Debates in International Development Lawrence Haddad Development Studies Association & Institute of Development Studies

Debates Living with greater uncertainty or temporary crisis or long wave cycles? Aid is dead, long live aid? Growth is necessary or merely sometimes helpful? The end of geography and income in defining international development? Is citizen-led monitoring desirable and can it work? Implications for development research

Living with greater uncertainty or temporary crisis or long wave cycles?

Aid is dead, long live aid?

Growth is necessary or merely sometimes helpful?

The end of geography and income in defining international development?

Is citizen-led monitoring desirable and can it work?

Implications for development research

Living with greater uncertainty, temporary crisis or long wave cycles? Emergence of China and India – growing fast and very big  unprecedented – governance, economic, military uncertainties Interconnectedness—strong, fluid and fast Financial contagion, pandemics, Iran Climate  introducing threshold effects, irreversibilities, framing of development Will resilience become the predominant paradigm? Diversity, aggregation of niches, versus specialisation? Or merely capitalism as usual—creative destruction will make it all right and technology will comfortably solve environmental crisis? Or Kondratieff long wave (25 year) cycles? spring (exponential growth) summer (levelling off) autumn (plateau and consumption orientation, debt build up) winter (depression, debt no longer sustainable)

Emergence of China and India – growing fast and very big  unprecedented – governance, economic, military uncertainties

Interconnectedness—strong, fluid and fast

Financial contagion, pandemics, Iran

Climate  introducing threshold effects, irreversibilities, framing of development

Will resilience become the predominant paradigm? Diversity, aggregation of niches, versus specialisation?

Or merely capitalism as usual—creative destruction will make it all right and technology will comfortably solve environmental crisis?

Or Kondratieff long wave (25 year) cycles?

spring (exponential growth)

summer (levelling off)

autumn (plateau and consumption orientation, debt build up)

winter (depression, debt no longer sustainable)

Aid is dead. Long Live aid? Development is mostly defined by non-”Development” actors Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs Militaries, Diplomats, Terror networks Religions, Faith movements Businesses China – many lessons for development Tax income > aid > resource income – legitimacy of governments But, Aid has done some good things: schooling, immunisations, pro-poor technology, MDGs. Although very difficult to document impacts. Aid is stickier that other sources of income in a crisis Need to begin talking about exits from Aid

Development is mostly defined by non-”Development” actors

Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs

Militaries, Diplomats, Terror networks

Religions, Faith movements

Businesses

China – many lessons for development

Tax income > aid > resource income – legitimacy of governments

But, Aid has done some good things: schooling, immunisations, pro-poor technology, MDGs. Although very difficult to document impacts.

Aid is stickier that other sources of income in a crisis

Need to begin talking about exits from Aid

Growth – necessary for development or merely sometimes helpful? Poverty-Growth elasticity declining globally? Growth failing to “lift the curse” of undernutrition in India Growth-Environmental tradeoffs more sharp than ever before But Wide variation in poverty-growth elasticities by nation Growth is closely correlated to happiness, below a certain threshold Growth is more political than ever More dependent on collective action Growth diagnostics

Poverty-Growth elasticity declining globally?

Growth failing to “lift the curse” of undernutrition in India

Growth-Environmental tradeoffs more sharp than ever before

But

Wide variation in poverty-growth elasticities by nation

Growth is closely correlated to happiness, below a certain threshold

Growth is more political than ever

More dependent on collective action

Growth diagnostics

The end of geography and income in defining international development? International Development  Global Development Global nature of problems and solutions Find your own way Kicking way the ladder South does not have a monopoly on problems and the North does not have a monopoly on solutions? CCT Participatory budgeting Social audits Or Bottom Billion? Development is about those trapped in poverty

International Development  Global Development

Global nature of problems and solutions

Find your own way

Kicking way the ladder

South does not have a monopoly on problems and the North does not have a monopoly on solutions?

CCT

Participatory budgeting

Social audits

Or Bottom Billion?

Development is about those trapped in poverty

Can citizens play a bigger role in accountability? Monitoring of outcomes Hunger outcomes Monitoring of markets Asymmetries, externalities, missing Monitoring of governments Rights Monitoring of aid Farmer feedback Monitoring of opinion Afrobarometer But How to get a balanced scorecard of voices? Methodologies Manipulation and instability?

Monitoring of outcomes

Hunger outcomes

Monitoring of markets

Asymmetries, externalities, missing

Monitoring of governments

Rights

Monitoring of aid

Farmer feedback

Monitoring of opinion

Afrobarometer

But

How to get a balanced scorecard of voices?

Methodologies

Manipulation and instability?

Implications for Development Research Engage the unusual and usual suspects Go beyond aid Go beyond “development” Develop co-constructed multi-sited perspectives Location of perspective matters Geography of thought Peer relationships Balance engagement and detachment Be aware of researcher bias Make it explicit There are many good researchable issues out there!

Engage the unusual and usual suspects

Go beyond aid

Go beyond “development”

Develop co-constructed multi-sited perspectives

Location of perspective matters

Geography of thought

Peer relationships

Balance engagement and detachment

Be aware of researcher bias

Make it explicit

There are many good researchable issues out there!