ECS4867/101/0/2019
Tutorial Letter 101/0/2019
Advanced Development Economics
ECS 4867
Year module
Department of Economics
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail addresses and
make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module website,
ECS4867-2019-Y1 as well as your group website.
Note: This is an online module and therefore it is available on myUnisa. However, in order to
support you in your learning process, you will also receive some study material in printed
format.
BARCODE
CONTENTS
Page
1
1.1
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 3
Getting started ............................................................................................................................ 3
2
2.1
2.2
OVERVIEW OF ECS4867 .......................................................................................................... 3
Purpose ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Outcomes ................................................................................................................................... 3
3
3.1
3.1.1
3.2
3.3
LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS ................................................................................ 4
Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................. 4
Lecturer availability ..................................................................................................................... 4
Department ................................................................................................................................. 4
University .................................................................................................................................... 4
4
4.1
4.2
4.3
RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................. 4
Joining myUnisa ......................................................................................................................... 4
Other resources - printed support material .................................................................................. 5
Library services and resources information. ................................................................................ 5
5
5.1
5.2
HOW TO STUDY ONLINE.......................................................................................................... 6
What does it mean to study fully online? .................................................................................... 6
The myUnisa tools you will use ................................................................................................... 6
6
6.1
6.2
6.3
RESOURCES FOR THIS MODULE ........................................................................................... 6
Prescribed textbook .................................................................................................................... 6
Recommended books ................................................................................................................. 7
Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves) .............................................................................................. 7
7
7.1
STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................. 7
Overview: Units 1-3 .................................................................................................................... 9
8
8.1
8.1.1
8.1.2
8.1.3
8.1.4
8.1.5
8.1.6
8.1.7
8.2
8.2.1
8.2.2
8.3
8.4
ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................................................... 11
Assessment plan ...................................................................................................................... 11
Enquiries about assignments .................................................................................................... 11
Feedback on assignment .......................................................................................................... 11
Examination admission and the year mark................................................................................ 11
How this works in practice? ...................................................................................................... 11
Type of assignment questions and assessment criteria ............................................................ 12
Answering essay type questions ............................................................................................... 13
Plagiarism and other dishonest practices .................................................................................. 16
General Assignment Numbers .................................................................................................. 17
Unique Assignment Numbers ................................................................................................... 17
Due dates for Assignments ....................................................................................................... 17
Submission of Assignments ...................................................................................................... 18
Assignments ............................................................................................................................. 18
Assignment 01 ......................................................................................................................... 18
Assignment 02 ......................................................................................................................... 18
9
9.1
9.2
9.3
THE EXAMINATION ................................................................................................................ 18
Examination admission ............................................................................................................. 18
Examination period ................................................................................................................... 19
Examination paper .................................................................................................................... 19
10
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................... 19
2
ECS4867/101
1
INTRODUCTION
Dear Student
We are pleased to welcome you to this Advanced Development Economics Honours module
and hope that you will find it both interesting and rewarding. You will find that the subject matter
of development economics has world-wide relevance and that it deals with very current issues
that confront many developing and less developed countries.
Because this is a fully online module, you will need to use myUnisa to study and work through
the learning activities for this module. Visit the website for ECS4867-19-Y1 on myUnisa
frequently. The website for your module is ESC4867-19-Y1.
1.1
Getting started …
Owing to the nature of this module, you can read about the module and find your study material
online. Go to the website at https://my.unisa.ac.za and log in using your student number and
password. You will see ESC4867-19-Y1 in the row of modules displayed in the orange blocks at
the top of the webpage. Select the More tab if you cannot find the module you require in the
orange blocks. Then click on the module you want to open.
You will receive a printed copy of this Tutorial Letter 101. All other study material such as the
Study Guide and Tutorial Letters 201 and 202 will be found under “additional resources” on the
module site. It is important that you familiarize yourself with these sites.
We wish you much success in your studies!
2
OVERVIEW OF ECS 4867
2.1
Purpose
Qualifying students will be able to assess underdevelopment and economic stagnation in
developing countries to identify underlying problems and challenges that confront these
countries with the aim of formulating appropriate policies to deal with low standards of living,
meagre income levels, education, health, migration, informal sector, rural upliftment as well as
agricultural and industrial growth initiatives.
This module is delivered using myUnisa and the internet. Your lecturers will interact with you on
myUnisa and via e-mail.
2.2
Outcomes
For this module, you will have to master several outcomes:
•
Specific outcome 1:
Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of development
and its component parts as a means of determining the measurement of development
and identifying the main problems and characteristics of developing countries.
3
•
Specific outcome 2:
Students will be able to demonstrate an ability to interrogate and evaluate the direct and
wider benefits that flow from health and education in developing countries.
•
Specific outcome 3:
Students will be able to demonstrate specialised skills to analyse and address problems
that beset industrialisation, rural and agricultural development in developing countries by
examining different supportive policies needed to enable these sectors to contribute to
economic growth and employment in these countries.
3
LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS
3.1
Lecturer(s)
The primary lecturer for this module is Prof P Lalthapersad-Pillay
Telephone: +27 12 433 4629
Email: lalthp@unisa.ac.za
The secondary lecturer for this module is Ms K Noche
Telephone: +27 12 433 4662
Email: nchoekc@unisa.ac.za
3.1.1 Lecturer availability
You may call or email your lecturer to discuss matters relating to the module content. It is not
necessary to make an appointment to visit your lecturer for a discussion. The lecturer’s
availability can be found on the module page on myUnisa.
3.2
Department
The Department of Economics is located in the Samuel Pauw Building on the main campus.
The Department of Economics can be contacted as follows:
Telephone number: + 27 12 433 4661
3.3
University
To contact the University follow the instructions in the brochure Study @ Unisa. Remember to
have your student number available whenever you contact the University.
Whenever you write to a lecturer, please include your student number to enable the lecturer to
help you more effectively.
4
RESOURCES
4.1
Joining myUnisa
If you have access to a computer that is linked to the internet, you can quickly access resources
and information at the University. The myUnisa learning management system is the University's
online campus that will help you communicate with your lecturers, with other students and with
the administrative departments at Unisa – all through the computer and the internet.
4
ECS4867/101
You can start at the main Unisa website at http://www.unisa.ac.za and then click on the
myUnisa orange block. This will take you to the myUnisa website. To go to the myUnisa website
directly, go to https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the Claim UNISA Login on the right-hand side of
the screen on the myUnisa website. You will then be prompted to give your student number in
order to claim your initial myUnisa details as well as your myLife e-mail login details.
For more information on myUnisa, consult the brochure Study @ Unisa, which you received
with your study material.
4.2
Other resources – printed support material
As this is an online module, only Tutorial Letter 101 will be printed and sent to you. The other
study material such as the Study Guide and Tutorial Letters 201 and 202 which contain the
answers to the assignments, will only be available under “additional resources” on the module
website.
It is very important that you log in to myUnisa regularly. We recommend that you log in at least
once a week or every 10 days to do the following:
•
Check for new announcements. You can also set your myLife e-mail account to
receive the announcement e-mails on your cellphone.
•
Check the Discussion Forum. This is where several other discussion forums are
available where you can share ideas and post your opinions online. We have also
provided the Social Indaba where you can socialise with the other students in the
module.
4.3
Library services and resource information
For brief information, go to www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies
For detailed information, go to the Unisa website at http://www.unisa.ac.za/ and click on
Library.
For research support and services of personal librarians, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=7102.
The Library has compiled numerous library guides:
•
•
•
•
•
finding recommended reading in the print collection and e-reserves –
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/undergrad
requesting material – http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/request
postgraduate information services – http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/postgrad
finding, obtaining and using library resources and tools to assist in research –
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_Skills
contacting the Library/finding us on social media/frequently asked questions –
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/ask
5
5
HOW TO STUDY ONLINE
5.1
What does it mean to study fully online?
Studying fully online modules differs completely from studying some of your other modules at
Unisa.
•
Most of your study material and learning activities for online modules are designed
to be delivered online on myUnisa. Only the Tutorial Letter 101 will be printed and sent
to you. All other study material will be available on the module website.
•
All of your assignments must be submitted online. You may, however, post your
assignment.
5.2
The myUnisa tools you will use
All of the information about myUnisa tools is located under Unit 0 on the myUnisa website for
this module. However, we thought it was important to highlight the tools that will be used for
your formal assignments.
In this module, the following type of assessment using myUnisa tools applies to your module:
•
Assignments: These assignments are called written assignments. You have to type
these assignments in a Word document and submit them online in the same way as you
will submit all the other assignments online. The assignments will be routed to your TA
who will mark them. Depending on the assignment, you may be asked to fill in a form or
type a document. These typed assignments must be submitted as PDF documents using
the online Assignments tool on myUnisa.
•
Study the learning units. This will guide you through the content of the module in a
more detailed way.
6
RESOURCES FOR THIS MODULE
6.1
Prescribed books
Your prescribed textbook for this module is:
Szirmai A (2015): Socio-economic Development. 2nd edition. UK: Cambridge University Press.
The above textbook is important and must be used as your primary source of preparation and
study for both the assignments and the examination.
Please refer to the list of official booksellers and their addresses listed in the my Studies @
Unisa brochure.
6
ECS4867/101
Prescribed books can be obtained from the university's official booksellers. If you have difficulty
in locating your book at these booksellers, please contact the Prescribed Book Section at
telephone 012 429-4152 or e-mail vospresc@unisa.ac.za
6.2
Recommended books
There are no recommended books for this module.
6.3
Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)
There are no recommended books for this module.
7
STUDY PLAN
We suggest you use the following general guidelines in approaching each part of this module:
(i)
You should start by looking at the learning units which provide a structured breakdown of
the work contained in each unit as well as a list of activities.
(ii)
Read the appropriate pages in the prescribed text book with concentration. If possible,
underline the most prevalent sections or make notes as you go on.
(iv)
Once you have read through a section you will have a broad understanding of the
research done in that area and what the conclusions and findings were of each research
study.
(v)
Use your notes to outline a broad structure for the answer to the assignment question.
Go back to the textbook and other sources and populate your answer with more detail.
Our experience is that many students are not sufficiently prepared for the examination, because
they often start their studies far too late. Please note that you must start your studies as
soon as possible and work on a regular basis. If you fail to do this you have little chance
of passing the examination. This is one of the reasons why we have introduced compulsory
assignments. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that you work on a regular basis from the
start of the year, since it is the only way in which you will be able to cover the syllabus in full and
adequately. Experience has shown that students who work diligently and continuously and
prepare and submit ALL the assignments have a far better chance of being successful and
to obtain a good mark. Do not start with your preparation for the examination a week or two
before the examination, because your chances of passing are very slim. In Development
Economics you must understand the issue and be able to apply it to a specific country and not
just memorise facts.
To help you to work on this module regularly and systematically, we provide a proposed study
programme below and two assignments (see section 8 of tutorial letter 101). It is critical that you
should start working as soon as possible and continue to work regularly and systematically
throughout the year.
7
PROPOSED STUDY PROGRAMME
8
Period
STUDY UNIT or study
instruction
11 March – 30 April
Unit 1
1 May – 1 July
Unit
2A
Remember
to
submit
assignment 01. Due date: 30 May
2 July – 2 September
Unit
2B
Remember
to
submit
assignment 02: Due date 2 September
3 September – 26 October
Unit 3A
27 October – 30 November
Unit 3B
December onwards
Prepare for examination
ECS4867/101
7.1
Overview: Unit 1- Unit 3
UNIT 1: Developing countries and the concept of development
In this unit we focus on the concept of development and the different aspects or dimensions
central to the definition of development. Study the following sections of Szirmai (2015) :
•
•
•
•
•
Developing countries and the concept of development (pp 1-40 of the prescribed textbook)
Growth and development (pp 4-9 of the prescribed textbook)
Indicators of growth and development (pp 13-15 of the prescribed textbook)
Does the “Third world” exist? (pp 15-27 of the prescribed textbook)
What do developing countries have in common? (pp 31-37 of the prescribed textbook)
UNIT 2A: Health, healthcare and development
In this unit we examine different aspects about the state of health. Health is a key element of
development. Study the following sections of the Szirmai (2015):
•
•
•
•
The state of health in developing countries (pp 200-214 of the prescribed textbook)
Theoretical explanations of changes in health and morbidity (pp 214-216 of the
prescribed textbook)
Health and economic development (pp 226-229 of the prescribed textbook)
Healthcare policy (pp 229-234 of the prescribed textbook
UNIT 2B: Education and development
In this unit we look at human capital theory, screening theory and indicators of educational
development. Study the following sections of Szirmai (2015):
•
•
•
•
•
Human capital theory (pp 238-242 of the prescribed textbook)
Screening theory (pp 242-245 of the prescribed textbook)
Indicators of educational development (pp 249-252 of the prescribed textbook)
Problems and challenges (pp 271-278 of the prescribed textbook)
Policy (pp 278-279 of the prescribed textbook)
9
UNIT 3A: Industrial development
This unit centres on the range of alternative industrial strategies that emerged after 1960. Study
the following sections of Szirmai (2015):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Balanced growth strategy (pp 350-351 of the prescribed textbook)
The strategy of unbalanced growth (pp 351-352 of the prescribed textbook)
Medium and small-scale enterprises and the urban informal sector (pp 354-357 of the
prescribed textbook)
The informal sector (pp 355-357 of the prescribed textbook)
The shift from import substitution to export orientation (pp 357 – 363 of the prescribed
textbook)
Technological upgrading and learning (pp 363-364 of the prescribed textbook)
Global value chains, FDI and the role of MNCs in development (pp 364-366 of the
prescribed textbook)
Resource-based industrialization as an alternative export strategy for resource-rich
countries (pp 366-368 of the prescribed textbook)
UNIT 3B: Agricultural development and rural development
In this unit we focus on ways of boosting agricultural production, rural development, land reform
and rural development policies. Study the following sections of Szirmai (2015):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
10
What are the sources of growth of agricultural production? (pp 390-440 of the prescribed
textbook)
The green revolution: increase in yields per harvest (pp 408-413 of the prescribed
textbook)
The green revolution: biotechnology and genetically modifies crops (pp 413-416 of the
prescribed textbook)
Food consumption and nutrition (pp 417-422 of the prescribed textbook)
Concluding remarks on agricultural policy (pp 422-423 of the prescribed textbook)
Rural development versus agricultural development (pp 423-428 of the prescribed
textbook)
Characteristics of peasant economies (pp 432-433 of the prescribed textbook)
Land reform (pp 439-447 of the prescribed textbook)
Selected experiences (pp 443-445 of the prescribed textbook)
Policies for rural development (pp 447-448 of the prescribed textbook)
ECS4867/101
8
ASSESSMENT
8.1
Assessment plan
Assignments are seen as part of the learning material for this module as they help you to work
through the prescribed material. They are all essay type questions and will serve as practice for
the examinations. Assignments are also used as an incentive to students to start their studies
early, study continuously and contribute to their year marks.
There are two assignments for this module. Both assignments contribute towards your year
mark. All students enrolled for honours modules will be required to have a minimum year mark
of 40% for admission to the examination.
8.1.1 Enquiries about assignments
Enquiries about assignments (e.g. whether or not the university has received your assignment
or the date on which an assignment was returned to you) must be directed to the relevant
division through myUnisa, and not to your lecturers.
Use your my Studies@ Unisa brochure for general time management and planning skills.
8.1.2 Feedback on assignments
You need to answer and submit both assignments. Commentaries on all assignments will be
available to all students registered for this module in Tutorial Letters 201 and 202. The
assignments and the commentaries on the assignments constitute an important part of your
learning and should help you to be better prepared for the next assignment and the
examination. Tutorial letters 201 and 202 will also be available on the module website under
“additional resources.”
8.1.3 Examination admission and the year mark
There are two assignments for this module and both assignments contribute towards the year
and final marks. All students enrolled for honours modules will be required to have a minimum
year mark of 40% for admission to the examination. No adjustments of year marks will be
done to ensure examination admission. If your year mark is 39% or less, you will not have
examination admission.
8.1.4 How this works in practice
An integrated assessment system is used for this module. This means that your final mark will
depend on your examination mark as well as your performance during the year. By doing and
submitting assignments during the year, you will accumulate a year mark. The remainder of this
section explains the system in more detail.
The year mark counts 20% and the examination mark 80% of the final mark awarded for a
paper. The following rules apply to the administration and marking of assignments:
•
There are two assignments during the year. Each assignment contributes 50% to the year
mark.
•
There are no extensions to the due dates for any assignment.
11
•
The date on which an assignment is deemed to be received is the date at which it is
recorded and logged on by Student Administration.
•
Assignments received after the due date will not be marked and a zero recorded
•
Failure to submit an assignment will also be recorded as zero
•
No adjustments to year marks will be made
Anyone who fails and re-registers for a paper the following year must submit all assignments
again as set out above.
The following are ways in which you can ensure that your assignments are received by the due
date:
•
Once you have registered and downloaded your Tutorial Letter 101, buy the textbook and
download/order all the prescribed articles from the library as soon as possible.
•
The prescribed articles can be downloaded from the library's database using the internet
(see elsewhere in this tutorial letter). This is much quicker and cheaper than ordering
photocopies from the library to be sent to you by post.
•
Submit your assignments using the Internet via myUnisa. This is also quicker and
cheaper than sending your assignments by post.
Hence, it is very important to start reading and working on your assignments well before the due
dates so that you can submit good quality essays without being rushed.
8.1.5 Type of assignment questions and assessment criteria
Each assignment has one essay question.
Essay-writing is an excellent way for you to develop important academic abilities. Section 9.1.6
sets out how we expect you to prepare and present essays. Please take these guidelines
seriously; you will lose marks and, more importantly, waste opportunities to nurture good writing
habits if you ignore basic requirements of academic writing (such as proper referencing and a
correctly presented bibliography).
The assignments test your ability to do the following:
a.
comprehend and interpret the study material (understand “technical issues”)
b.
apply theoretical principles to real-world issues and show a critical attitude to the
literature (i.e. compare and weigh alternative stances on issues)
c.
cover the listed prescribed material (both from the prescribed textbook and prescribed
articles) as well as get information from additional sources (you will be penalised if you
do not consult additional sources)
d.
develop and present (logical) systematic arguments
12
ECS4867/101
e.
adhere to the requirements of academic writing (table of contents, introduction, headings
and subheadings, conclusion, references, bibliography)
When assessing the essays we will evaluate your performance holistically regarding the extent
to which you have achieved each of the criteria listed above.
An example of how essays will be scored is provided below.
Question: Discuss the following statement: “Economic development is best served by the
minimalist state”.
(50 marks)
Assessment:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Adequate coverage, interpretation and evaluation of the information presented in
the prescribed textbook (50%)
Additional sources used to enhance discussion (20%)
Logical and systematic argumentation (20%)
Presentation (structure, language, reference techniques and bibliography) (10%)
Note that BOTH assignments contribute towards the year mark. Each assignment will contribute
50% to the year mark.
8.1.6 Answering essay-type questions
When writing an essay, you should convince the reader of your sound understanding of the
issue and of the persuasiveness of your argument. Every aspect of an essay, from the problem
statement in the introduction to the completeness of the bibliography, should contribute to the
achievement of these goals. Using the following steps when preparing essays-type answers to
assignment questions should help you to do so:
Determine the goal. It is essential to determine exactly what is required of you before you start
to write an essay. One way to do this is to underline and consider the relationships among the
key words in the question.
Determine the sources. With each assignment question you need to determine the appropriate
sections in the textbook and which articles to use. The textbook and prescribed articles are
compulsory works which you must consult when preparing answers. It is, however, also
necessary to consult other sources. These could be relevant books, scholarly journals and
reports.
Design a framework. It is always tempting to start writing an essay as soon as the required
reading is finished, thus allowing the structure of the essay to emerge from the writing process
(as if guided by an invisible hand?) Resist this temptation. It is very important to follow the
reading phase by considering the importance of the various arguments and systematising them
in a framework of headings and subheadings. For one thing, it is compulsory to provide a title
and a table of contents at the beginning of each essay and to structure your essays by means
of numbered headings and subheadings. You can develop this initial framework further to meet
these requirements. More importantly, designing a framework before you start writing will help
you to structure your thoughts, develop your arguments and ensure that a logical thread runs
through your essay.
13
Give your own systematic presentation. Your next task is to present the material in a systematic
way, using the prescribed sources as foundation. Before you start writing, it may be a good idea
to quickly go through the identified material again and, while doing it, make short notes under
each heading of your framework. Such prior organisation of the material is helpful to structure
your thoughts on each sub-section. Make sure that the various sub-sections eventually fuse into
a consistent essay. Always begin the essay with a short introduction and end it with a
conclusion or summary. The introduction should capture the reader's attention by briefly stating
the problem and explaining how you will deal with it. Make sure that you stick to the topic of the
question throughout the essay. The conclusion should summarise your main findings and
provide a clear answer to the question. (If, for example, the question asked you to discuss a
statement critically, the conclusion should state unambiguously whether or not you agree with
that statement.) The contents of the conclusion should follow logically from the foregoing
analysis or discussion. As such, it should not contain new information, ideas or analysis.
Writing an introduction. An academic essay can be introduced in many ways. Indicate how you
understand the issue (often by formulating a problem statement) and outline the structure of the
essay to show how you intend to discuss it. Formulating the problem statement is seldom
difficult, but it is far from easy to outline the content of the essay in an interesting manner. Many
authors, including contributors to scholarly journals, do it as follows:
The remainder of this essay consists of four sections. Section 1 discusses the arguments in
favour of a minimalist state. Section 2 investigates die arguments against a minimalist state.
Section 3 considers the new idea of a developmental state. Section 4 concludes.
It is obviously not possible to write such an introduction before planning the entire essay in
some detail.
Write full sentences and use paragraphs. Needless to say, we expect you to divide sections into
paragraphs, to use full sentences and correct grammatical and spelling errors before
submission. Using “telegram style” is unacceptable in essay writing, and you should limit bullet
points and direct quotations to a minimum.
Write intelligibly and legibly. It is not compulsory to have your essays typed, but we appreciate it
if they are. Hand-written essays should be neat and legible - we cannot mark essays properly
unless we can understand and follow them. Also remember to leave a wide margin at the righthand side of your essays where we can comment on specific statements and arguments.
Stay within the prescribed length limit. Essays should be between 7 and 8 pages if typed
(size 12 font and 1.5 spacing) each or 15 pages handwritten. However, we are not dogmatic
about the length of essays in the sense that we will not penalise you automatically for exceeding
the suggested limit. However, one of the aims of the assignments is to develop your ability to
formulate your arguments in concise but persuasive terms. Economists almost always face
length limitations when writing journal articles and reports, and learning to cope with them
therefore is a valuable professional skill. You should view the assignments as opportunities to
acquire this ability. Do not include tables, graphs or figures in your essays.
Maintain the aim. Your answers should be precise and balanced (in the sense that any
individual section or subsection should not take up too much space). Make sure that every
sentence you write is relevant – duplication of ideas and padding should be avoided throughout.
Examples often are useful to illustrate points, but they cannot replace reasoning. If you include
diagrams and graphs in your essays, you should take care to explain and discuss them
properly.
14
ECS4867/101
The role of own opinions. Many theoretical and policy issues in development economics remain
highly contentious. You therefore are welcome to express opinions contrary to those in the
prescribed material, provided that you can substantiate them with facts or solid arguments.
Beware, however, of lapsing into political and other platitudes – many “conventional wisdoms”
do not survive proper economic analysis!
Do original work. It is very important that you should use your own words and not copy parts of
the work of others (including that of the authors of documents available on the internet!)
Plagiarism is a serious offence, and we will not award you a pass mark if we find evidence of
such “paper piracy” in your essays. (Students who submit their answers in Afrikaans should take
note that the mere translation of English texts also amounts to plagiarism.) Direct quotations
from other publications with proper references are acceptable, but you should use them
sparingly. You should also make sure that your essays are not merely successions of summaries or paraphrases of the readings. Your task is to create original and persuasive essays, and
that requires proper integration of sources and arguments.
In academic discourse, one must always acknowledge the consulted works of other authors. As
we indicated earlier, you should keep the number of direct quotations in your essays to a
minimum. When you do provide direct quotations, you should make sure that they are within
quotation marks and accompanied by references. For example:
Nattrass (2001:1) writes: “In order to make any dent in unemployment, South Africa’s growth
path needs to become significantly more labour-demanding."
There are various ways of providing page references, but we recommend that you adopt the
Augmented Harvard system, which is used most often in Economics. In the Augmented Harvard
system you do not use footnotes to acknowledge sources. Instead you provide the surname of
the person involved, the year of publication, a colon and the page number(s) in brackets in the
text. For example:
South Africa’s growth path needs to become more labour-demanding in order to reduce
unemployment (Nattrass 2001:1).
When the author's surname forms part of the sentence, you should provide the reference as
follows:
Nattrass (2001:1) argues South Africa’s growth path needs to become more labour-demanding
in order to reduce unemployment.
At postgraduate level it is essential that you provide a complete and correct bibliography at the
end of an assignment (you will be penalized if you fail to present an acceptable bibliography).
The bibliography should be arranged alphabetically according to the surnames of the authors,
and may include only works that you quoted or referred to. Provide a separate bibliography at
the end of each question.
If the bibliographical entry refers to a book, the name of the book should be underlined or typed
in italics. The entry should also contain the place of publication and the name of the publisher.
For example:
Meier GM & Rauch JE (2005): Leading issues in economic development. 8th edition. New York
& Oxford: Oxford University Press.
15
If the entry refers to a journal article, the title of the article is given in normal lettering, and the
name of the journal underlined or typed in italics. The volume and number of the journal and the
page numbers must also be provided. For example:
Collier P & Gunning JW (1999): Why has Africa grown slowly? Journal of Economic
Perspectives 13(3): 3-22.
If the reference is to a chapter in a book, follow the following example:
Elbadawi IA & Ndulu BJ (2001): Growth and development in Sub-Saharan Africa: evidence on
key factors. In IA Elbadawi & BJ Ndulu (eds): Economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Basingstoke, Hants: Palgrave: 35-85.
Note that bibliographical entries should not contain information about the copyright holder(s). In
the case of journal articles it is not necessary to state the publisher of the journal.
Remember that the prescribed textbook is in part a reader. When referring to parts in the
textbook, you should ascribe only the notes and comments to Szirmai. For example:
Szirmai, A. (2015): Socio-economic development. 2nd edition. UK: Cambridge University
Press.
References to selections in a book should be formatted as follows:
Easterly W, & Levine R (1997): Africa’s growth tragedy: policies and ethnic divisions. Reprinted
in GM Meier & JE Rauch (2005): Leading issues in economic development. 8th edition. New
York & Oxford: Oxford University Press: 521-535.
Further instructions on the Augmented Harvard method are given in Burger, M (1992):
Reference techniques. Eighth revision. Pretoria: Unisa.
8.1.7 Plagiarism and other dishonest practices
We have to draw your attention to a very important aspect of essay writing. It is of utmost
importance that you at all times follow good academic writing practices as indicated above. This
also implies that you must refrain from infringing owners’ copyright and plagiarism. We include
for your information extracts from Unisa’s Policy for Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism.
“3.3
The following will be a(n) (copyright) infringement of a work and will not be exempted as
fair dealing:
3.3.1 Failure to indicate clearly (e.g. with quotation marks or indent and different font) phrases
or passages taken verbatim (word-for-word) from a published or unpublished text without
crediting the original text and author;
3.3.2 Paraphrasing of an article, a book or an electronic text without acknowledging the
source(s) and the author of the work. This amounts to reproducing a text in different
words as the author, by changing the word order of the text, the sentence types and the
style of the author;
3.3.3 Using more than a substantial part of the work will not be fair dealing, even if an
acknowledgement of the source and the author is given.
16
ECS4867/101
4.2
The following will amount to the infringement of an author’s moral rights (plagiarism):
4.2.1 Failure to acknowledge the author where phrases or passages are taken verbatim (wordfor-word) from a published or unpublished text;
4.2.2 Use of a summary of a work which contains the ideas of others and presents the essence
of an argument in language that condenses and compresses the original language of the
source without acknowledging the author of the work;
4.2.3 Using the patch-writing (cut-and-paste) method, where pieces of other persons’ works,
including those taken from the internet, are blended with one’s own words and phrases
without acknowledging the author of the source work;
4.3
Dishonest practices may also amount to criminal offences, such as fraud, theft and
criminal copyright liability. Such dishonest practices include the following:
4.3.1 Copying information from another person (e.g. another student’s assignment or portfolio)
and submitting identical work where such work is not the result of teamwork and
indicated as such by all participants,
4.3.2 Buying an essay from a ghost-writing service and pretending that it is one’s own work;
4.3.3 Asking someone else to do an assignment on one’s behalf.
CONTRAVENTION OF THIS POLICY
A student or an employee who is guilty of the infringement of copyright or unethical practice will
be subject to the applicable disciplinary code.
Please note: Although students may work together when preparing assignments, each student
must write and submit his or her own individual assignment. In other words, you must submit
your own ideas in your own words, sometimes interspersing relevant short quotations that are
properly referenced. It is unacceptable for students to submit identical assignments on the basis
that they worked together. That is copying (a form of plagiarism) and none of these assignments
will be marked. Furthermore, you may be penalised or subjected to disciplinary proceedings by
the university.
8.2
General assignment numbers
There are two assignments, namely, 01 and 02.
8.2.1
Unique assignment numbers
Assignment 01 – 811871
Assignment 02 – 721056
8.2.2
Due dates for assignments
Assignment 01 – 30 May 2019
Assignment 02 – 2 September 2019
17
8.3
Submission of assignments
You may submit written assignments either by post or electronically via myUnisa. Assignments
may not be submitted by fax or e-mail.
For detailed information on assignments, please refer to the my Studies @ Unisa brochure.
To submit an assignment via myUnisa:
Go to myUnisa.
Log in with your student number and password.
Select the module.
Click on assignments in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.
Click on the assignment number you wish to submit.
Follow the instructions on the screen.
8.4
Assignments
Assignment 01
Due date: 30 May 2019
Unique number: 811871
“Economic development is more than just economic growth.’ Critically assess this
statement. (50)
Assignment 02
Due date: 2 September 2019
Unique number: 721056
Explain the different factors that influence the state of health in developing countries.
Make use of suitable examples and cases to justify your answer. (50)
9
THE EXAMINATION
9.1
Examination admission
There are two assignments for this module and both assignments contribute towards the year
and final marks. You must have a minimum year mark of 40% to gain admission to the
examination.
For general examination guidelines and examination preparation guidelines, please refer to the
my Studies @ Unisa brochure.
18
ECS4867/101
9.2
Examination period
This module is offered as a year module. The examination will be written in January 2020.
During the course of the year, the examination section will provide you with information
regarding the examination in general, examination venues, examination dates and examination
times.
9.3
Examination paper
The examination consists of a two-hour paper and is marked out of 100. There are two subsections to the paper.
Question one: Short questions
•
•
•
These are short questions only.
Consists of four short questions for 10 marks each.
All questions are compulsory.
Question two: Essay questions
•
•
•
These consist of essay-type questions.
You are given a choice here. You have to answer two out of three essay questions.
Each essay question counts 30 marks.
As the content of this module is new and is based on a different textbook, there are no copies of
previous examination papers available. Refer to the Study Guide for examples of the types of
questions that may be asked.
10
CONCLUSION
Do not hesitate to contact your lecturers by email if you are experiencing problems with the
content of this tutorial letter or any aspect of the module.
I wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the learning material and trust that you
will complete the module successfully.
Enjoy the journey!
Prof P Lalthapersad-Pillay
Ms K Noche
19