Course Description

Our contemporary world has been experiencing unprecedented economic and technological developments. However, its consequential effects on human beings are considerable and cannot be taken for granted. The courses on social problems are designed to examine some of the most relevant effects of such development from different perspectives. In this course, the topics include the problem of environment and agriculture that affects the lives of the people. The course focuses on causes, effects and solutions to the practical issues identified in the community by the learners. The topics include but not limited to water pollution, air pollution, rain forest destruction, global warming, irrigation and unsafe use of chemical means for production.

This course introduces students to the methods and philosophy of modern statistical data analysis and inference, with a particular focus on applications in development studies. An introductory discussion of normal and binomial distributions, sampling distributions, inference from small and large samples, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and linear regression models. The course has a strong emphasis on the theory and methods required for carrying out statistical data analysis. By the end of the course, students should be able to use tables to organize and summarize data, use graphics to present statistical information, and basic empirical investigation on certain issues in the development studies.

The aim of the unit of study is to introduce students to the ways in which community development theories and models can be applied in the context of human rights, particularly in the welfare and human service sectors. The unit begins with an examination of United Nations and other international conventions and covenants on human rights, including specific covenants on social, educational, employment rights and rights of women, minorities and children. International observance and problems in the implementation, of human rights are then examined, with particular reference to the Asia Pacific region. Specific human rights problems in the educational, welfare and employment contexts are discussed and related to strategies and models of community development and advocacy.

This course will begin by introducing students to the origins of different economic thoughts so that students will be able to identify the grand theories where the current economic ideas are embedded in. After that, the evolution of different economic paradigms based on world historical timelines will be presented. This part will start from the knowledge of different sources of wealth from Pre-Classical Thought, to the Classical School, to the Development of Macroeconomics, and to Institutional Economics. Then, the course will discuss dominant economic policies (from protectionism to liberalism), structural adjustment program, poverty reduction, institutional development (institutional economics) up to now Poverty Reduction Strategic Plan and good governance. The course will discuss how different historical timelines contribute to the change in economic development paradigms and how this change contributes to the economic policies and why. By dealing with all these, it is expected that students will have a broad spectrum of knowledge on diversity of economic thoughts. This course will serve as a pre-requisite for all economic courses.

This course introduces the key elements of the scholarly debates and analytical tools of Gender and Development, including the theories around gender and empowerment, and contemporary approaches to gender equity and mainstreaming. This is done through a balance of thought-provoking regional and sectoral case studies from different cultural contexts including South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific regions. The approach is critical, bottom-up, and inclusive. A key question that will be addressed through the course is that despite the sophistication of scholarly understanding of gender and inequality, why it is still difficult to fully address gender issues in development projects and programs. By the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate a critical appreciation of the key concepts and approaches in gender policy and analysis.

The foundations of economic theory and empirical researches are based on mathematical models. Thus, a thorough understanding of the economic content is not possible without a clear understanding of the mathematical concepts that underpin the modeling and empirical techniques. This course introduces students to a range of mathematical concepts and techniques that form the basis of techniques used in theoretical and empirical works. The concepts and techniques will be introduced along with real examples by using standard applications from economics. This course will equip students with math techniques, which are useful in other courses such as Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Statistics, and Econometrics.

Macroeconomics is concerned with the operation of the economy as a whole, with attention paid to such things as unemployment, inflation, and interest rates, determination of the level of national income, savings and investment, and the exchange rate and the current account of the balance of payments. This course provides a basic understanding of macroeconomic framework for policy analysis. By the end of the course, students should be able to explore the interactions of key macroeconomic variables and examine the impacts of different kinds of shocks to the economy. Students should also be able to analyze macroeconomic issues from the perspective of the role of government budgetary and monetary policy in influencing the level of economic activity.

Our contemporary world has been experiencing unprecedented economic and technological developments. However, its consequential effects on human beings are considerable and cannot be taken for granted. The courses on social problems are designed to examine some of the most relevant effects of such development from different perspectives. In this course, learners are introduced to these two fundamental rights of human – that is rights to education and health care. In addition, the access and quality of these two services will be examined theoretically and contextually.

This course is the advanced level of statistical analysis. It gives students opportunities to understand the inferential statistics, including hypothesis testing, correlation analysis, T-test and the like. This course will enable students to interpret data with a higher degree of complications in social problems and a better communication in academic profession.

The course equips students with microeconomics so that they can understand another brand of economics at a smaller scale. They will understand the behavior of individual modern households and firms in making decisions to allocate limited resources. Students will examine how these decisions and behavior affect the supply and demand for goods and services, which determines prices, and how prices in return determine the quantity supply and demand of goods and services.

This course provides an introduction to econometric methods and its applications. Its theoretical framework is based on standard linear regression theory, but the course emphasizes economic applications and hands-on data analysis using modern computer software. Topics studied will include the properties of least squares estimators, hypothesis testing, prediction, the choice of appropriate functional form, the use of dummy variables, and 'problems' such as heteroskedasticity and serial correlation. Microeconomic and macroeconomic applications will be used to illustrate the empirical relevance of each topic.

The objective of this course is to enable students to apply economic principles in agricultural research and rural development. The course is designed to offer knowledge related to Agricultural Economics in four main themes: (1) scope and nature of the discipline of agricultural economics; (2) fundamentals of economic concepts in agriculture; (3) role of agriculture in economic development; and (4) business of farming: agribusiness plan development. The course will begin by introducing the concept, nature and scope of agricultural economics and how agricultural development was widened between rich and poor countries and its associated problems. After that, the course will examine economic concepts in farming, including agricultural demand and supply, factors determining agricultural product prices (elasticity), production cost curve, theory of diminishing return, land and labour etc. Then, agricultural trade theory will be introduced with some consideration of agricultural food and policy interventions in pursuit. Finally, the course will present a case study on agribusiness plan development.

Our contemporary world has been experiencing unprecedented economic and technological developments. However, its consequential effects on human beings are considerable and cannot be taken for granted. The courses on social problems are designed to examine some of the most relevant effects of such development from different perspectives. This course will introduce a more cross-cutting issues related to youth and gender. Topics include but not limited to social crimes, drugs and unemployment from family, community and social environment and perspectives.

This course examines theoretically and practically the roles of the citizens and the state in nation building. In so doing, the course focuses on duties and rights of these binding parties in the processes of the development of the country. In addition, the course also focuses on the rights of the citizens to participate in monitoring the processes of community and national development carried out by the state.

This course equips students with knowledge, skills and tools to design a basic research proposal. It provides a comprehensive overview of the research process from project design and management to the effective communication of results. It is also meant to introduce students to research and project management skills that are critical to both the employment opportunities of many graduates and to the successful conduct of academic research. Students also learn the research process; research proposal development; ethical issues; research design and project management; sampling; research methods and data sources; interpreting results; and communicating research results.

This course is the advanced level of Microeconomics I. However, students will be engaged in most up-to-date development issues at a deeper and more analytical level. The aim of the course is three-fold. First, it aims to develop students’ interest in economic and development issues by discussing most updated issues in Cambodia and around the world. Second, it improves students’ analyzing ability and discussion skills by engaging in current and practical issues. Third, it enhances students’ habit of analyzing news related to development issues at micro level.

Built on Econometrics I, this course provides more in-depth understanding about econometric methods and its applications. Its theoretical framework is based on time-series regression and emphasizes economic applications and hands-on data analysis using modern computer software. The topics touched in the course will be useful for empirical works on macroeconomic variables, such as exchange rate, inflation and interest rate. By the end of the course, students should be able to understand and conduct basic empirical works based on time-series data.

Why are some countries rich and others poor? The course aims to answer this question by examining diverse frameworks for economic development of different nations, particularly the newly industrialized and emerging economies. This course is an introduction to the analysis of economic growth, including a comparison of competing explanations within formal growth theory. It considers the connection between growth and distribution, growth and technical progress, the role of economic policies and economic institutions in promoting growth as well as the limitations on growth associated with exhaustible natural resources. In addition, the role of institutions in economic development is discussed by drawing examples of countries under varied economic systems and development strategies.

This course focuses upon the potential to integrate economic and environmental policies at the local and provincial scales. Local initiatives are investigated within their wider economic and environmental policy contexts in order to illustrate both the constraints and opportunities for local policy makers. Attention is given to global economic trends, as well as to the specific policy contexts of the ASEAN and the national contexts of Singapore, Thailand, China, and Vietnam. The key principles for designing integrative policies and descriptions of initiatives and projects in a variety of locations are also considered.

This course equips students with knowledge, skills and tools to write a research report, especially data analysis, literature enhancement, discussion, conclusion and recommendations and policy implications. As writing a thesis and research report requires integrated knowledge and skills, this course is designed to suit undergraduate students. This is one of the prerequisite knowledge and skills before students can enroll in Year Four for a thesis and research report.

Do development projects bring wealth to people and the national economy? Do development projects really bring a better situation than the status quo? What are basic knowledge and tools for understanding these questions? All these will be addressed in this course. The course will offer knowledge to students in four areas. First, the course will introduce the basic knowledge for cost-benefit analysis when initiating a development project. Second, the course will explain some fundamental economic concepts related to the analysis, such as welfare objectives, financial price and economic price, public determinants, control variables and shadow price, present value, future value and net present value, border prices and foreign exchange equivalence, conversion factor, discount factor and discount rate. Thirdly, by knowing all these concepts, investment criteria will be summarized and made understandable for students to practice exercises. Fourthly, this course will orient students on practical case studies so that students are able to apply this discipline in the real world.

Macroeconomics II is concerned with the operation of the economy as a whole, with attention paid to such things as unemployment, inflation, and interest rates, determination of the level of national income, savings and investment, and the exchange rate and the current account of the balance of payments. This course provides a basic understanding of macroeconomic framework for policy analysis. By the end of the course, students should be able to explore the interactions of key macroeconomic variables and examine the impacts of different kinds of shocks to the economy. Students should also be able to analyze macroeconomic issues from the perspective of the role of government budgetary and monetary policy in influencing the level of economic activity.

This course highlights the relation between trade and development from an institutional and structural perspective, with appropriate modifications of received general economic principles, theories and policies. It studies the integration process of traditional segment of a developing society into its modern counterpart in countries selected from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific regions. It examines the roles of the state and international institutions (like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organization), rationale for trade, and planning and market mechanisms in developing economies, and also socio-cultural preconditions and economic requirements for a market economy. It focuses on a wide range of developmental problems and issues from both national and international points of view.

International, national, and local environmental policies have a major economic effect, with the costs and the benefits of policy alternatives being a central issue. This course investigates economic theory and policy in respect of the use and protection of the natural and built environment. Topics include the reasons for pollution and how it might be controlled; the causes of resource degradation and resource management; issues in environmental policy evaluation; international dimensions of environmental problems and environmental economics in action. Students are encouraged to engage in critical and analytical approaches to both problem solving and policy design and evaluation by using their analytical and technical ability learned from Microeconomics I&II and Macroeconomics I&II.

It is a thematic field course that allows students to combine the disciplines they have learnt from the first three years to understand the complexity of development issues in the local context of Cambodia. Students will be assigned into small groups to develop a research problem, conceptual framework and methodology to investigate a development issue of their interest. After presenting their proposal in class, students go to investigate in the field and write a research report after the fieldwork. Students have to do a presentation on their findings at a research seminar at the end of the course.

The course aims to provide an understanding of the role, nature and empirical basis necessary for the development of sound economic policy. The approach would be to begin with around some case studies, focusing where appropriate on the economic principles involved, and paying important attention to the empirical evidence used to develop the policy framework. These would be followed by several sessions motivated by the goal of integrating the material into an overriding framework of economic policy development. The aim of the course is to help equip students with: an understanding of the critical importance of a clear definition of what an economic policy problem is; the skills to help develop useful frameworks with which to analyses economic policy problems; and some capacities to recognize the relevance and limitations of empirical evidence for the definition of a policy problem and its potential solution.

This unit aims to provide an understanding of labor markets and development issues, such as work conditions, wage, and employment levels. Labor supply and demand, theories of wage determination, labor mobility and discrimination are examined. It also analyses the role of trade unions and labor market contracts. The topics are applied to current issues in Cambodia’s labor markets, such as enterprise bargaining, the minimum wage system, training and other labor market programs. The course will also examine policies designed to improve the functioning of the labor market while particular attention is given to the problem of high unemployment, skill shortage, and vocational schools in Cambodia.

Since the early 1990s, there has been an increasing global emphasis upon poverty and the search for means to reduce this condition, which affects up to twenty percent of the total global population. The drive to reduce poverty has become a major international as well as national policy objective. Rapid urbanization and industrialization in many formerly agricultural countries has given rise to unemployment and political disorder. Food shortages, high prices and riots have added to concerns that poverty is becoming more deeply entrenched in some of the poorest countries. This course is intended to give students an understanding of a) the historical character of poverty, including its changing forms, and explanations regarding poverty persistence; b) debates about the measurement of poverty, including the most appropriate measures; and c) the changing methods adopted for poverty alleviation.

The purpose of this course is to provide an analytically informed overview of various economic policies and development in Asian Economies. The economic policies in Japan, South Korea, China and ASEAN countries are the focus of study. These economies contain considerable diversity in terms of resource endowments, policy orientations and economic performance, thereby offering a range of case studies for analysis. The principal themes explored are the economic effects of rapid growth, structural change and changing comparative advantage, and the economic implications of growing regionalization and internationalization of the economies. Economic theory and descriptive analysis are combined to assess and evaluate the economic performance and policies of these countries. By the end of the course, students should have a comprehensive knowledge about various economic policies in the region as well as the causes of failure and success of each policy.

Globalization and its relation to poverty reduction and development are not well understood. This course identifies the ways in which globalization can overcome poverty or make it worse. It defines the big historical trends, identifies main global flows- trade, finance, aid, migration, and ideas- and examines how each can contribute to undermine economic development. By considering what helps and what does not, the course presents policy recommendations to make globalization more effective as a vehicle for shared growth and prosperity. It is for students interested in the effects of globalization in today's economy and in international development issues.

Civil wars attract much less attention than international wars but they are becoming increasingly common and typically go on for years. Where development succeeds, countries become progressively safer from violent conflict, making subsequent development easier. Where development fails countries can become trapped in a vicious circle: war wrecks the economy and increases the risk of further war. This course introduces the conflict and development nexus by discussing through the work by Paul Collier (2003), and World Development Report (2011). By the end of the course, students should have a comprehensive understanding on the negative impact of persistent conflict on a country’s or a region’s development prospects, and note that no low-income, conflict-affected state has yet achieved a single Millennium Development Goal.

In addition to Research Practice I, Research Practice II aims to provide students with first-hand experience in producing research output. Students will be guided to replicate a paper in order to experience the process in research and to polish the empirical methodology. This course will help students to do well in Group Research Report and is a stepping stone for thesis writing.

The course aims to help students to understand the specific elements and tools of project management in development practice and to be able to apply them at least at basic level. The course will provide students with an understanding of the different tools available, their strengths and weaknesses, the reasons for using them, and how they may be applied in different circumstances. This course will take a comparative approach, looking at the experiences in project management from the perspective of different stakeholders such as multilateral organizations, government, donors, contractors, non-government organizations, and beneficiaries. A key component is students’ group work in working through the key issues above and developing their own case study ‘project'. At the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of key terms, concepts in the management of development projects, and be able to design a small-scale development project and contribute to the design of major projects.

This course is designed to enable students to analyze data. SPSS software will be introduced in conjunction with real world data. While students are doing a thesis or research report, the lectures will help them to smoothen the analysis of data.

To partially fulfill the requirement of the degree, less outstanding students are required to write a group research report. Students are required to consult their academic supervisor about the topical theme of their research report at the inception of Semester III. This consultation process takes place throughout the rest of the program. The supervisor approves students’ research report topic and outline. Students are required to attend bi-weekly consultation with their supervisor to discuss progress of their research report.

To partially fulfill the requirement of the degree, outstanding students are allowed to write an individual thesis. Students are required to consult their academic supervisor about the topical theme of their thesis at the inception of Semester III. This consultation process takes place throughout the rest of the program. The supervisor approves students’ thesis topic and outline. Students are required to attend bi-weekly consultation with their supervisor to discuss progress of their thesis.