Economic Change and Development

The program in SECD studies the political economy of global uneven development. examining the interaction of firms, states, interstate institutions, social movements, and environment in the process of uneven development. Linkages between SECD and other programs within the Sociology Department are therefore very important. Many students have obtained grants for preparatory and dissertation fieldwork from organizations such as the Social Science Research Council and private foundations. Core courses provide an overview of the study of uneven development, its social and demographic bases, and basic methodologies for its study. Core seminars cover basic theoretical approaches to global political economy and the central debates in the field. Seminars allow pursuit of specialized aspects of the field, including specific area studies. Faculty participate in many area centers at the University of Wisconsin (Latin American and Iberian Studies, African Studies, Languages and Cultures of Asia, Southeast Asian Studies, East Asian Studies, European Studies, the Land Tenure Center and Development Studies, International Industrial Relations, and the Global Studies Research Program).