In the introduction of the The No Nonsense Guide to International Development (see attached file), author Maggie Black presents a history of various theories and practices of development. Your assignment for this week’s course discussion is to find one contemporary news story that discusses or portrays some aspect of the theories or practices of development discussed in the No Nonsense Guide reading selection assigned for Module Two.

The news story you select can be about anywhere in the world, but it should have been written in the past three years, and it must have come from a reputable popular news source, such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC News, or similar sources. Avoid tabloid publications and blogs of individual journalists. You may use written, video (such as Vox or Vice) or audio sources (such as NPR, for example).

Your post should include the following:

Word count at least 350 words-

1. State the full title of the news story and include complete bibliographic information on the source (include website as well as a formal bibliographic citation).
2. In three to four sentences, summarize the main claims of the story. This is harder to do than it may seem – focus on the key arguments made. Do not recount all details, this is a biased summary of what is relevant to answer these questions.
3. In two well-written paragraphs, explain how this story relates to ONE development theory (see attached PPT file for theories) or practice from the reading. Begin by briefly summarizing the theory or development from the reading selection by Maggie Black. Refer to the relevant passages in the text and include page numbers. If you use quotations, you must deconstruct their meaning after you introduce them, as quotations cannot stand alone and explain themselves – it is YOUR responsibility to tell us what is significant/relevant from the quotations. Your news story may confirm the theory, refute the theory, or demonstrate an example of the practice in action. Discuss if you think the development practice or theory is effective, problematic, ineffective, or has positive or negative impacts, and how/why (you don’t need to touch on every single one of these, try to focus on one or two). Be specific and support your opinions with evidence and reasoning.

Grading Rubric (1)