African Programme on Rethinking Development Economics

http://www.ifas.org.za/aporde/

I recieved a notice about another educational institute which is open for applications.

The African Programme on Rethinking Development Economics (APORDE)  is an annual two-week training conference held in South Africa. It calls for innovation in the way we think of African economies.

An excerpt of the Programme:

APORDE allows talented academics, policy makers and trade unionists to gain access to alternatives to mainstream thinking on development issues and to be equipped in a way that will foster original thinking. Participants receive intensive high-level training, interact with some of the best development economists in the world and with other participants from Southern Africa and beyond.

The decision to organise APORDE in South Africa is motivated by the vibrant local demand (and active search) for alternatives to the neoliberal orthodoxy and by its geographic proximity to other African countries. Moreover, the availability of local (academic and other) resources has facilitated the organisation of the programme, allowing it to become a regular exercise. The decision was taken to draw on local academics so that they could interact with international scholars. APORDE will build public sector, civil society and research capacity in economics and economic policy-making in Africa. The policy impact of APORDE will be difficult to assess, but it should be significant if participants are selected in a strategic way and if the programme is well run.

Some examples of previous seminar modules at APORDE:

  • The Market, the State and Institutions in Economic Development
  • Resource Mobilisation, Taxation and Fiscal Policy in LDCs
  • Macroeconomics of Emergence

This initiative provides a valuable network of collaboration. The sovereignty of African markets depends on the work done between African countries, and collaboration between different stakeholders is imperative. In addition, APORDE also encourages research. Initiatives built with little resources learn how to be sustainable. Measuring this learning and feeding it into policy initiatives is what organizations like APORDE should be supported for.

What you will need to apply for APORDE:

  • A completed application form;
  • An official transcript of the two highest university qualifications obtained (showing courses taken and grades);
  • Two reference letters, where possible 1 academic and 1 professional, which should be sent directly to aporde@ifas.org.za or faxed to +27 11 836 5850;
  • Proof of English proficiency for applicants whose main medium of instruction or work is not English. Results of standard English proficiency tests (e.g. TOEFL or IELTS) will be preferable, but other proof may also be accepted (e.g. a sample of written work in English.

Applications, accompanied by a covering letter indicating the applicant’s full contact details (including e-mail address and telephone numbers), should be sent to aporde@ifas.org.za to the attention of Nicolas Pons–Vignon.

Source: APORDE admissions webpage

(Thanks BK!)

Previous ArticleNext Article
Al-Amin founded Vijana FM in 2009. With over a decade of experience in communications, design and operations, he now runs a digital media consulting agency - Lateral Labs - in Dar-es-Salaam.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Send this to a friend