmans

1. Graph on the decouplings is given: Why was the goal of Paris agreement achieved in 2020 and why will this not be the case in 2021.
2. Explain the difference between absolute and relative surplus.  How are they geographically dispersed?

2020

Loopmans

1. What is the poverty line of World Bank, what are the shortcomings is there a better alternative (1 page)
2. Something on uneven regional development (1.5 pages)

Van Rompaey

1. What is the result of tourism on LU changes and how does it fit in the forest transition (1.5 pages)

Loopmans

1. Explain what you see on this graph (about daily income per capita in 1975 and 2015)
2. Explain - According to Harvey - how crises arise in capitalist economies in the different phases (production, realisation, distribution).

Van Rompaey

1. Explain deficit irrigation + use a graph in your explanation + explain the challenges this brings to communities.

2019

Before noon:

Loopmans; Imagine you are Jason Hickel. What elements of the Rojava project would you consider positive. Are there any negative connotations? Compare this with your theory on Closing the Divide.

Van Rompaey: What is deficit irrigation? Explain it with a graph. In what situation would provide a solution? How do you need to organize the community to do this?

2017

Big question: If you had to write a book about climate change and development, what would the structure of your book be?

Small question:

• graph with the amount of ice on Mt. Kilimanjaro over time
• Mercantilism
• Economic water scarcity

Big question (15 min preparation): Relate livelihood & land reforms.

Questions they give later (no preparation):

• Explain: Miraba
• Explain: Engel's law
• Explain map with virtual land trade of EU 27 (intro slides prof. Poesen) & other countries: arrows = how much virtual land trade.

Big question: Figure with designed irrigated land vs. actual irrigated land (= less) from Ethiopia: explain how this is linked with development.

Smaller question:

• Explain: Zero-grazing
• Explain Midanao paper  given figure 3 from that paper.
• What is the difference between GDP and GNP?

Big Question: Film "Hope in a Changing Climatre" - discuss landscape rehabilitation.

Figure: Different land owning systems related to agriculture

Small Questions:

• Explain: Fictious commodity
• Explain: Dambo

2015

big question: given was a world map with climate change impacts. What is the link with development?

smaller question: term: Miraba

figure: from the introduction: the slide with the picture of the soy farmer in brazil, the intensive cattle farmer in the netherlands, the catlle farmer in senegal etc. What is their connection?

big question: Deficit irrigation figure was given. Explain this in relation to the development question. extra questions: what would you do with the water you save? Are there negative aspects?

Figure: the figure with the amount of time you have to work for a car or for a pack of siggarettes in different cities. explain.

Words: who is Eduardo Galeano? What is a jeffour?

2013

1. De eerste les hebben we een film over agro-ecologie bekeken en toen hebt gij een kritische vraag daarover gesteld of da ni te positief werd voorgesteld. Bekijk dat nu eens kritisch met         alles wat we in de les gezien hebben
2. figuur met voorspelde irrigatiecapaciteit en werkelijke
3. begrippen uitleggen: zero-grazing en import-substitutie

1. Wat is de rol van de ruimte in het ontwikkelingsproces/ rol van de geograaf in het ontwikkelingsproces.
2. Figuur over ontbossing en toename akkerland
3. Ecofascisme  & duricrust

2007

Hoofdvragen:

• Waarom is de ontwikkelingsproblematiek in de 3 continenten verschillend. Bespreek de mogelijke ontwikkelingsstrategieën voor elk continent
• Bij de start van de cursus werd gezegd dat de ontwikkelingsproblamatiek moet kunnen gevat worden op verschillende schaalniveaus. Bespreek langs de concepten de interscalaire ontwikkelingsproblematiek.
• Wat is de rol van de ruimte in het ontwikkelingsvraagstuk?

Figuren:

• Van transportplanning in input-outputmodel
• Indonesie
• Nominal GDP en real GDP
• bnp

Woordjes:

• Comparatief voordeel
• Ijzeren driehoek
• Turner
• Kornai
• Perifeer fordisme
• Productiviteit
• Relatieve meerwaarde

2006

Hoofdvragen:

• Bespreek hoe ontwikkeling tot stand kan komen volgens kapitalistische en socialistische weg.
• Bespreek de ontwikkelingsproblematiek interscalair.
• Stel een ontwikkelingsplan op voor Latijns-Amerika, voor Afrika en voor Zuid-Oost Azië. Hou vooral rekening met de verschillen tussen de continenten.
• Verklaar waarom het ontwikkelingsvraagstuk op de verschillende (ruimtelijke) schalen bekeken moet worden?
• Je krijgt een foldertje met daarop de 8 milleniumdoelstellingen. Kies er enkele uit en bespreek de ruimtelijke dimensie ervan aan de hand van wat we gezien hebben in de cursus. Formuleer indien mogelijk ook enkele kritieken.
• Bespreek de ontwikkelingsproblematiek aan de hand van de relatie tussen landbouw en industrie. Bijvraag: hoe komen mensen in de sloppenwijken aan eten?
• Pas de geografische zienswijzen, geleerd voor de cursus wereldbeeld, toe op de ontwikkelingsproblematiek.
• Stel dat je gaat lesgeven in het middelbaar: Hoe zou jij een handboek van de ontwikkelingslanden opstellen voor de leerlingen en hen bewustmaken van de ontwikkelingsproblematiek?
• Stel ontwikkelingsplan op voor ieder continent en leg uit waarom je dit best afstelt op het continent zelf.
• Contrast kapitalisme – socialisme, en ruimtelijke gevolgen.
• Tabel van de HDI. Wat wordt hier gemeten, en hoe staat dat in relatie tot het ontwikkelingsprobleem? Wat ontbreekt er in deze tabel (ecologische factoren)? Bijvraagjes als 'hoe kan je de productiviteit meten?' en 'waarom is de status van de vrouw belangrijk?'

Figuren:

• Laatste figuur van de figuren (fig 11 evolutie mogelijkheden van het landgebruik)
• Grafiek uit eerste Engelse tekst met 7 koloniserende landen, je moest er alles over zeggen wat je wist. (dus met afwisselend concurrerend-nietconcurrende periodes)
• Groei van kapitalisme
• Toename van de sojaproductie in Brazilië
• Fig 11
• Transmigraties in Indonesië. Bijvraag: waarom is die oorspronkelijk begonnen vanuit Java? Waarom niet vanuit Sumatra, wat maakt dat de bevolkingsdichtheid oorspronkelijk zo groot was in Java en niet op Sumatra?
• Grafiek ivm absolute en relatieve meerwaarde.
• Fig 3 van tekst van Mindanao: participants in the spatial conflicts.
• BNP
• Verschillende BBP

Woordjes:

• Wet van engel
• Productiviteit
• Tordessillas
• Perifeer Fordisme
• Leontiev
• Wereldbank
• Verschil BNP BBP
• Relatieve meerwaarde
• Kornai
• Encomiendes
• Vernon
• Proletarisme
• Turner?
• Hoe wordt er rekening gehouden met ecologische problemen in het kapitalisme, hoe in het socialisme?
• Sauvy
• Chinese arbeidspaspoort
• Ubiciteit
• Transportflessenhals
• Waarom is er dynamiek (groei) in het kapitalistisch systeem ondanks klassenstrijd.