Progress in Development Studies recent issues

Editorial: International institutions: Twenty-first century challenge

Sapsford, D. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

From despair to hope: the challenge of promoting poverty reduction

Krueger, A. O. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

Fair distribution of welfare gain: application of the equity principle in forming international institutions

Chen, J.-r. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

International institutions play the major role in the current global governance to provide global public goods (GPG) efficiently and to regulate cross border externalities (CBE) effectively. Also there are many international institutions. But the global community has been continually confronted with new CBEs, new GPGs and, thus, the need to implement new or to reform existing international institution. Welfare improvement is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for emerging international institution. In addition to the welfare improvement, an agreement of the potential members about the distribution of the welfare gain between them is a further necessary condition, while both together are necessary and sufficient for the emergence of an international institution. In this paper, we are going to discuss how the potential members can achieve an agreement to distribute the welfare gains of setting up an international institution. Equity considerations have a strong influence on observed payoff divisions. The equity principle is the formal structure of equity consideration. This principle is well known in the social psychology literature. The equity principle in international politics is equity consideration in respect of the strength of players. This can provide a norm or a fundamental principle of international bargaining to distribute the net welfare gain of international cooperation (IC).

Social knowledge and international policymaking at the World Bank

Toye, J. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

The production of social knowledge in all international organizations is problematic because all are public bureaucracies. The World Bank provides a case study of the problems of managing in-house research in an international public bureaucracy. Not only are there managerial constraints on what the Bank is willing to publish, but the binding constraints on publication evolve. The evolution in managerial objectives at the Bank in recent years and the factors that have influenced shifts in its rhetoric and policy are examined. Are these adjustments merely rhetorical? Recent research on poverty reduction, governance and conditionality is discussed to gauge how far the Bank has moved.

International institutions: seen from the perspective of Austrian Economics

Socher, K. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

Austrian Economics tries to minimize the role of the state. International institutions, like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), seen under this perspective, often try to fulfil functions of states which are not necessary, for instance, fixing exchange rates or redistribute income. They should concentrate on correcting market failures, like international public goods, when they cannot be supplied by the market, or internalize externalities. But even in these cases, state failures have to be avoided. Such state failures happened especially in countries transforming from socialist to market economies and in advising these states by international institutions.

International institutions, globalization and the inequality among nations

Dutt, A. K., Mukhopadhyay, K. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

In the 1950s, Gunnar Myrdal pointed out that while inequality between regions within many economically advanced countries was falling due to the policies of national government, inequality between countries was growing, given the absence of anything resembling a world government. Since then, international institutions such as the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) have grown in size and scope. This paper uses econometric techniques to argue that these institutions, by liberalizing and increasing international trade and capital flows, have not had the effect of reducing inequality across nations and may, in fact, have exacerbated it.

Should the WTO deal with e-trade taxation issues?

Chen, J.-r., Smekal, C. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

Electronic commerce may be a great equalizer that helps to reduce, or even to eliminate, distance-related barriers to trade, but it can also exacerbate a so-called ‘digital dividend’ vis-à-vis countries with technological and infrastructural deficiencies, especially developing countries. In the following we concentrate on trade distortion caused by taxation of e-trade in intangible goods. We believe this will have a particular ramification for the developing world. General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) provisions may be relevant to many concerns with respect to the regulations of e-commerce, such as online privacy protection, illegal or illicit content, cyber crime and fraud, en-forcement of contracts, consumer protection, and taxation. In this paper, we will focus our debate mainly on the issues of taxation of e-trade with respect to the two basic principles of the WTO, that is. the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) and the National Treatment (NT) principles.

Green room politics and the WTO's crisis of representation

Jones, K. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

World Trade Organization (WTO) Green Room meetings are small gatherings of representatives from up to 30 member countries, invited by the Director-General. They are designed to provide the basis for a consensus on critical negotiating issues that can be brought to the WTO membership as a whole. Green rooms appear to be a necessary feature of consensus building in such a large organization, but they have been criticized because they tend to favor representation from large and high-income member countries. This paper discusses the impact of the green room on the WTO decision-making process and the possibilities of reform.

The Doha development agenda of the WTO: possible institutional implications

Reiterer, M. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

Size of membership, diverging interest because of different stages of development and the depth of regulation undertaken or foreseen in the World Trade Organization (WTO) made the economics and politics of international trade negotiations more complicated. This has repercussions on the negotiating mechanics in the WTO including the continued appropriateness of the technique of ‘rounds’. At the same time, the rational of further trade liberalization in the context of sustainable development is questioned. The widening scope of issues covered – which impact of domestic policies give raise to – quests for more transparency and accountability. The lack of adequate know-how renders the effective participation of developing countries in the negotiating round more difficult or even impossible. New forms of network formation – drawing on the many forms of international cooperation, participation and agenda setting – have to be developed in order to maintain the WTO as the centre of the multilateral rule-based system.

The stability architecture of EMU

Liebscher, K. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:13:08 PDT

Monitoring progress towards gender-equitable poverty alleviation: the tools of the trade

Baruah, B. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:40:06 PDT

This article contributes towards unpacking the relationships between gender, poverty and inequality at several interrelated levels. It explores the concept of poverty as a useful starting point not only for understanding how gender fits into it, but also for understanding why gender is not reducible to poverty. It provides a brief history of how poverty came to be analysed from a gender perspective, and how such a perspective advances our understanding of poverty and inequality. The article follows this with a critical analysis of important gendered and non-gendered approaches developed to measure poverty, and outlines their contributions to advancing the art of monitoring and evaluating gendered poverty. Using research conducted predominantly in South Asia, it demonstrates how the richness of academic scholarship and discourses on gender and poverty contrast sharply not only with the narrow range of strategies employed for poverty alleviation, but also the limited array of methods and tools designed to monitor and analyse poverty from a gender perspective.

The new variant famine hypothesis: moving beyond the household in exploring links between AIDS and food insecurity in southern Africa

Ansell, N., Robson, E., Hajdu, F., van Blerk, L., Chipeta, L. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:40:06 PDT

A number of southern African countries have experienced food crises during recent years. The fact that the scale of these crises has been disproportionate to the apparent triggers of climatic adversity or production decline has led to the suggestion that they are more closely related to the AIDS pandemic, which is at its most extreme in many of the same countries. This hypothesis, developed by de Waal and Whiteside (2003), has been termed ‘New Variant Famine’(NVF).

The New Variant Famine hypothesis is helpful in drawing attention to the effects of AIDS in diminishing both food production and capacity to purchase food, but it focuses more intensely on the household level than many other theories that seek to explain food insecurity, which tend to emphasise the integration of peasants into a capitalist market economy, and the functioning of markets and institutions. The household level focus also characterises much research on the impacts of AIDS. In this article we argue that the effects of AIDS on food security are not confined to the household level, and that an NVF analysis should also consider processes operating within and beyond the household including social relationships, relations of age and gender, colonial inheritance and contemporary national and international political economy. Recognition of these processes and how they interact with AIDS may offer greater scope for political mobilisation rather than technocratic responses.

The information and financial power of the World Bank: knowledge production through UN collaboration

Das, T. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:40:06 PDT

Like military might and financial resources – the conventional forms of political influence – information is an important source of influence in international relations. International organisations disseminate vast amounts of information, which shape how social problems are perceived and addressed. The World Bank maintains two forms of power that reinforce one another:, information power and financial power, which is evident in the representations of HIV/AIDS implicit in Bank-lending requirements and project designs. This article contributes to the burgeoning literature on World Bank knowledge production by examining how information power is cultivated by the World Bank through collaboration with sister UN agencies and sustained by its established financial power. Production of knowledge by the World Bank involves UN collaboration with the use of HIV/AIDS focal points (‘go-to’ people for information, who communicate with one another and read the same publications) and external peer review of World Bank documents. As a result, information is consistent across international institutions and simultaneously expansive, as they adhere to individual UN agency mandates while also borrowing from one another. Country actors will become accustomed to international information, in interactions with any one of the international institutions and with each other, as well as by adhering to World Bank lending requirements and participating in World Bank projects.

Can genetically modified cotton contribute to sustainable development in Africa?

Morse, S., Mannion, A.M. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:40:06 PDT

Genetically modified (GM) crops and sustainable development remain the foci of much media attention, especially given current concerns about a global food crisis. However, whilst the latter is embraced with enthusiasm by almost all groups, GM crops generate very mixed views. Some countries have welcomed GM, but others, notably those in Europe, adopt a cautious stance. This article aims to review the contribution that GM crops can make to agricultural sustainability in the developing world. Following brief reviews of both issues and their linkages, notably the pros and cons of GM cotton as a contributory factor in sustainability, a number of case studies from resourcepoor cotton farmers in Makhathini Flats, South Africa, is presented for a six-year period. Data on expenditure, productivity and income indicate that Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton is advantageous because it reduces costs, for example, of pesticides, and increases income, and the indications are that those benefits continued over at least the six years covered by the studies. There are repercussions of the additional income in the households; debts are reduced and money is invested in children's education and in the farms. However, in the general GM debate, the results show that GM crops are not miracle products which alleviate poverty at a stroke, but nor is there evidence that they will cause the scale of environmental damage associated with indiscriminate pesticide use. Indeed, for some GM antagonists, perhaps even the majority, such debates are irrelevant – the transfer of genes between species is unnatural and unethical. For them, GM crops will never be acceptable despite the evidence and pressure to increase world food production.

Putting good governance into practice I: the Ibrahim Index of African Governance

Farrington, C. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:40:06 PDT

Book reviews

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:40:06 PDT

Development through civic service: the Peace Corps and national service programmes in Ghana

Frontani, H. G., Taylor, L. C. — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:14:17 PDT

This study expands the limited academic literature on development through civic service in Africa by examining national service programmes in Ghana. Peace Corps publications, volunteer memoirs and archival research were used to examine intra-organizational learning in Ghana's national service programmes and the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps and Ghana's National Service Scheme have generally met educational, cross-cultural understanding and self-development objectives, but, due to overriding organizational concerns with public image, have rarely enhanced patriotism or Ghanaian national development, despite abundant comments from individual volunteers. Improved organizational learning could enhance programme assessment and the effectiveness of development assistance at the national level.

A call for clarification and critical analysis of the work of faith-based development organizations (FBDO)

Bradley, T. — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:14:17 PDT

This article compares and contrasts three groups of faith–based development organizations (FBDOs). The first group consists of community–based FBDOs. The second are intermediaries acting as a bridge between larger donors and community organizations. Last, there are missionary organizations that work with local communities but see development primarily as religious conversion. This comparison allows clarification over what constitutes an FBDO and also highlights the variety of ways in which faith intersects with development in the work of different FBDOs. The use of two analytical frames assessing the faith of organizations along a continuum and then measuring the position of FBDOs within an aid chain, emphasizes the need to acknowledge the diversity of factors that both limit and contribute to the success of an FBDO.

Microfinance and the commercial banking system: perspectives from Barbados

Knight, T., Hossain, F., Rees, C. J. — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:14:17 PDT

By adopting microfinance as a core component in their development aid programmes, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other development groups aim to reduce poverty and also, raise the status of women and disadvantaged communities. Nevertheless, despite its enormous success in tackling poverty, the applicability of microfinance in formal banks remains a major challenge for developing countries where most of the world's poor reside without access to banking facilities. The authors of this article posit that central banks and the banking sector, in general, can promote good and inclusive financial governance in developing countries by adopting microfinance practice and by integrating pro-poor policies into their banking systems. Focusing on the case of Barbados, the article examines the importance of microfinance for commercial banks. It is argued that the integration of microcredit into the banking and credit schemes of commercial banks and microfinance institutions is a key to promoting good governance.

Market-led 'agrarian reform' in Brazil: a dream has become a debt burden

Sauer, S. — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:14:17 PDT

This article surveys the process of implementing the World Bank's market-led ‘agrarian reform’ model in Brazil and analyzes some of its consequences and effects. It places the model in a recent political context (the Cardoso administration, 1995–2002), explaining the opposition and criticism of land struggle movements and rural organizations. It questions the political and ideological arguments related to the model's persistence, particularly with regard to the decision to maintain the programme on the part of Luis Inácio Lula da Silva's administration after 2003.

The return of politics in development studies (II): capturing the political?

Hickey, S. — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:14:17 PDT

Book reviews

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:14:17 PDT

Editorial: Reshaping humanitarian assistance in the twenty-first century

O'Dempsey, T., Munslow, B. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:40:00 PST

Loosing soft power in hard places: humanitarianism after the US invasion of Iraq

Munslow, B., O'Dempsey, T. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:40:00 PST

The US choice of a misdirected target of priority concern, a ‘War on Terror’, combined with the use of hard power to the absolute detriment of soft power has undermined the enlightenment values that had begun to flourish in the form of humanitarian policies, values and laws which could have informed international cooperation and development in the twenty-first century. The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 has had serious implications for humanitarianism worldwide, has provided a huge propaganda victory to Islamic extremists, and has diverted international attention and resources from major humanitarian emergencies elsewhere and from today's most significant threat to human survival, global climate change.

Playing with principles in an era of securitized aid: negotiating humanitarian space in post-9/11 Afghanistan

Shannon, R. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:40:00 PST

The international community's response to reconstructing Afghanistan, following the US-led regime change invasion post-11 September 2001 (9/11), brought actors such as the military and private corporations more fully into the humanitarian sphere. As a result, the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), traditionally charged with taking humanitarian action, face a number of challenges and dilemmas. Their legitimacy and their ability to act impartially, be perceived as neutral and to maintain their independence have become increasingly constrained. How the NGOs adapt when their humanitarian space is constrained affects who, where and what aid gets delivered and on what principles. However, little is known about the dynamics of humanitarian space or how the NGOs have adapted in practice. Filling the gap in empirical knowledge might enable the NGOs to deal better with the constrained environments they are likely to encounter as the ‘war on terror’ continues to unfold. This research, based on field work in Afghanistan during mid-2006, suggests the politicization, developmentalization and securitization of aid, often referred to as ‘new humanitarianism’, has triumphed in the post-9/11 environment. The role of the NGOs as neutral actors has been seriously undermined, not least by the NGOs themselves. Having legitimized regime change intervention, they find themselves prevented from negotiating their space with any group not approved by the architects of the new political dispensation. As the country slips towards a serious humanitarian crisis, there may be no way back from their lost neutrality. The best use that can be made of these findings is to identify what the Afghanistan experience can teach NGOs for operating under constrained humanitarianism.

'It's like talking to a brick wall': humanitarian diplomacy in the occupied Palestinian territory

Whittall, J. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:40:00 PST

For the purpose of this article, humanitarian diplomacy is defined as: the use of International Law and the humanitarian imperative as complimentary levers to facilitate the delivery of assistance or to promote the protection of civilians in a complex political emergency.

Based on field research in the occupied Palestinian territory in 2007, this article demonstrates that the external reality of a US global superpower overly reliant on hard power, combined with its strategic alliance with Israel in the Middle East, creates an operating environment that severely constrains the use of humanitarian diplomacy. Whilst United Nations (UN) agencies implement technically sound interventions, the political realities prevent the effective use of International Law.

The UN field staff are evoking Palestinian's humanitarian needs as a lever to promote protection, but this is fundamentally missing the point. The situation in the West Bank is a human rights issue – borne from a political crisis. The protection of Palestinians is undermined by an aversion to the use of International Law because of the political realities of an unchallenged occupation.

Treating AIDS in complex emergencies: the need for clear policy consensus

Ford, N. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:40:00 PST

Human Immunodefficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is directly responsible for increased mortality in many humanitarian crises and can exacerbate vulnerability linked to food insecurity, loss of livelihood and disrupted coping mechanisms. However, the need to provide antiretroviral therapy as part of a comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS, in conflict and emergency settings, is not universally accepted. Established humanitarian organizations have, until recently, raised logistical, technical and ethical concerns about providing treatment in conflict and post-conflict settings, while interagency guidelines continue to recommend against providing antiretrovirals in post-disaster settings. There is mounting evidence that this viewpoint needs to be revised.

Social capital formation and local capture in decentralization: the case of Zambezia, Mozambique

Abe, A. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:40:00 PST

This article traces the roots of social capital formation in Zambézia, Mozambique, using data from the fieldwork and introducing the analytical framework of social knowledge, and examines the issues of decentralization in societies with low stocks of social capital. The case of Zambézia suggests that traditions of collective action for common goods and good local leadership can be a key to enhance stocks of social capital. To overcome inequality and the so-called local capture problems in societies with low stocks of social capital, alternative communication methods, public-civil society partnership and more intensified allocation of researchers in the field are recommended.

Fair training: a new direction in humanitarian assistance

O'Dempsey, T. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:40:00 PST

Major catastrophes appear to be inevitable given the current demographic transition, the growth of mega-cities in disaster hotspots, the predicted effects of global climate change, and the crucial relationship between natural disasters and complex political emergencies. Disaster prevention, preparedness and contingency planning will be effective only if trained personnel are available to develop these plans and implement them in a timely manner. Workforce migration, driven by poverty, insecurity and lack of opportunity, creates a leadership and skills vacuum that further increases the vulnerability of those who remain. Sustainable solutions to the problems of disasters and development will only be achieved when poor people have local access to Fair Training.