DevPolitics

BBC's representation of the development issue

BBC Four's "The Joy of Stats" series presents Hans Rosling's "200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo. In this 4 minute clip, Rosling uses a virtual 3D graph to show the income and life expectancy statistics of 200 countries over a 200 year period. His message is basically that when we look at the bigger picture, things have changed drastically as most countries have become healthier and wealthier over time. His creative  use of technology to present the statistics gives his story an optimistic edge. At the end, the imposition of a large arrow, that encompasses the developing nations as well as the developed ones, points towards greater wealth and health for all. On the one hand, I understand his aim is to simplify a lot of complex information and make it accessible. On the other hand, this means glossing over critical information about the costs involved in that process.

Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine documentary

In my final blog entry I would like to take some time and have a final bash at the Washington Consensus. After watching this documentary (thanks to Diego Duque's fb postings), I am more and more compelled to see the world of high finance crumble, be tortured and live in complete turmoil and despair; not unlike the victims of their modernized manifest destiny schemes.

The war in Iraq is just the most recent, most expensive and most blatant example of profit-seeking at the expense of the world's poor and powerless. More and more I am embarassed to be an United Statesian as many or our international figures are known for the destruction, upheaval and public outcry they have caused.

The scarier part is clearly, that poor people (read: those who can't afford to insulate themselves from natural or man-made disasters) have become institutionally accepted as necessary, even beneficial. Oh wait, I just remembered the scariest part; schools like Columbia, Harvard and the University of Chicago not only partake in the academic backing that legitimizes otherwise completely destructive policy, but even signs off on documents that will later lead to the destruction of communities, economies and nations.

When people ask me "why international work?" I have only recently realized it may be for practice. Because the US' problems seem to be insulated by a long and timely barricade of bureacratic armour. And Obama had provided us little change in that department, much to my and many others disappointment.

I now realize, after a year in Wagner, many policy discussions fueled by spirits and/or exhaustion and Naomi Klien's prompting, is that we are the only people who can catalyze this change. UNtil we demand our rights and re-establish institutions that do not incentivize greed and corruption, then we will remain in a percieved bubble of freedom and humanity that will burst just like the stock markets...

DOWN WITH THE WASHINGTON CONSENSUS!! ANTHROPOLOGISTS IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!!

Destiny of food aid in North Korea?

A recent article by Dorothy Stuehmke from the Los Angeles Times starts by saying “North Korea has recently made a desperate international appeal for food aid.” Since the 1990sl more than one million people have died of starvation and chronic food shortages and malnutrition have generated approximately 300,000 refugees. However, even the refugees live each day in fear of deportation and punishment when caught.

 

The international community has provided USD 2 million for food assistance to North Korea for the past few decades, however, it turns out that the aid has never reached the vulnerable population. In fact, the aid money has been used for developing nuclear weapons and testing missiles. Also, the direct recipients live in the capital of Pyongyang and the military. The United Nations reported that 6 million people (one-fourth of the population) are in dire need of food. As these figures show, there is a problem of monitoring system of aid deliveries.

 

Here, it is important to keep in mind that North Korea has shown non-complying attitudes as South Korea’s ‘Sunshine Policy’ has ended as a failure. Likewise, we have to understand that North Korea is not influenced by the outside environment but domestic developments which we have limited understanding on. In this regard, we have to think more creatively how food aid can be more effectively reached to the most vulnerable population for humanitarian purposes in North Korea.

My possible alternatives include: 1) providing physical farming machines and fertilizers rather than just grain itself so that they can develop their own self-sustaining farming skills, 2) following the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, member states should not undertake any grants or financial assistance in weapons trade with North Korea, 3) continuing food assistance to North Korea would eventually increase the country’s food supply and bring down the price for civilians.

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-stuehmke-korea-foodaid-20110421,0,613962.story

It is not the right time to withdraw peacekeepers in Congo

Following the previous blog posted by Christina, I would like to further develop the issue on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2008, Congo’s President Joseph Kabila requested that the United Nations should downsize the number of peacekeepers to 2,000 by the end of June 2011 and is currently pressing the U.N. to withdraw the entire mission. As a response, Margot Wallstrom, the United Nations Special Envoy on Sexual Violence, advises that it is not the right time to withdraw the mission as the security challenges are still threatening and a huge number of women are being victimized. Wallstrom argues that Congo still needs U.N. troops to assist women’s safety.

According to 2010 ReliefWeb report, sexual violence is a persistent characteristic throughout the history of armed conflict, and the DRC continues to face problems in the policy implementation process. The main root causes are a lack of political will, the culture of impunity for rape, inadequate cooperation and coordination among stakeholders and finally, insufficient funding. To tackle these problems, MONUSCO can play a very important role in bringing all types of stakeholders such as the Ministry of Justice, health care organizations, community centers, schools, the media, the International Criminal Court and advise strategies to end the tragic violence. President Kabila’s strategy seems to have the presence of MONUSCO to get support for his re-election for the time-being.

Therefore, it is critical that MONUSCO should maintain its strong stance as to support the sexual abuse victims and prevent the ongoing and future sexual violence for the next few years at least by deploying patrols in the most vulnerable areas. MONUSCO is in a critical position to address these problems.

 

http://www.womensenews.org/story/international-policyunited-nations/100520/wallstrom-reports-congo-still-needs-un-troops

http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20100529-uns-monuc-force-prepares-phased-withdrawal

Economic Value of Dengue Vaccine for Thailand

For those who are traveling abroad this summer, particularly to Southeast Asia, Central and South America (including southern Florida), Western Pacific regions, and Sub-Saharan Africa, beware of dengue fever. The Aedes mosquitoes carry this virus and if bitten, patients can experience intense headaches, fever, rash, muscle/joint aches, nausea, swollen lymph nodes, vomiting, fatigue, and, in extreme cases, death. The WHO estimates that 20,000 people die each year from dengue fever, and 50-100 million new infections occur annually.

Last year, a JAMA article highlighted the trials underway to develop a vaccine. The tetravalent vaccine would be licensed for widespread use in endemic regions, among travelers, and in the military (Sanofi Pasteur and GlaxoSmithKline are the two companies leading these trials.) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases also launched its first trial for a tetravalent vaccine, but is moving more cautiously.

Interestingly, new JAMA article discusses the economic value of a dengue vaccine for Thailand. They evaluated certain scenarios for the country's residents, such as their probability of going to a clinic, their ability to pay for the vaccine at certain levels, and what the net effect of the vaccine would have on Thailan's economy. The authors claim that up to $200, the vaccine would be cost-effective and that the full vaccine (cost at $200) would increase GDP by $12,868. It's a really interesting article directed to key stakeholders, including Thailand's policy makers, who stand to benefit greatly from the forthcoming release of the vaccine. Stakeholder map in action!

But, just a word of caution for anyone traveling to those regions this summer - wear insect repellant, keep your skin covered, and avoid standing water.

Violence against Women in DRC

According to the New York Times last week, a study released in The American Journal of Public Health reports that the rate of rape in Democratic Republic of Congo is in the millions.  The incidences extend to areas beyond what is considered to be the center of the violence there.  Earlier this month, there were reports about the rate of sexual assault on young female Peace Corps volunteers in remote areas of the world.  There are many parts of the developing world that continue to be unsafe especially for women who live there and women who are there trying to help.  Women who are attacked in the Congo often have no recourse or support after they are attacked, and rape often goes unreported making exact numbers difficult to pinpoint.  The director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative goes so far as to say the prevalence of rape during the war in DRC has “defined this conflict as a war against women.”  More studies need to be done to attract public attention to the widespread gender-based violence in the developing world.  This requires more worldwide attention to women’s rights around the world.  Women and children are often least protected through the process of development (which is often violent) and they are left vulnerable to these terrible acts of brutality.

 

The articles I refer to can be found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/world/africa/12congo.html?ref=hillaryrodhamclinton

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/us/11corps.html?scp=1&sq=peace%20corps%20rape&st=cse

 

Still developing

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of attending a discussion at Philanthropy New York.  The title of the program was Seventh Generation Leading: Making the Case for Native Youth Leadership and Organizing.  It was a discussion led by young leaders of various Native American tribes, mostly from the west, and centered around the problems facing Native Americans in the US.  I realize that this is a course on international development but I think that it would behoove us, as we think about development in other countries, to also remember that there are folks living here in the US who don't have electricity or roads; folks who lack opportunities for employment, education and health care.  

The youth leaders at the conference represented the Plains Sioux,  East Coast Mohawk, Blackfeet and Navajo and they addressed some of the same issues we discussed in class: culture in development, gender in development, economics in development.  They spoke about the need for developmental aid to work with their beliefs and cultural systems and the need for aid to be ethical which, if you know anything about past relationship between Native Americans and the US Government, has rarely been the case.  I think there is a lot that we, as future development folks, can and should do for some of the poor and vulnerable living right here in this country.  As we discussed in class the US is still developing and sometimes I think it has a fairly long way to go

 

Perspective

As the course comes to an end, an issue that remains lingering for me is not exactly on how to define development but how to respond to it.  Certanily,  this question will contnue to have evolving answers.  However, ultimtely, it often boils down to a difference of opinion, values, or understanding.  For example, the case study on CARE-Bangladesh highlighted the issue of prostitution for women with desperate needs to obtain money for survival.  Many moralists might initally assume that prostitution is undesirable and should be outlawed to protect these women.  Ironically, however, many women who engage in prostitution would argue in defense of keeping prostitution legal for it is their means to survival.  In a conservative and religious country like Bangladesh, in particular, without prostitution, many of these women would remain outcasts in society without any alternative means to work and obtain financial support.  So, who is right?  There are so many complexities in any development issue such as this, that came to light during the readings of that week, particulary the case study itself.  Long-term, prostitution should be outlawed.  Instead, the government should engage in institutional and structural changes to respond to the core causes for women who find it necessary to engage in prostitution to survive.  These changes, however, require time—decades, often.  To prohibit prostitution, even though there are so many dangers for the women themselves associated with the practices, may be more detrimental—to some degree.  That degree is dependent on the cmopensation that is provided in substitution for prohibiting prostitution—such as housing, employment oportunities, access to food, etc.  In summary, however, the main point and lesson to be learned, arguably, is that an issue must be not only thoroughly analyzed, but truly understood from the perspective of all parties involved before identifying what would be “best” for the the lives of those we are trying to help in this process of development. 

Development and Bin Laden

On the evening that President Obama announced the news that “Bin Laden is dead,” Americans throughout the country reacted with pride, chanting in the streets.  Obama  presented the news as a development in our national security policy.  During this speech and after such pronouncements, I couldn’t help but question what we, Americans, understood to be “development” and progress.  Does the murder of Osama Bin Laden, despite his leadership of brutal movements against the United States and other Western nations, lead to improvement or development for anyone?  The obvious argument is that without the “mastermind” behind terrorist activity, the United States is at less of a threat.  Aside from the fact that I completey disagree with such a simple, short-sighted conclusion that Bin Laden was the major threat orchestrating terrorist activity behind the scenes, the assumption that the murder of him would create peace is equally poorly understood.  If Bin Laden is s symbolically important as we, US media and politics, present him to be, then what of the reaction by devout adherents to him?  What about the security of the nation after anger, resentment and hatred is reinforced?  What development proceeds from this arrangement? 

 

My purpose in writing about the murder of Bin Laden is not whether or not the United States was in the right or wrong to conduct such activity.  Rather, my concern is with the American people: the naivity and simplicity, in addition to the unwillingness to consider what development could mean, in terms of negotiation, understanding, awareness.  Instead, the reaction and sentiment expressed as American (by news and other media) has been a nationalist chanting of, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

Putting academics into practice

I often struggle with whether our class discussions are relevant to The Real World.  Sure, we discuss news events, but we aren’t exposed to the consequences of our ideas.  Would people live?  Die?  It doesn’t matter because it’s theoretical.

Recently, however, I got to witness such a conversation at the level of practice and it was electrifying. As an intern on UNICEF’s Knowledge Management team I was participating in a workshop on Communities of Practice, in which people advance their work through sharing their experiences.  We brainstormed ideas for how these communities could help field offices coordinate on implementing HIV guidelines or discuss why local communities aren’t taking advantage of health services or just find out how someone got their most recent job post.

In a single conversation I watched all of my classes become relevant: Microeconomics, Policy, Politics of International Development, Managing Public Service Organizations … and it was an amazing feeling.  So, thanks Wagner!  Happy summer!