1.0 Faculty : Faculty of Local Government Administration
2.0 Programme Name : MSc Local Economic Development
4.0Background
The Master’s programme in Local Economic Development (LED) is a two year programme comprising: 12 months for course work and six months for research. The programme was established out of a recognized need for a graduate program in which both aspiring and practising economic development professionals could pursue advanced education focused on their field of activity. Ghana’s development agenda is be led by District Assemblies at the local level. Therefore, the programme focuses on local government practitioners in local/regional economic development. Its balance between the theory and the practice of local economic development, it also affords beginners the opportunity to specialise in its broad ranges. The applied dimension of the programme is emphasized in the core seminars by interacting with economic development professionals on a weekly basis and internship.
The LED programme includes a broad range of local development issues including:
- Entrepreneurship
- Globalization
- Strategic economic planning
- Environmental impact assessment and sustainability
5.0 Rationale
The role of government in the modern economic system has long been recognized, but the role of decentralized government in fostering growth and development has been questioned. According to regional economists, as far as the allocation of resources is concerned, the benefits of decentralized government are usually unquestioned. Notwithstanding these arguments, researchers dealing with regional economies support the involvement of local government in promoting economic development. They cite market malfunction to justify local economic development policy. This provides the basis for the programme in local economic development. The programme will focus on dealing with local issues within the context of the national macro economic framework. This consideration is based on the assumption that local economists have more and better information to recommend policies to local governments for implementation.
The persistence of problems of slow economic growth and widespread poverty, combined with the changes in the national and international economic environment, and the continuous failure of central government policies to impact positively at the local level have provided a strong urge towards more locally based initiatives . The rationale of this programme therefore, is to build the capacity of students in order to be able to diagnose local economic problems and come out with appropriate strategies and policies which will improve the economic future and the quality of life for local people.
Local Economic development strategies present a number of potential social and economic benefits to Ghana. First of all, they combine an economic and social dimension that is frequently hard to identify in traditional development strategies. Secondly, it seeks to join together the objectives of generating sustainable growth and addressing the needs of the poor in the territories in which it operates. In addition, the fact that local economic development strategies are mainly developed at the local level- means that these strategies can help empower local societies through the use of local resources.
6.0 Objectives
The overall goal of the programme is to prepare students for a career in local/regional economic development. Specific objectives include:
- To equip students with a broad knowledge of theory and research in local and regional economic development;
- To provide for advanced study of business development and sustainable development and their links to community and regional development and the theory and practice of promoting development;
- To provide a research component focused on local needs and critical evaluation.
- To provide the opportunity for practising professionals to participate in graduate studies.
7.0 Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission, applicant must have an honours degree (or equivalent) with at least a ‘second class’ standing preferably in geography, planning, economics, business, or commerce. Degrees in other disciplines could be considered.
8.0 Career Opportunities
The Local Economic Development programme offers a wide range of career opportunities. For instance graduates could work in economic development departments or corporations, pursue careers in the District Assemblies. Others would also want to work to establish new Economic Development operations or to bring new skills to existing operations or community development organizations and private firms. In addition, graduates could work in regional development corporations and special economic development authorities such as CEDECOM and SADA. An alternative to the practicing career is the academic career path.
9.0 Graduation Requirements
- Candidates shall pass all courses and obtain minimum total credits of 43
- Candidates shall report a minimum of 4 weeks of internship duly assessed.
- Candidates shall attend and pass an oral examination on their thesis.
- To pass a course, a student must obtain a minimum of 50% of the marks available and an average of 55% for all courses.
10.0 Programme Structure
Students are required to undertake internship, workshops and a research dissertation. In addition to these, students will be required to complete six core courses and four electives for the academic year broken into two semesters.
YEAR ONE: SEMESTER ONE- CORE COURSES
|
COURSE CODE |
COURSE TITLE |
T |
P |
C |
|
LED 511 |
Regional Development: Principles and Practice |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
LED 513 |
Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice
|
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
LED 515 |
Research Methods |
3 |
3 |
4 |
|
2 ELECTIVES |
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
TOTAL CREDITS |
|
13 |
3 |
14 |
YEAR ONE: SEMESTER ONE- ELECTIVES
YEAR ONE: SEMESTER TWO- CORE COURSES
YEAR ONE: SEMESTER TWO- ELECTIVES
|
COURSE CODE |
COURSE TITLE |
T |
P |
C |
|
LED 522 |
Tourism Development |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
LED 524 |
Local Government and Finance |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
LED 526 |
Resource and Commodity Flows |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
LED 528 |
Labour Market Processes |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR TWO (SEMESTER ONE AND TWO)
|
COURSE CODE |
COURSE TITLE |
T |
P |
C |
|
LED 591 |
Thesis
|
0 |
36 |
12 |
|
LED 593 |
Internship |
0 |
12 |
4 |
|
LED 595 |
Study trips/Workshops |
0 |
12 |
4 |
|
TOTAL CREDITS |
|
0 |
60 |
20 |
11.0 Description of Courses
- Core Courses
LED 511 Regional Developments: Principles and Practice (3, 0, 3)
The course outlines the systems that have been developed and applied to regional science, examine the current trends that have been associated with regional development, the reasons for success and failures at various times including the present and what can be done to improve the situation. Social, policy issues and spatial aspects of regional development will be reviewed. In regional development, course participants will be exposed to developed models that take into account the existence of multiple geographic centres, the irregularity of spatial forms as well as supply side and micro-economic foundations.
LED 513 Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice (6,0,6)
Participants in this specialization will learn about concepts and strategies that have been developed and applied to promote local economies, assess the current trends, the reasons for success and failures of strategies and localities and what can be done to improve the situation. Social, environmental and policy issues will be reviewed. Course participants will be exposed to key tenets of local economic development such as public private dialogue, public private partnership and value chain development.
LED 515 Research Methods (3,3,4)
The course provides an integrated framework for gathering and analyzing information for developing local economic strategies, local economic policies contribution to the growth of the local economy and the impact on the business environment. Course participants will be able to investigate and solve problems in the local economy, select the right projects and programmes to be implemented and assess the performance of policies. At the end of the course, participants will be exposed to the use of economic appraisal tools to integrate local economic development and analysis into our development planning and management system.
LED 512 Housing and Neighbourhood Development (3,0,3)
This course is about the organization and management of neighbourhoods. It is about problem-solving, reforms, long run attempts to change neighbourhood conditions and environments, the central role of local government and housing organisations in tackling ground-level problems. It addresses environmental and social problems within neighbourhoods as part of a wider understanding of social exclusion, sustainable development and the need for greater care of our communities. At the end of the course, participants can apply the ideas to any neighbourhood of whatever tenure, size or location. Course participants will be exposed to organization and management of low income neighbourhoods and examples from other parts of the world.
LED 514 Business Location, Expansion and Retention (3,0,3)
The business retention course is an economic development program to assist local economic development organizations to assess the needs and barriers of existing business. Those needs and barriers can then be addressed to ensure business survival or growth. The business retention and expansion course will help participants to come up with programs that will monitor changing marketplace dynamics so that policy makers and community leaders can make decisions that can decrease threats or enhance opportunities, and enhance community economic growth.
LED 516 Agriculture and Industrial Development ( 3,0,3)
Course aims at equipping students with the right strategies to appreciate the role of agriculture in transforming the economy of developing countries especially Ghana. Ghana depends very much on agriculture with this sector contributing about 50 % to the Ghana’s GPD. In addition, the rural area is agrarian.
- Agricultural policies/policy tools in Ghana
- The nexus between agriculture and development
- Constraints to agricultural development in Ghana
- Supply and demand of agriculture products- international/national politics
- Market interventions
- Agricultural independence
- Fair trade
- The role of agriculture in the European Industrial Revolution
- Land use and development
LED 518 The Informal Economy (2,3,3)
The course aims at studying the economic activities of low-income communities in both rural and the urban environment. The informal economy is comprised of self-employment in small unregistered enterprises and wage employment in unregulated and unprotected jobs( in agriculture, fishing, urban businesses) . In developing countries, informal employment comprises one half to three quarters of non-agricultural employment. In Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa, informal employment comprises nearly 80 per cent of non-agricultural employment. In Ghana today, informal employment represents over 90 per cent of total employment. The purpose of the course aims to:
- to highlight the size, composition, and significance of the informal economy in Ghana and other developing countries
- to identify the needs and constraints faced by the informal workforce, including street vendors, home-based producers, cocoa farmers, fish mongers and casual day labourers in construction and agriculture etc
- to discuss what is being done – and should be done – to address the needs and constraints faced by the informal workforce, including policy responses and organizing efforts.
The contents of the course include but not limited to the following:
- Type and nature of informal businesses in Ghana and other countries
- Role of the informal economy in Ghana and other countries
- Challenges of informal sector in Ghana
- Comparative state interventions/support for the informal economy-administrative and funding- in Ghana and other countries
- Assessment/evaluation of these interventions
- Recent private initiatives including business associations
- State/private interface in business transactions
- Consider best practices in other developing countries
- Case Study
- Elective Courses
LED 521 Economic Planning (and Strategy) and Investment Analysis (2,0,2)
This course emphasize that capital investment decisions that involve the projects such as land, machinery, buildings, or equipment are among the most important decisions undertaken by the manager. These decisions typically involve the commitment of large sums of money, and they will affect the community over a number of years. Furthermore, the funds for such a project must be paid out immediately, whereas the income or benefits accrue over time.
Because the benefits are based on future events and the ability to foresee the future is imperfect, considerable effort is needed to evaluate investment alternatives as thoroughly as possible. The most important task of investment analysis is gathering the appropriate data. The procedures discussed in this course teaches students how to evaluate the decision and stress that if one has inaccurate or incomplete data, then an otherwise thorough and complete analysis will be misleading.
Participants at the end of the course will learn that selecting investments that will improve the financial performance of the organization involves two fundamental tasks: 1) economic profitability analysis and 2) financial feasibility analysis. Economic profitability will show if an alternative is economically profitable. However, an investment may not be financially feasible: that is, the cash flows may be insufficient to make the required principal and interest payments. Therefore completing both analyses before a final decision to accept or reject a particular project would required. This course will address both the tasks above.
LED 523 Organizational Approaches in Local Economic Development (2,0,2)
The course specifically is directly related to micro and small scale entrepreneurs, farm producers, cooperative organization stakeholders, and persons involved in local economic development. It is meant for an audience of practitioners and scholars interested in the formation of Farmer Based Organizations, Community Based Organizations as well as Business Member Organizations and their use as local economic development tools in rural and urban areas. The course will provide participants with resources and knowledge on the potential economic role of Business Member organizations and the ways in which they can help entrepreneurs and farmers retain value from their productive efforts, providing helpful guidance to persons interested in developing a new-generation cooperative organization. Further, the participants of the course should also include a wide range of organizational scholars, managers, and social service and community workers interested in the nature, features, and prospects for new forms of organization. In particular, the topic of new-generation cooperatives is important to scholars interested in small scale businesses.
LED 525 Development, Communities and Environment (2,0,2)
The Community, Environment, and Development course is a dynamic field of study that strives to improve the social, economic, and environmental qualities in our communities. It focuses on the design and implementation of programs to make the community a better place to live and work. Working to enhance a sense of place and sense of community is central to this field, as are the principles of sustainable development. The participants of the course will learn how to work with people in their own neighbourhoods, creating positive and sustainable change for the people and the community. Participants will be exposed to skills to tackle important environmental and development issues facing today’s communities, enabling communities to make critically important decisions about people, resources, and the environment and learning methods to help developing countries and communities achieve sustainable growth.
LED 527 Land Markets and Regional Investments (2,0,2)
The course will provide participants with the fundamental understanding of land tenure issues, land management practices and their implications for investment mobilization. The course describes the history of land tenure, its resultant effect such as social unrest and the displacement of helpless villagers, induced destruction of invaluable investments, particularly in agriculture. Participants of the course will learn how to promote investments in the landed property sector using more certain land tenure systems, secure and speedier land title documentation processes and improved management practices. They will be exposed to strategies for sustainable investments, through tenurial security combined with improvements in technical and social infrastructure, financial support, widened markets and guaranteed prices, appropriate technology and environmental security.
LED 522 Tourism Development (2, 0, 2)
The course will building up participants capacity in planning the economic development in the field of eco tourism, hunting and fishing tourism, cultural and historical tourism, cognitive and rural tourism, etc.; research and analysis of the economic potential of tourism; preparation of a communication strategy and advertisement materials for attracting tourists’ and investors' interest. At the end of the course participants should be able to undertake pre-organization work with the local public and private sector representatives in the spirit of discussion and partnership, depicting the main problems, ambitions and potential opportunities of tourism in their localities as well as develop a successful business in the field of alternative tourism. The participants will be exposed to "Policies and Instruments for Tourism Development", Rural Tourism, "Team Work", "Entrepreneurial Skills", etc.
LED 524 Local Government and Finance (2,0,2)
The course is meant to introduce students’ to the management and development of framework for local government finance which meets fiscal policy requirements, supports local engagement and flexibility, as well as the delivery of shared government objectives. At the end of the course, participants will be able to advise Ministries; Departments and Agencies on all aspects of local government finance policy and legislation. This course contains topics useful for local government finance officers but will also be of interest to members of the public, businesses and researchers/analysts.
LED 526 Resource and Commodity Flows (2,0,2)
Participants in this specialization will be introduced to methods of planning and managing a multiplicity of related processes, resources and commodity flows for a single as well as double time period. They will be able to create a data base on the said processes, resources and commodity flows; establish a flow relationship between at least some of the resources, commodity flows and processes; plan the utilization of at least some of the resources, processes and the flow of commodities; and display, in graphical fashion, the components of the processes, resources and commodity flows.
LED 528 Labour Market Processes (2,0,2)
The course outlines the industrial restructuring processes that have developed and applied to labour markets; examine the current trends that have been associated with labour markets; the reasons for success and failures at various times including the present and what can be done to improve the situation. Participants at the end will review social, gender and policy issues of labour market processes.
LED 591 Thesis (0, 36, 12)
Students are required to complete a research paper under the supervision of a supervisor/ research committee. The research paper will examine a significant topic in the local economic development field in Ghana. During the course work, students are expected to develop a research paper proposal for approval by the Head of Faculty.
The paper should be approximately 12,000 words to include:
- Introduction
- Problem statement
- Status of research
- Research Methodology
- Findings, and
- Conclusions and Recommendations
The research paper must be defended successfully before a Committee composed of the student's supervisor, a faculty member and an experienced professional.
LED 593 Internship (0, 12, 4)
Four weeks at the end of the first semester will be spent in internship in an institution performing functions related to the elective being studied by the student. As a rule students are not expected to do the internship in the organisations in which they are normally employed. The student will be assessed during the period of the internship.
The supervisor will submit a written report on the student
LED 595 Study trips, Guest lectures and Workshops (0, 12, 4)
This session will help students to appreciate contemporary local economic issues and the attempts being made to address them.
- Study trips
- Guest lectures
- Seminars
