Political Settlements: Issues paper

Why do similar sets of formal institutions often have such divergent outcomes? An analysis of political settlements goes some way to answering this question by bringing into focus the contending interests that exist within any state, which constrain and facilitate institutional and developmental change. It provides a framework to analyse how the state is linked to society and what lies behind the formal representation of politics in a state. The political settlement and the elite bargains from which it emerges are central to patterns of state fragility and resilience. The role of political organisation within the political settlement is crucial to both the stability of the settlement and the direction in which it evolves over time. The elite bargains that may lead to the establishment of what might be considered a resilient political settlement may also act as a barrier to progressive developmental change. Analysis of political settlements suggests that state-building is far from a set of technical formulas, but is a highly political process. Creating capacity within a state to consolidate and expand taxation is fundamentally determined by the shape of the political settlement underlying the state. This is true as well for the development of service delivery or any other function of the state. This analytical framework provides a window for donors to grasp the politics of a place in order to design more effective interventions

The populist right challenge to neoliberalism: social policy between a rock and a hard place

This article looks at the rise of right populist politics in both developed and developing countries, and its implications for social policy. The author locates the cause for the right populist surge in the legacies of neoliberalism, paying particular attention to the way neoliberal reforms have affected popular attitudes towards politics. The commodification of politics and social services has stoked mass cynicism towards reigning neoliberal elites, creating receptive audiences for populist slogans to ‘drain the swamp’ at the heart of governments. More controversially, the author argues that popular resentments toward neoliberal social policies based on the recognition of the rights of women, minorities, migrants and the poor have made communities susceptible to the racist and misogynist messages of the right populists. Through case studies looking at the United States, Brazil and the Philippines the author argues that the biggest impact of right populists on social policies can be found in their discourses and authoritarian practices of social exclusion

ID Professors speak out on Greek exit

James Putzel and Robert Wade have both voiced opinion in the Financial Times about the Greek exit (or Grexit) from the Euro, accusing the troika (EC-ECB-IMF) of forcing out far-left factions by stealth in favour of compliant governments

Social capital, social inclusion and changing school contexts: a Scottish perspective

This paper synthesises a collaborative review of social capital theory, with particular regard for its relevance to the changing educational landscape within Scotland. The review considers the common and distinctive elements of social capital, developed by the founding fathers – Putnam, Bourdieu and Coleman – and explores how these might help to understand the changing contexts and pursue opportunities for growth

Why development actors need a better definition of ‘state fragility’

The new importance of ‘fragile states’ on the international development agenda has directed more aid resources to countries most in need and made state-building a legitimate object of international support. • However, the definitions of ‘state fragility’, which guide resource allocation and programme design, are problematic and miss the most important question: why are some poor countries unstable and particularly subject to violence and warfare while others have achieved long periods of peace even in conditions of poverty and low economic growth? • CSRC research demonstrates that the reigning definitions of state fragility can divert attention away from the factors most likely to provoke conflict in the poorest countries and cause misunderstanding of the factors that have allowed states to sustain peace. In the worst cases these definitions have led international actors to advocate inappropriate reforms, which aggravate fragility. • State fragility is being used as a catch-all phrase for conflict, post-conflict, humanitarian crisis-prone or chronically poverty stricken states, but our research shows that these comprise both ‘fragile’ and ‘resilient’ states, where policy choices are starkly different. • The distinctions between ‘fragile’, ‘resilient’ and ‘developmental’ states create specific and different challenges in terms of what is required for statebuilding and what security, governance and economic reforms are appropriate

Meeting the challenges of crisis states

This report sums up six years of research by the Crisis States Research Centre. Authors James Putzel and Jonathan Di John underline the fact that aid and other forms of external intervention need to be better directed in the so-called "fragile states" of the developing world. The authors argue that confusion permeates Western aid programmes in countries where states either face escalating violent challenges or are attempting reconstruction and state-building in the wake of war. The report, which includes country and city case studies in Africa, Asia and Latin America and analysis of regional conflict trends, looks into the drivers of violent conflict in the developing world and why some states and cities have fared better than others in avoiding large-scale violence or in rebuilding public and private organisations after war. It highlights policy-relevant findings under seven thematic chapters

Politics, the state and the impulse for social protection : the implications of Karl Polanyi's ideas for understanding development and crisis

This short paper discusses how some of Karl Polanyi's key ideas can help shed light on the processes of development and crisis in the world today. It begins by taking up the role of economic liberalisation and the state. Then it discusses Polanyi's identification of the 'impulse' for 'social protection' and suggests it is crucial to an understanding not only of the role of the state in development but also politics in the developing world. It finishes by applying some of these ideas to understanding the actions of 11th September, and the crisis related to terrorism in the developing world today

The political impact of globalisation and liberalisation : evidence emerging from crisis states research

Patterns of globalisation and liberalisation need to be examined in light of their political consequences, especially in the context of situations of state collapse and violent conflict. Champions of globalisation can be divided into two camps – the advocates of economic liberalisation and the promoters of global governance. They share a common scepticism of the state, which ignores both the developmental lessons of history and the perverse impact liberalisation has had on peace and security. While liberalisation has transformed the terrain of politics, privileging a form of semi-democracy, problems of violent conflict highlight the urgent need for the reconstitution of modern states in the developing world

War, state collapse and reconstruction : phase 2 of the Crisis States Programme

In this paper we lay out the plans for our research over the next five years. The Crisis States team is in the process of revising these plans and interested in receiving feedback and comments. A more detailed plan of the work will be published after this process is complete. The paper outlines a programme of work, which involves rigorous comparative analysis of processes of war, state collapse (or its avoidance) and reconstruction. The programme is divided into three major components, hinged on comparative national level study, study at the level of the city and study of regional and global processes. An appendix at the end of the paper already highlights some evolution in the team’s thinking about our case selection

The 'new' imperialism and possibilities for coexistence

What are the possibilities for peaceful coexistence of divergent capitalisms, of the West with the Islamic world, of rich and poor regions in the global system? The central proposition of this paper is that only by reinforcing multilateralism can the international community hope to maximise the chances for peace. The paper examines the ‘new’ US ‘imperialism’ as articulated by the Bush administration over the past three years, particularly through an analysis of the National Security Strategy. It considers the Moscow Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions as a decisive victory for the US military. It then briefly considers the economic basis of the US imperial project to suggest that its supremacy may prove ephemeral. In the third section of the paper, the author examines the political and economic motivations for the US-Anglo invasion and occupation of Iraq. Finally, in the last section, a return is made to an evaluation of the prospects for challenging the imperial project and the basis on which this might be pursued