Seven Principles of Cross-Continent, Distributed Development
Seven decades of development? A short introduction to some of the big concepts of post-war...
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Transcript of Seven decades of development? A short introduction to some of the big concepts of post-war...
Seven decades of development?
A short introduction to some of the big
concepts of post-war development theory
Tobias Denskus
ComDev-ECLA Berlin seminar, 8 & 9 November 2013
Overview of the presentation
• Modernity – post-WWII-1950s• Critique – 1960s-early 1970s• Hope – 1970s• Disillusionment – late 1970s-mid
1980s• New Dawn – post-1989-late
1990s• Beginning (?)– 2000-now
The belief in development‘As a buzzword, (development) has been used
time and again to promote a system that is neither viable, nor sustainable, nor fit to live in. (…). The question therefore remains: given the amount of information that scientists have gathered on
the manifold natural (actually human-made) hazards that may impinge on our daily lives, why is it that
we do not believe in what we know to be certain? The answer, probably, lies in the fact that our
belief in ‘development’ is still too strong to be
undermined by scientific certainty’. (Rist in Cornwall, pp.24-25)
The complexities of shooting the development messenger
• Development reflects dominant discourses of each era
• Development is intertwined with social, political, historical & cultural debates
• Development’s ‘failures’ and ‘successes’ often happen as a continuum rather than a dichotomy:• Foresight & hindsight• Stability & change• Power & knowledge• Leadership & bureaucracy
Growth, bipolarity, containment & …growth – Rostow’s stage model
Looks easy on paper – Post-war approaches to liberal modernization
States, global capitalism & the re-imagination of center-periphery relations
– Latin America & dependency theory
New Right ideas on state, market & economy – Structural adjustment
Structural adjustment: Reality vs. ideologyPolicies Official aims Actual experience
Currency devaluation
Increase exports and
reduce imports
Little evidence of increased export earnings; commodity prices fell more
with increased competition from exporters
Export promotion
Earn foreign exchange for
debt repayment
Export crops replaced food crops; ecological damage; rural
displacements; earnings for debt, not investment
Government spending cuts
Reduce excessive demand
Cuts in education, health & service budgets
Privatization Enterprises becoming more
efficient
Reduced employment; long-term service quality & accessibility
Unrestricted imports
Improve efficiency &
competitiveness
Drainage of foreign exchange; undermining of local economy
The end of history…and conflict, ideology & underdevelopment
- Post-1989 expectations• Success of liberal capitalism and ‘the free market’• Trust in multipolar global governance• Expectations of inclusive civic engagement
through global civil society & new social movements • Peaceful conflict
resolution through UN & regional organisations
Putting industry (back) into development industry
- The ‘–isation’ years
• NGO-isation• Depolit-isation• Professional-isation• Corporat-isation• Academ-isation
BRICS & the future of development – New actors, countries & alliances
• The emergence of Brazil, India, China & South Africa
• Philanthrocapitalism and –capitalists (Bill G., Bill C., Bono)
• New corporate engagement – large & small• Merging of aid, trade & foreign policy
(e.g. Canada & Australia)
Conclusion II
• Modernity – post-WWII-1950s• Critique – 1960s-early 1970s• Hope – 1970s• Disillusionment – late 1970s-mid
1980s• New Dawn – post-1989-late
1990s• Beginning (?)– 2000-now
Thank you!
Bloghttp://www.aidnography.de
Twitter @aidnography