DPP 551 Development Economics and Policy Analysis

This course explores issues in industrial and agricultural development policies, population and environment, the contribution of international firms to the growth and development process. It seeks to equip students with skills to analyse the concepts of economic growth and development; to equip students with skills to analyse development theories and their relevance to the LDCs; and to equip students with skills to discuss the economic management issues confronting LDCs Financing investment in LDCs

DPP 553 Quantitative Methods for Planners

This course is designed to equip students with the basic analytical and statistical skills relevant to the formulation, implementation, management and evaluation of nation and sectoral measures of central tendency and dispersion, correlation and regression analysis, estimation of parameters and various computer software like EXCEL, SPSS for comprehensive statistical analysis and the presentation of data and macro-economic model building and design shall be emphasized.

DPP 555 Social Dimensions of Development

This course is designed to help students contribute to the sociology to the understanding of society; the impact of socio-economic change on rural communities, urbanisation and urban policy approaches, theories of development (modernization theory, Marxists and Neo-Marxists school, dependency, inequality, poverty and development); Population growth and its relation to development, the social implications of planned change.

DPP 557 Development Planning Process

The nature of planning, private and public planning, planning by governments. The historical development of national planning. The meaning and basic characteristics of the planning process. Stages of the planning process. Grassroot planning, the concept of participation. The role of the planner, the planning process at the national, regional and district level in Ghana, the role of the planning agencies at the district level. The policy of decentralization of the planning system. Fiscal implications of planning at the different levels of government. The implications of the new planning system for administration.

DPP 559 Economic Analysis and Development

The course is intended to introduce participants to some carefully selected economic theories that will enable them to understand, analyse and appreciate problems of economic growth and development especially in LDCs. In preparing this outline, cognizance is taken of the fact that some of the participants have no formal training in economics.

DPP 561 Spatial Dimensions of Development

The course regards the properties of space as an essential variable in socio-economic development of any society. The course also introduces students to the properties of space both as a potential and a constraint. Some of the variables explored include: Space as a continuous rather than a discrete variable, the concept of a region and space economy, types of regions, the rational and theoretical framework for regional planning, spatial organization and the indicators of development, social and environmental problems of the space economy, the state of the space economy of Ghana.

DPP 563 Introduction to GIS for Development Policy Planners

This course introduces the concepts and components of a geographic information system (GIS). It also teaches the essential skills of spatial data management, analysis, and visualization using the ArcGIS software package. Upon completion of this course, students will understand the fundamental concepts of a GIS including spatial data models, spatial analysis, and cartographic principles. They will also gain hands-on training in spatial data collection, editing, transformation, and mapping, as well as spatial analysis operations such as location-based query, address geocoding, terrain and watershed analysis, spatial interpolation, best site selection, least cost path delineation, and a number of other GIS modeling techniques. 

DPP 552 Development Administration and Management

The meaning of the concept of management, management theory and practice, management objectives, establishing performance indicators, procedures and regulations, resource allocation techniques, strategy formulation and implementation, organization and work structuring, problem solving methodology, authority, accountability and responsibility, Planning, Programming and Budgeting System, Finance and Budgeting, employee relations and human resource management, the planning machinery and the institutional framework for development decision making and implementation in Ghana. These workshops are problem oriented, concentrating on several clearly identified policy issues of relevance to Ghana’s current development goals. Each of the policy issues are examined using common analytical approaches.

DPP 554 National Development Seminar and Workshop

The course is divided into two broad sections which reflect the policy and planning character of the Development Policy and Planning Programme. The first section is designed to enable students understand the development planning process operational at the district level. The tasks in this section are structured in a way that students will require data from both primary and secondary sources to meet the desired outputs. The second section builds on students’ understanding of the operational planning process at the district level. In this section, students are challenged to harmonise medium term development planning from some selected districts in a selected region.

DPP 556 Planning Surveys and Research Methods

The course exposes students to principles and techniques for conducting scientific research. It assumes that students have basic knowledge in research methods and therefore builds on that foundation. Students are further exposed to some practical issues in research design and management, the emerging challenges of participatory research and the increasing role of computers in the processing and management of data. It covers different types of research, principles of research design, major schools of thought regarding research approaches, determination of data needs and collection methods, analysis and synthesis of data, report writing and preparation of research proposals.

DPP 558 Project Analysis and Appraisal Methods

The role of projects in the development process. Techniques of project identification and preparation and preparation, feasibility studies, forecasting techniques, choice of technology, scale and location, cost estimation. Financial and commercial appraisal, discounting and investment decision criteria, risk and sensitivity analysis, social and cost benefits analysis, project financing and promotion, Environmental Impact Assessment, Social Impact Assessment, Implementation and Management-network analysis, project monitoring. Ex-post evaluation.

DPP 574 Advance GIS for Development Policy Planners

This course covers advanced topics in understanding and using geographic information systems (GIS). Students learn how to use a global positioning system, perform raster analysis, create and analyze three- dimensional surfaces, visualize geospatial data, and perform advanced spatial analysis. The lectures discuss underlying theory and its implementation in GIS software. The assignments give students the opportunity to learn for themselves how to put that theory into practice, gaining hands-on experience with ArcGIS Desktop from Esri Inc., the most popular GIS software and an industry standard in many fields.

DPP 560 Spatial Development Planning Techniques

The course elaborates on the following understanding: that effective spatial planning is critical to the sustainable management of cities. The need for effective spatial planning in Ghana is evident in the ever-increasing number of informal settlements resulting from the neglect of the spatial dimensions of social and economic proposals in development plans. The purpose of this course therefore is to introduce students to some of the techniques and tools used in spatial analyses and city management.

DPP 562 Spatial Development Policy and Planning

The course is concerned mainly with how human activities in space may promote or inhibit national development; how these activities manifest themselves in various sizes and the distribution of settlement. The focus of the course will be on the settlement policy and planning in the public domain as a response or a guide to individual or private sector locational behaviour. The relationships between national development goals, technical infrastructure policies and settlement policy with case studies selected from developing countries. Ghanaian examples will particular be used wherever applicable. Consequently, the course is a logical sequel of the course “Spatial Dimensions of Development”

DPP 564 Economic Development Planning Techniques

The purpose of the course is to expose the participants to the complexities of economic development which calls for proper planning, by using the appropriate economic techniques. The techniques are based on models in words and symbols. The scope of the course covers perceptions of model planning process and selected techniques of economic planning.

DPP 566 Economic Policy and Planning

Developing Countries need accelerated growth and development if they are to lift their citizens out of absolute poverty. Their governments have the responsibility to design and execute consciously, state policies, aimed at directing the economy towards achieving macroeconomic goals such as economic growth, full employment, balance of payment equilibrium, general price stability and economic equity. The thrust of this course is to discuss the complex processes of macroeconomic growth and the role of economic planning in achieving the goal of the process. The discussions make specific reference to economic planning and implementation problems in developing countries.

DPP 568 Social Policy Analysis

The nature of social policy analysis, the process of analysis in social policy formulation involving the analysis of issues particularly relevant to social policy formulation; Measurement techniques for social policy analysis (income distribution, Lorenz Curve and Gini Coefficient, Real and Money incomes. The problem of international comparisons, the concept of levels of living, the concept of poverty and poverty alleviation strategies. The concept of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness. Employment and under employment. The role of women; women as producers and reproducers. The meaning and use of social indicators, the search for meaningful measures of development, different types of indicators. The Physical Quality of Life Index, the role of social policy division of the National Development Planning Commission.

DPP 570 Social Sector Policy and Planning

This course has various components and for purpose of effective delivery, these components have been grouped into four sectors; i.e. health, education, housing, population and employment. Four different lectures deliver three-week modules in each of the four sectors. The objectives of this course are to equip students with the skills in planning for activities within the four sectors.

DPP 574 Dissertation (MSc Students Only)

This guided research on planning and development issues is aimed at building the capacities of MSc students in carrying out independent research. The students are expected to apply the knowledge acquired in other courses by defining, researching and addressing an issue related in a recognizable framework of development planning theory and practice. The candidate is expected to liaise with staff for direction and subsequently work closely with their thesis supervisors.

DPP 651/652 Thesis (MPhil Students Only)

This guided research on planning and development issues constitutes the core of the Master of Philosophy programmes. It is intended to build the capacities of the students in carrying out advanced and independent research. The students are expected to apply the knowledge acquired in the courses they took in year one by defining, researching and addressing an issue related in a recognizable framework of development planning theory and practice. The candidates are expected to liaise with staff for direction and subsequently work closely with their thesis supervisors.