from poverty to power

Intro video

What is it?

An NGO narrative on development – literature review + conversation + programme experience (mainly Asia, Latin America and Africa)

A ‘reflection’ on the state of development, i.e. not an agreed Oxfam policy position

Target audience:• Next generation leaders and opinion formers, North

and South• Current development practitioners, policy makers,

influencers

What’s the vision?

Women and men in communities

everywhere who are equipped with

education, enjoying good health, with

rights, dignity and voice - in charge of

their own destinies

“

”

Za

mb

ia1

99

3-2

00

3

Bra

zil 19

93

-20

03

Decreasing Inequalities

Annual % Gini

Annual % Gini Change

0

-1

-2

-3

Inequality is falling in some countries…

Ho

nd

uras 1986-1999

Co

lom

bia 1991-2003

Rw

and

a 1985-2000

Increasing Inequalities

…but rising in many more

Annual % Gini Change

4

3

2

1

0

The Answer?The Answer?

Rebalancing PowerRebalancing Power

OpportunitiesOpportunitiesOpportunitiesOpportunities

The Answer?The Answer?

And AssetsAnd Assets

The Answer?The Answer?

What's needed:What's needed:

Active Active CitizensCitizens

What's needed:What's needed:

Effective Effective States States

Dilemma: are Effective States compatible with Active Citizens?

Dilemma: are Effective States compatible with Active Citizens? Nation builders are often undemocratic But East Asia distorts the picture - autocrats often fail

and civil society is now less tolerant of ‘benevolent dictators’

Social contracts have triggered development (e.g. Scandinavia), but selection bias excludes such states

According to study by Rodrik, democracies:– Produce more predictable long run growth rates– Produce greater short term stability– Handle shocks much better– Deliver more equality

Climate Change v Redistribution

Climate Change makes redistribution both more urgent, and more difficult

Three possible outcomes:

– Climate change avoided, inequality reduced (Global New Deal)

– Climate change avoided, but at cost of increased inequality (Carbon Apartheid)

– Catastrophic climate change + rising inequality (Meltdown)

Ten challenges

What difference does inequality make? Do we have a religious blind spot? Is it time to go urban? Can we really help build effective states? What do we do about migration?

Ten challenges, continued

How do we integrate humanitarian and development work better?

Can we be more accountable and/or politically aware?

Is global institution building a waste of time? If national > global, what do we do differently? How do we develop a model for how change

happens?

And finally…..

The power of youtube How do you capture a 500 page book in a 2.5

minute video?

For more information…

Background papers, downloads, videos, media coverage etc on www.fp2p.org

Duncan’s blog on www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/