2.0

credits

Average Course Rating

What would development be without the private sector? Companies produce consumer goods, provide vital infrastructure, (clean) energy, enable access to finance, and, most importantly, offer employment. This course aims to broaden students’ perspective on development and take a critical look at the social and environmental contribution of large private sector companies in Latin America and the Caribbean (or Latin American companies investing globally). Private sector participation in the extractive industries, agribusiness, manufacturing, and (renewable) infrastructure can do both harm and good. Companies invest in social impact for business reasons, because of international labor, social and environmental risks and related standards (safeguards), or because they see the need to invest sustainably in the communities where they operate. In this six-week, two-credit course, students will learn to critically analyze the risks and opportunities of private sector engagement in development, both through class lectures and from private sector guest speakers. Different methodologies used in corporate reporting and impact measurement will also be covered. As the main course output, students will choose a project case of an existing large corporate investment in Latin America and the Caribbean (or LAC global investment) and assess in a group assignment its social and/or environmental footprint reaching beyond Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). <a href="http://bit.ly/1bebp5s" target="_blank">Click here to see evaluations, syllabi, and faculty bios</a>