Doing development in a down-turn

Simon Maxwell

1. Preamble: on praxis in development studies

2. The story so far: an evolving agenda of international development

3. 2008: the year of the Call to Action

4. But will the ‘project’ be derailed?

5. The search for a new narrative

6. Conclusion: what is to be done?

Praxis in development studies

(a) The story-teller

(b) The networker

(c) The engineer

(d) The fixer

The international think-tank

not

not

but

The airline alliance model: ‘Policy code-sharing’

The story so far

FAU 2007

Revisioning aid

http://www.fau.dk/Konferencerapport_2007.pdf

Two ‘elephant’ issues

1. Is Paris enough? The missing discussion about aid architecture.

2. The new development agenda – beyond the MDGs.

Is it time to stand the aid architecture on its head?

Multilateralism: only one quarter of all aid is multilateral, three quarters bilateral

‘New’ issues

• China and the analytics of globalisation

• Security and development

• The shift from national development to global public goods

Implication for governments?

Aid

TradeForeign Policy

?

Implications for bilateral agencies?

(a) Spyglass (b) Spigot (c) Spoon (d) Spanner

2008: the Year of the Call to Action on the MDGs

• (July 2007: Gordon Brown in New York)

• May: Business Call to Action; TICAD IV

• June: EU Council

• July: Hokkaido G8

• September: UN Call to Action Summit

• November: FFD in Doha

Aid: the $30bn shortfall

Leaving mountains to climb

Source: DAC

Watch out for the politics

• Sector initiatives

• More special purpose vehicles

What will derail the project?

• The credit crunch• Slow growth/recession• House prices • Retail sales • Food prices • Oil prices • Budget deficits

N.B. This is not an argument about de-linking

The problem

Support for development is wide but shallow

When asked, people say that global poverty is important to them . . .

8

12

14

17

19

89

83

83

79

76

Q I am going to read out a list of global issues. Using the answers on this card, please tell me how important or unimportant they are to you?

War/Conflict

% Important

International migration

Climate change

Global poverty

Disease

% Not important

Base: 1,043 British adults aged 15+, 4-10 April 2008 Source: Ipsos MORI

But global poverty is not seen as a key challenge for Britain

Q What would you say is the most important issue facing Britain today? What do you see as other important issues facing Britain today?

50%

44%

25%

18%

17%

16%

12%

10%

9%

8%

Education/Schools

Race relations/immigration

NHS/Hospitals

Morality/Individual Behaviour

Taxation

Top spontaneous mentions

Economy

Defence/Foreign affairs

Crime/ law and order

Housing

Inflation/Prices

Base: 1,037 British adults 18+, 21-26 Feb 2008 Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor

‘New’ issues

• China and the analytics of globalisation

• Security and development

• The shift from national development to global public goods

When asked, people say that global poverty is important to them . . .

8

12

14

17

19

89

83

83

79

76

Q I am going to read out a list of global issues. Using the answers on this card, please tell me how important or unimportant they are to you?

War/Conflict

% Important

International migration

Climate change

Global poverty

Disease

% Not important

Base: 1,043 British adults aged 15+, 4-10 April 2008 Source: Ipsos MORI

Caution: the impacts on us are perceived to be negative

• Refugees / asylum seekers coming to UK (67%)• Workers from developing countries coming to the UK for

work (46%)• Ill feeling towards the UK, resulting in terrorism (44%)• By leading to conflict and war (41%)• Damage to the earth’s environment (27%)• Increasing risk of tropical / other diseases (25%)• UK public donations / government funds going overseas

(24%)

Base: 1,256 British adults 16+, July 2006Source: DFID Public Attitudes Towards Development, July 2007

• Messaging

• Spending

• Institutions

Conclusion

Messaging

Construct a narrative relevant to both North and South which

• is anchored in a framework of global social justice;• celebrates the progress being made on the MDGs;• and builds political momentum behind the Call to Action;

but also

• recognises the need to manage our engagement with markets;• mobilises a range of economic, diplomatic and military

resources to tackle global threats; and• engages internationally to make sure global institutions work

better than they currently do.

Content

• Better instruments

• Better geographies

Institutions