The Roots of Development course aims to approach the reality of human and social development from a comprehensive and global perspective. It is about understanding what makes societies prosper at all levels within a framework of social cohesion, while identifying the main obstacles to this and the causes of the situations of exclusion and poverty that continue to exist in the world.

The course has a first block of a more theoretical nature. Firstly, an introduction to integral human anthropology will be carried out, that is, an analysis of the main dimensions of the human person and the need for a balanced and full development of them. From this anthropological scheme, the various facets of the social life of peoples (material, technological, economic, political, national, labor, cultural, ecological, etc.) will be analyzed and how they can develop without obstacles. This first block of the course will end with a review of the main theoretical models that have been given on the idea and practice of development.

From here, the subject will move on to a more practical socio-political block, where different structural elements that contribute to the development of societies will be analyzed. For example, the role of institutions and the rule of law for economic prosperity and social balance will be studied. The importance of work and a fair labor framework will be addressed. The meaning of the family and universal education for social health will be assessed. The role played by freedom, incentives and subsidiarity for collective progress will be emphasized. The role of the tax system, the social protection model, equal opportunities and the participation of all (with equality between women and men) in the configuration of socio-political life will be emphasized. The persistence of inequalities between North and South, the scourge of corruption and the dynamics that lead to exclusion and poverty will be analyzed. Finally, the role of global governance for a fairer world will be addressed.