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What Works: Promising Practices in International Development

Explore promising strategies in international development related to agriculture, health, governance, and poverty reduction.

11,176 enrolled on this course

Rural Malawi
  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours

Can the case be made for a more optimistic outlook on international development?

Learn with internationally-renowned experts

Researchers from the University of Oslo and Stanford University, together with colleagues from Malawi, China and the UK, will examine interventions critically, while exploring how successful development strategies can be deployed in a range of international contexts.

You are encouraged to follow us on Twitter and access our additional online resources.

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What topics will you cover?

  • Core concepts in development theory
  • Poverty reduction and income inequality
  • Food security and agriculture
  • Global governance and international cooperation
  • Human rights and development
  • Good governance, rule of law and state building
  • Public participation and civil society
  • Successful cases of national and international development initiatives

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Gain ability to examine interventions critically, while recognizing how successful development strategies can be applied in a broad range of international contexts
  • Explore how to better understand what works, how and why in relation to global and national development programmes and anti-poverty interventions
  • Reflect on the impact of specific development programmes and projects at reducing poverty

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for people with an interest in international development, including students, teachers, researchers, policymakers, activists, pensioners, diplomats, and those working for international development organisations and aid agencies.

Who will you learn with?

Dan Banik is Professor of Political Science and Research Director at the Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo
Twitter: @danbanik (https://twitter.com/danbanik)

Who developed the course?

University of Oslo

Founded in 1811, the University of Oslo (UiO) is the highest ranked institution of education and research in Norway.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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You can use the hashtag #FLwhatworks to talk about this course on social media.