duncan green_power and politics

8/6/2019 Duncan Green_Power and Politics

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Power and Politics

Duncan Green

University of Notre Dame

September 2009


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Main messages

Rights and dignity are a crucial part of development

and well-being

Achieving these requires involvement in power and

politics

Ability to exercise rights requires access to essential

services, information and knowledge

Active citizenship, including civil society

organization, is essential to development

Democracy is beneficial on both intrinsic andinstrumental basis

Effective states play a central role in development


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And rights are about power - Picture

Development is about rightsDevelopment is about rights


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Development is about rights

Rights are long-term guarantees that allow right-holders to put demands on duty bearers

Capabilities = rights + ability to exercise them

Involves crucial shift from treating poor people asbeneficiaries to seeing them as active agents

Rights = lawyers and scholars; development =economists and engineers


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And rights are about power

Powerwithin: personal

self-confidence

Powerwith: collective

power, through

organisation, solidarity,

and joint action

Powerto: the capability

to decide actions and

carry them out

Powerover: the power of

the strong over the weak


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Then ensure access to knowledge and

information

Steady improvements in access to knowledge, e.g.

radio, mobiles, internet

Technology holds enormous potential

But current incentives bias R&D against the needs

of the poor

And intellectual property rules act as a barrier totechnology transfer (pharmaceuticals, biopiracy)


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And the right to organise

Increasing range and complexity of civil societyorganizations

Role of CSOs as catalysts and watchdogs

Intrinsic and instrumental benefits of CSO

involvement

Civil society activism waxes and wanes

Civil society is very involved in decentralization

processes


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How change happens:

winning womens rights in Morocco


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How change happens:

winning womens rights in Morocco

2004: Moroccan parliament approves new Islamic

family code that strengthens womens rights

Changes driven by Union de lAction Feminine,

working within Islam, e.g. quoting Koran

Counterattack from conservative activists andclerics

Womens movement used insider-outsider tactics -

petitions and marches to fend off conservatives

King formed commission which led to law change


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Property rights matter

Property rights matter to poor people

Women often excluded from full rights to property

Many systems of property rights, e.g. customary

law

Role of property rights in development: important

but not a panacea (de Soto) and can have negativeimpacts


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The importance of land reform to

equality and growth


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Democracy works

Spread of democracy was a feature of the 20th century

Democracies

Produce more predictable long run growth rates

Produce greater short term stability Handle shocks much better

Deliver more equality

Democracy in many countries is exclusionary, with

flawed party systems and patronage politics

But for most people remains the least worst alternative


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Democracies in the world

Start of Great Depression

End of World War II

Collapse of Berlin Wall


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Corruption is often linked to

natural resources

Corruption is both a cause and effect of poverty

Impact on development varies (10% v 100%)

Active citizens can curb corruption, while rich countries

and corporations must also put their houses in order

Natural resources can undermine the social contract

between state and citizen

But some countries have managed natural resourcewealth well (e.g. Botswana, Malaysia)


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States are at the heart of development

(and growing in importance) Nation states play a core role in providing essential services,

rule of law, economic stability and upgrading

Weak or absent states are often worse than bad ones, but canbe turned around, often after a shock

Looking at East Asian tigers, successful states:

Govern for the future

Promote growth Start with equity Integrate with the global economy, but discriminate Guarantee health and education for all

Taxation is central to the citizen-state relationship

Globalization and orthodoxy make building effective statesharder


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Dilemma: are Effective States

compatible with Active Citizens?


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Dilemma: are Effective States

compatible with Active Citizens?

Social Pacts between citizens and states are at heart ofmany development success stories (eg Scandinavia,Chile)

But selection bias means we dont think about statesthat are now developed

In early stages many nation builders are undemocratic(e.g. East Asia, Germany)

But autocrats often fail and society now is less tolerantof benevolent dictators

We need active citizens to exercise rights, effectivestates for growth and services. Task is to combine themas quickly as possible in a countrys development.


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Further Reading on the Blog

Fragile States and Paul Colliers latest book, War,

Guns and Votes,

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=326

Taxation and State-Building,


How can effective states emerge in Africa?


Fixing Failed States (book review),

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=326http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=235http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=163http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=47http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=47http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=163http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=235http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=326


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Further Reading

From Poverty to Power, Part 2

Geoff Mulgan, Good and Bad Power, 2006

Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom, 1999

Hernando de Soto, the Mystery of Capital, 2001

Matthew Lockwood, The State Theyre In, 2005

Publish What You Pay US is on http://www.

publishwhatyoupayusa

.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=39924
http://www.publishwhatyoupayusa.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=39924http://www.publishwhatyoupayusa.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=39924http://www.publishwhatyoupayusa.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=39924http://www.publishwhatyoupayusa.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=39924http://www.publishwhatyoupayusa.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=39924http://www.publishwhatyoupayusa.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=39924

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