PLD1116 — Institution and Development | Chương trình đào tạo NEU
PLD1116 — Institution and Development
Credits
3
Self-study hours
90
Showing intake
K68-2026
Course description
This course introduces students in the International Development program to the role of institutions in shaping development outcomes across countries, particularly in developing contexts. It examines how formal and informal institutions influence incentives, governance, and economic performance in developing contexts. Attention is given to property rights as a foundation for investment, growth, and inclusive development. The course explores social capital, including emerging forms of digital social capital, and their implications for participation and accountability. Corruption is analyzed as a critical institutional challenge in international development practice. The course also studies institutional evolution within political and social contexts and evaluates how institutional quality affects poverty, inequality, and sustainable development.
- Overview of institutions
- Property rights in development
- Social capital
- Corruption
- Institutions and poverty
- Evolutions of institutions and implications for reforms
Course requirements
Requirements for Final Examination
Attendance score must be at least 5 (according to University regulations).
Final Exam is an open-book exam. So, students can use notes, books or other paper materials (materials must not contain answers or instructions for the questions, etc…, including but not limited to mock-test, etc.) without the use of any electronic devices.
Requirements for Class Attendance
Class participation points will be based on general class attendance, contribution in class and compliance with the class rules clarified below
Poor class attendance, little contribution in class or non-compliance with class rules will result in a poor class participation grade.
Requirements for In-class Behaviour
Be punctual! Late attendance may be counted as absence
Come prepared – read the documents assigned
Turn off cell phones during the session
Do not engage in individual discussions
No food allowed
Be polite and professional
No tolerance for academic cheating
Lecturers
Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Ngoc Son
Dr. Nguyen Van Dai
Teaching plan
Week 1
Lecture 1 (Introduction to institutions)
1.1 Basic Definitions
1.2 Types of Institutions
References
[1], [2]
Activities
Lecturer: Introduce syllabus, textbooks, references, software, slides; Deliver theory lectures; Guide reading; Require review of prerequisite courses; Require preview of examples, questions, exercises for lecture 1.
Students: Review syllabus, read assigned materials, revise prerequisites.
Assessment
Attendance
Week 2
Lecture 2 (Introduction to institutions)
1.3 Functions of Institutions
1.4 Analytical Frameworks for Assessing Institutional Impacts on Development Outcomes
References
[1], [2], [3], [4] [5], [10], [29]
Activities
Lecturer: Lecturing
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, answer questions in lecture 2 slides, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Week 3
Lecture 3 (Property rights)
2.1 Basic Definitions
2.2 Essential Characteristics of Property Rights
2.3 The Role of Property Rights in Development
References
[6], [7], [8], [11], [12], [13]
Activities
Lecturer: Lecturing
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, answer questions in lecture 3 slides, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Learning resources
1. Course Books
. Institutional Economics: Social Order and Public Policy. Elgar. (Wolfgang Kasper và Manfred E. Streit (1998) — Kasper, W., & Streit, M. E., 2012
. Why nations fail: The origins of power — Acemoglu, D., & Robinson, J. A., prosperity and poverty. Profile Books, 2013
2. References
. The evolution of institutional economics. Routledge — Hodgson, G. M., 2004
. Social institutions and norms in the developing world. IDE Research Bulletin. Institute of Developing Economies — Kudo, Y., & Makino, M., Japan External Trade Organization. https://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Reports/Rb/2019/2018240017.html, 2020
. The role of institutions in development. The World Bank Economic Review — Van Arkadie, B., 3(suppl_1), 1989
. The sociology of property rights. Annual Review of Sociology — Carruthers, B. G., & Ariovich, L., 30(1), 2004
. Property rights and economic development. In Handbook of development economics (Vol. 5, pp. 4525-4595). Elsevier — Besley, T., & Ghatak, M., 2010
. Intellectual Property Rights and Economic Development: historical lessons and emerging issues. Journal of human development — Chang, H. J., 2(2), 2001
. Institutions as a fundamental cause of long-run growth. Handbook of economic growth — Acemoglu, D., Johnson, S., & Robinson, J. A., 1, 2005
. Institutions and development: a critical review — Jütting, J., 2003
. Better land access for the rural poor: Lessons from experience and challenges ahead. IIED — Cotula, L., Toulmin, C., & Quan, J., 2006
. Property rights for poverty reduction. New York — Meinzen-Dick, R., Kameri-Mbote, P., & Markelova, H., NY, 2009
. Land and property rights: Junior Farmer Field and Life School — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations., facilitator’s guide. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/4/i1896e/i1896e00.htm, 2010
Week 4
Seminar 1: Debate
Activities
Lecturer: moderation
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Assessment
Attendance-critical thoughts
Week 5
Lecture 4 (Social capital and development)
3.1 Main Approaches to Social Capital
References
[14], [15], [16]
Activities
Lecturer: Lecturing
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, answer questions in lecture 4 slides, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Week 6
Lecture 5 (Social capital and development)
3.2 Digital Social Capital
3.3 The Role of Social Capital in Development
References
[17], [18], [19], [20], [21]
Activities
Lecturer: Lecturing
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, answer questions in lecture 5 slides, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Week 7
Lecture 6 (Corruption)
4.1 Concept and Forms of Corruption
4.2 Impacts of Corruption
4.3 Strategies to Combat Corruption
References
[22], [23], [24], [26], [27]
Activities
Lecturer: Lecturing
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, answer questions in lecture 6 slides, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Week 8
Seminar 2: Debate on corruption/social capital
Activities
Lecturer: moderation
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Assessment
Attendance/critical thoughts
Week 9
Lecture 7 (Institutions and poverty)
5.1 Global Evidence on Institutions and Poverty
5.2 Institutional Mechanisms that Generate Poverty and Negative Feedback Loops
5.3 Persistence and Reproduction of Poverty-Inducing Institutions
References
[22], [23], [24]
Activities
Lecturer: Lecturing
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, answer questions in lecture 7 slides, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Week 10
Midterm Assessment
References
[14], [15], [16] [17], [18], [19], [20], [21]
Activities
Lecturer: Lecturing
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, answer questions for case study analysis. The students get ready for midterm test 1 (60 minutes).
Assessment
Essay
Week 11
Lecture 11 (Institution, politics and development)
6.1 Institutional Evolution and Politics
6.2 Political Conflict, Path Dependence, and Institutional Change
References
[1], [2]
Activities
Lecturer: Lecturing
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, answer questions in lecture 7 slides, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Week 12
Lecture 12 (Institution, politics and development)
6.3 Contemporary Institutional Reforms and Their Impacts: The Case of Vietnam, China and South Korea
References
[28], [29], [30]
Activities
Lecturer: Lecturing
Students: Read materials in advance, attend roll call, answer questions in lecture 7 slides, participate in group and plenary discussions.
Week 13
Lecture 13
Activities
Lecturer: moderation role
Students: Presentation, feedback and answer
Assessment
Group presentation
Week 14
Lecture 14
Activities
Lecturer: moderation role
Students: Presentation, feedback and answer
Assessment
Group presentation
Week 15
Seminar 3
Activities
- Sub-scores released
- Wrap-up, rehearsal and Q&A
Final Examination (Entire content)
Activities
See Appendix 1 (Exam Matrix)
Assessment
Essay exam
. Vốn xã hội và phát triển — Nguyễn Quý Thanh, Nhà xuất bản Đại học quốc gia, 2016
. Social capital and development: The coming agenda. SAIS review — Fukuyama, F., 22(1), 2002
. Social trust and economic development: The case of South Korea. Edward Elgar Publishing — Kwon, O. Y., 2019
. The analysis of social capital in digital environments: a social investment approach — Kwon, K. H., 2018
. Social capital and economic development in a large and multi-ethnic developing country: Evidence from indonesia. Asian Development Review — Suryahadi, A., Rishanty, A., & Sparrow, R., 41(02), 2024
. Social capital and community development. Community development journal — Dhesi, A. S., 35(3), 2000
. The role of social capital in development: An empirical assessment. Cambridge university press — Grootaert, C., & Van Bastelaer, T. (Eds.)., 2002
. Building community resilience in a context of climate change: The role of social capital. Ambio — Carmen, E., Fazey, I., Ross, H., Bedinger, M., Smith, F. M., Prager, K., ... & Morrison, D., 51(6), 2022
. Corruption in developing countries. Annu. Rev. Econ — Olken, B. A., & Pande, R., 4(1), 2012
. Does corruption affect income inequality and poverty?. Economics of governance — Gupta, S., Davoodi, H., & Alonso-Terme, R., 3(1), 2002
. Corruption — Beekman, G., investments and contributions to public goods (Ch. 4) and Corruption and economic activity (Ch. 5). In Local institutions and rural development: Evidence from Liberia (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Wageningen University. https://edepot.wur.nl/360259, 2015
. World Public Sector Report 2019: Sustainable development goal 16: Focus on public institutions (ST/ESA/PAD/SER.E/213). United Nations. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3822939/files/UNPAN99332.pdf — United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs., 2019
. Anti-corruption and poverty alleviation: Evidence from China. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization — Han, L., Li, X., & Xu, G., 203, 2022
. Consequences of corruption at the sector level and implications for economic growth and development — Soreide, T., Estache, A., Hallak, J., Le Billon, P., Poisson, M., Somville, V., & Vian, T., 2014
. Formal and informal institutions and development. World Development — Casson, M. C., Della Giusta, M., & Kambhampati, U. S., 38(2), 2010
World Bank. (2025, May 22). Maintaining momentum for institutional reforms and promoting greener development can help Viet Nam achieve high-income status by 2045 [Press release]. World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/05/22/maintaining-momentum-for-institutional-reforms-and-promoting-greener-development-can-help-viet-nam-achieve-high-income-s
. Institutional reform for public administration in contemporary Viet Nam. UNDP — Painter, M., Hà, H. H., & Chu, Q. K. (Eds.)., 2009
3. Other resources available at the University Library