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The Need for a Course on International Development

in Community Colleges

AFACCT - 22nd Annual Conference January 6, 2012

Presenter: S. Sengamalay, MPA (Harvard), CPA. Adjunct Prof. of Accounting

Montgomery College, Rockville

Session 6.8 (11:40 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.) e-mail: sengaksg02@yahoo.com

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Topics for Presentation Why Teach International Development in Community Colleges? What is International Development? Origins of International Development as a “Body of Ideas” Key Players in the International Development Arena Millennium Development Goals Steps needed for inclusion in curriculum Q & A

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Why Teach International Development in Community Colleges? – Background

Theme of this year’s AFACCT Conference states, “Engaging the New Community College Student Demographic” is our challenge

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Why Teach International Development in Community Colleges? – Background (Contd.)

"In times of change, it is the learners who will inherit the earth, while the learned will find themselves beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists"

(Source: AACC Mission Statement includes this quotation

from Eric Hoffer, famous American social writer)

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Why Teach International Development in Community

Colleges? – Background (Contd.)

“The flexibility of community colleges will be tested in the future as never before. Time will tell whether the pressures upon community colleges transform them in fundamental ways or elicit minor adjustments. Community colleges' history of ingenuity and resiliency makes them strong contenders for the 21st century.”

(Source: National Profile of Community Colleges; Trends and Statistics, Phillippe & Patton, 2000)

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Why Teach International Development in Community Colleges? – Background

(Contd.)

“Community colleges have made a significant contribution to expanding educational opportunities. Attendance at one of these institutions is associated with higher wages, even if a degree is not completed. Evidence suggests that each year of credit at a community college is worth almost as much in terms of increased earnings potential, as a year at a four-year college.”

(Mr. Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve quoted in AACC website)

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Findings of an AACU Survey of Employers in January 2010

Over 65% of the employers said that two and four year colleges should place more emphasis on: (i) Understanding global context of situations,

(ii) Global issues’ implications for future,

(iii) Understanding the role of U.S. in the world, and

(iv) Knowledge of cultural diversity in the U.S./world

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Rationale for Teaching International Development

1. Gap in Existing CoursesExisting Courses:

Economics Accounting Business Finance International Business International Studies International Relations Introduction to Political Science, and Politics of the 3rd World

Gap - If at all, these courses barely scratch the surface on International Development

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Rationale for Teaching International Development

2. Complement Current Program

MC 2011-12 Faculty Handbook:“The International Education Program has been developed to bring

greater awareness of the world cultures to the College and wider communities, and to encourage a global perspective through the internationalization of the College curriculum.”

Course will: Enhance cultural awareness of our students and the wider

community, and

Bring about a greater appreciation for the inter-dependent global environment in which we live and work and the crucial connectivity in the global economy

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Rationale for Teaching International Development

3. Diversity of Student Population MC 2011-12 Faculty Handbook: “the largest credit-enrollment of any community college in

Maryland and the second largest undergraduate enrollment among all colleges and universities in Maryland.”

“the College also has great international appeal as approximately 175 countries are represented in its extremely diverse student body.”

Study in international development, with the wealth of knowledge in the field of global development assistance, would further enrich the student knowledge and skill set.

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Rationale for Teaching International Development

4. Pioneering Initiative in Community CollegesMC 2011–12 Faculty Handbook: “Montgomery College is one of the oldest in

Maryland and one of the largest and most diverse in the nation. In 2007, it earned national acclaim when the New York Times named the institution one of the top 11 community colleges in the country”

An introductory course in international development would be a pioneering endeavor and a huge plus in preparing our students to enter 4 year colleges

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Rationale for Teaching International Development5. Engaging the New Student Demographic

Maryland has one of the most diverse native and immigrant populations, partly due to its proximity to Washington D.C., the nation’s capital.

As the theme of this Conference reveals, it is a major challenge to engage constructively such a student population and community.

A course in international development would be a key element in facing this challenge successfully by the Faculty and enhancing the competitiveness of our work force.

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Rationale for Teaching International Development

6. Agility/Relevance in Facing Dynamic World Vision Statement – Montgomery College: “With a sense of urgency for the future, Montgomery College

will be a national model of educational excellence, opportunity, and student success. Our organization will be characterized by agility and relevance as it meets the dynamic challenges facing our students and community.”

Hard to identify a course more relevant than international development for inclusion in the curriculum of a leading institution of higher learning.

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Rationale for Teaching International Development

7. Developing Country Students’ Contribution

Students from developing countries are generally expected to have been exposed to at least some of the development projects in their home countries funded by global donor agencies.

Sharing of experiences from such projects by these students with their other developing and developed country counterparts in the class room would enrich the learning process enormously.

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Rationale for Teaching International Development

8. Collaboration and Increased Career Opportunities in Global Institutions for our

StudentsThe presence of several global development

institutions, such as the IMF, World Bank, USAID, IADB, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and others in Washington, D.C.

New career opportunities, such as internship will open up for our students who possess international development as an additional knowledge base and skill set.

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What is International Development ?

Provision of Development Assistance from rich developed countries to less developed ones based on the belief of inter-dependency among nations and that such assistance would be beneficial to people in all countries. It primarily involves grassroots development in key sectors in the economy - agriculture, rural and urban development, education, population, health, nutrition and poverty alleviation, infrastructure, energy and environment , etc.

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What constitutes Development Assistance ?

Assistance in the Form of: Financial Transfers Economic Technical Humanitarian Other Mutually agreed help of any type between countries and donor organizations

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Appeals for Development Assistance

“Development assistance isn’t just good for people in poor countries; it’s good for all of us” (Bill Gates from an Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post on 11/2/11)

“If the Korean miracle could be replicated (i.e. transformation of a country from aid-dependent to aid donor), in a generation, we can end global aid” (Tony Blair in an op-ed piece in Washington Post on 11/27/11)

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International Development as a Separate Body of Ideas

Humanitarian, Emergency and Military assistance among nations have been there for hundreds of years

Theory and practice of International Development formally began to take shape during and soon after WW II

Now it is a multi-Billion Dollar endeavor encompassing the entire globe and affecting millions of people

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Atlantic Charter of August 9-12, 1941

“Statement of War and Peace” signed secretly on board a ship in the North Atlantic between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill included following two principles: Freedom from want and fear, and Improved economic and social conditions for all

The Charter became the Precursor to the Bretton Woods Agreement of July 1944 and Guiding Manifesto of the United Nations in 1945

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“Bretton Woods Conference” of July 1944

United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference 44 Allied Nations gathered in Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods Village, New Hampshire and signed agreement System of monetary management and established the rules for commercial and financial relations among countries

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Bretton Woods Conference (Contd.)

Mount Washington Hotel,New Hampshire

John Maynard Keynes (right) represented the U.K. and Harry Dexter White the U.S.

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Main Movers – U.S. and U.K

Victors in WW II (in July 1944) presided over the Bretton Woods Conference Shaped the rules and regulations governing monetary and economic polices of countries US delegation over-ruled many of the proposals from the UK UK and others finally agreed on a mutually beneficial system

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The Bretton Woods Institutions

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

International Bank for Reconstruction

and Development (IBRD) – commonly

called The World Bank Group

Both became operational in 1945

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Keynes on the Success of the Bretton Woods Conference

“If the institutions stayed true to their founding principles, the brotherhood of man will have become more than a phrase.”

(John Maynard Keynes who led the UK delegation)

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IMF and World Bank International

Monetary Fund (IMF) The World Bank Group

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The Marshall Plan(The European Recovery Program)

“It is logical that the United States should do whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health to the world, without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace.”

(George Marshall, then U.S. Secretary of State, in a major speech to the graduating class of Harvard University on June 5, 1947)

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What did the Marshall Plan do?

“Beginning in 1948, the Marshall Plan provided Europe with about $850 billion to recover from WW II. The Marshall Plan built confidence.”

(Robert Samuelson in an OP-Ed piece in the Washington Post on 11/04/11)

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Final Impetus for International Development

“We must embark on a bold new program for making the benefits of our scientific advances and industrial progress available for the improvement and growth of under-developed areas. The old imperialism - exploitation for foreign profit - has no place in our plans. What we envisage is a program of development based on the concept of democratic fair dealing.”

(President Harry Truman reaffirmed his country’s commitment to International Development in his inaugural address on January 20, 1949)

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Key Players in International Development (IMF)

IMF - an inter-governmental organization that:

oversees global financial system, and guides macro-economic policies of its members, in particular

those with an impact on exchange rate and the balance of payments

IMF’s objectives are: stabilize international exchange rates and facilitate development through neo-liberal economic policies.

(Source: Bob Davis,2010-05-03 -WSJ.com)

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Key Players in International Development (Contd.)

The World Bank Group (Objective - reducing poverty and facilitating economic growth in developing countries.

The International Development Association (IDA)

The International Finance Corporation (IFC)

The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and

  The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment

Disputes (ICSID)

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The International Development Association (IDA)

IDA is the “concessional arm” of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries.

Established in 1960, IDA aims to reduce poverty by providing

interest-free credits and grants for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities and improve people’s living conditions.

IDA complements IBRD, World Bank’s other lending arm which serves middle-income countries.

IBRD and IDA share the same staff and headquarters and evaluate projects with the same rigorous standards.

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The International Finance Corporation (IFC)

IFC promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.

IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, DC.

Established in 1956, IFC is the largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing for private sector projects in the developing world.

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United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

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IFC and USAID

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International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Harry S. Truman Building HQ - U.S. State Department

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Leading Regional Development Banks

African Development Bank (AfDB) - TunisAsian Development Bank (ADB), ManilaEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and

Development (EBRD) - LondonInter-American Development Bank (IADB)

– Washington, DC

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Other Major Actors in Global Development Assistance

United Nations Development Program (UNDP)Other UN Specialized Agencies (e.g. FAO, WHO,

IFAD, UNESCO)Other Multi-Lateral Financial Institutions (e.g.

EIB, IFAD, IDB)Bi-Lateral Aid Agencies (e.g. USAID, GTZ, CIDA)Private Charitable Foundations (e.g. Gates,

Ford)

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Comparison of Official Development Assistance by G -7 Countries

Country 2008 2009 2010 2010 ( %) % of GNI2010

USA 26,437 28,831 30,154 34% 0.20%

United Kingdom 11,500  11,283  13,763 16% 0.57%

France 10,908 12,600 12,916 14% 0.50%

Germany 13,981 12,079  12,723 14% 0.38%

Japan 9,601  9,457 11,045 12% 0.20%

Canada 4,795 4,000  5,132 6% 0.36%

Italy 4,861  3,297 3,111 4% 0.17%

G-7 Total 82,081 81,548  88,844  100% Target 0.7%

Norway 4,006  4,086  4,582 1.10%

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Top Five Private Charitable Foundations

Rank Organization Country Headquarters Endowment

1 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

 United States Seattle, Washington

$36.7 billion

2 Stichting INGKA Foundation

 Netherlands Leiden, Netherlands

$36 billion

3 Wellcome Trust  United Kingdom London $22.90 billion

4 Howard Hughes Medical Institute

 United States Chevy Chase, Maryland

$14.8 billion

5 Ford Foundation  United States New York City $13.8 billion

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Some Sad Global Matters of Fact (2010)

1.2 billion go hungry – 7 out of 10 of them are women and girls.

Millions of children start school but drop out without even basic literacy

536,000 women and girls die each year during pregnancy, childbirth or six weeks following delivery – 99% of them occur in developing countries

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Sad Global Matters of Fact (Contd.)

2/3rd of those with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa - Most of them are women 1.2 billion people lack access to basic sanitation - Vast majority of them live in rural areas Aid to the poorest countries falls far short of the 2010 target Women hold 18 per cent of seats in parliament

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Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – Set by UN in 2000

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

Goal 5: I mprove maternal health

Goal 6: Combat HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

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What Development Assistance is all about

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Ultimately, Development Assistance is all about putting a smile on a poor and needy child’s face

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Steps Needed for Inclusion in Curriculum

1. Prepare paper on International Development and Rationale for teaching it (x)

2. Distribute among Faculty and Administrators and obtain feedback (x)

3. Present Proposal at the AFACCT Conference and solicit/obtain support (x)

4. Home for the Course ? (Business, Economics, History, International Studies, Political Science)

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Steps in the Process (Contd.)

5. Explore potential for collaboration with International Institutions

6. Explore possible acceptance by four-year colleges7. Submit formally to College Curriculum

Committee for review and approval 8. Submit to College Higher Management for

approval 9. Formalize introduction of course in Montgomery

College