To What Extent Can There Be a Coordinated International Effort to Promote Development - Essay Example

TO WHAT EXTENT CAN THERE BE A COORDINATED INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT OR IS DEVELOPMENT SOMETHING THAT MUST OCCUR FROM WITHIN? WHAT ROLE SHOULD THE US, THE UN AND THE WORLD BANK/IMF PLAY IN IT? Name Course Name Course Number February 12, 2015 Introduction The dynamics of economic development depend greatly on certain factors, some of which seem very obvious than others. While third world nations drag social, economically and politically, developed and developing nations are making remarkable progress in these realms. For this reason efforts need to be made to ensure that these nations experience development. My aim in this paper is to discuss some of the main factors affect development and how they can be tuned to optimize the outcome of their impact geared towards development. Regime’s Governing Approach The International relations that exist between states or nations could very easily determine the economic development of the individual states or nations. The way a state or nation relates with other states or nations is in turn influenced by the approach adopted by the regime based on certain theories. I would like to highlight some traits in the following theories that I find economically-developing. Liberalism, founded by Immanuel Kant and Adam Smith, argues that human nature is based on needs but can further be improved through education. It is generally assumed that international interaction is based on morality, law and international organization. The practicing state is more interested in long-term mutual gain over short-term individual gain and is based on community and cooperation. Liberalism mainly favors justice and human rights. Neo-liberalism, which pushes for involvement of international institutions (such as the UN) in conflict resolution. Some neo-liberalist theorists were; Robert Keohane, Hernando de Soto, Wilson Woodrow and Joseph Nye. In my opinion, incorporation of these two theoretical ideologies in the governance of a state or nation should yield positive development in the economic sector as it creates a conducive and fair environment for conducting of both individual and international trade; it also gives equal opportunities to all members of the nation to grow economically in peace and thus resulting to an over-all impact on the nation’s economy. I therefore conclude that that the economic development of a nation, in relation to this, is influenced by both international cooperation and by internal effort to promote adept governance. Security Since the dawn of any sort of human civilization, one of the key factors in enhancing any sort of development is security. It is obvious that insecurity brings development to a standstill as nobody wants to better himself in fear of predation; thus the development of the entire society is inhibited. Insecurity in nations is usually characterized by wars and political conflicts. As Thucydides describes from his political realism view, the people who cause such situations are in pursuit of self-interests and take advantage of their power. To curb issues of insecurity, states have set laws and form forces to protect property owners. This idea is supported by the Democratic Peace Theory. This is a public control approach as opposed to the latter private violence where every individual fought for their own security. At this level, development enhancement is dealt with within the subject society without external help from the international society. Bates called this the domestication of violence.1 He argues that the use of violence as a tool to enhance development rather than maim it could greatly tilt the balance in favor of overall development.2 However, the government providing this security should also be allowed to work under certain constraints or else risk having the economy being monopolized by powerful individuals in the governing positions. This is where international organizations such as the UN and the global community come in. I therefore conclude that security as a factor affecting development is to be enhanced both by international effort and from within the subject state itself. Organizations like the UN and other external bodies such as developed countries like the US can take part in enhancing security in the subject state and internationally as well, by providing security for developing individuals and states thus encouraging development. Aid Foreign aid given to developing states by non-governmental organizations has long been a means of enhancing development worldwide. It is in the concern of both the aiding party and the party being aided that development is made. This is because if the aided party were to develop, it would be in a more likely position to be of economic value to the international community, including the aiding parties, and also of course, the aided party is interested in quick development for its own good. However, if the aided state is in poverty as a result of extractive institutions that embezzle funds and cripple the economy for own benefit, the aiding the state in this scenario would actually be detrimental to its development. Where this is the case, institutional change is necessary. It involves reforming institutions and is supported by North, who came up with the Institutional Theory of IR. Daron Acemoglu and Institutions are what make people hungry, and if not eliminated or reformed, aid for such people becomes useless as they still remain bound to such institution.3 It is therefore a logical recommendation that aiding parties, the UN for example, not only provide aid for the needy parties, but also encourage the establishment of genuine, nation-building institutions to govern the affairs of the needy parties. Aid can be granted to poor nations by monetary institutions as well, such as The World Bank and the IMF. As discussed, this aid can be securely delivered when extractive institutions in the poor nations are eradicated. This can be done by international or inter-organizational cooperation; for example The World Bank or the IMF could partner with the UN or a developed nation with relevant political, financial and military power (such as the US) to ensure effective granting of aid to poor nations. The Social Realm (Individual Decision Making) It is a fact that people in poor countries face far much more challenges in decision making even for some things that may seem almost obvious to people in developed nations.4 People in poor nations do not have positive constraints in the governance of most critical institutions and this gives them a very wide array of choices to choose from when making decisions. Due to the low standards of services offered in their nations and the added lack of education and access to helpful information, these people often end up choosing the seemingly lesser evil as their way of doing things. These decisions oftentimes end up in the detriment of the economy or standstill in development. To curb the problem of poor decisions in poor nations, empowerment of the inhabitants is key. The needs of the poor must be directly attended to and programs that are known to have worked should be tried out in these poor nations.5 By doing this, even nations with extractive institutions can be helped to develop as any interference by the extractive institutions can be clearly seen in data that results from analyzing the implemented programs, thus promoting accountability. Though their approach does not directly address the broader political questions, their focus on measuring effectiveness and only doing what is demonstrated to work implicitly takes government interference into account. That is to say if the government thwarts the program’s intended purpose, the data will show it.6 Added to this, educating and supplying the poor with proper information to help add value to their decision making can be a great leap towards enhancing development in poor nations. Conclusion In conclusion, development in poor nations can be enhanced both through international cooperation and from within the poor nations themselves; development is not restricted to either of the two. Developed nations, such as the US, non-governmental organizations like the UN and monetary institutions like The World Bank and the IMF can all take part in enhancing development by granting aid and offering education to the poor nations and ensuring that the aid does not end up being embezzled, and also by providing necessary security that is vital for development. As for the poor nations, empowerment is necessary. This should take place in all realms where decisions have to be made. Bibliography Banerjee, Abhijit and Duflo, Esther. Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. Quoted in, Institutions and Growth, Institutions and Economic Growth. PDF e-book. Bates, Robert H. Prosperity and Violence, (Norton, 2001), 47. Quoted in, Political Economic Theories of Development, Models of Development, PDF e-book. “Democracy and Economic Growth.” Thinking Out Aloud. September 16, 2014. "Individual Decision Making in Rich vs Poor Nations," Thinking out Aloud. September 16, 2014. “NGOs.” Master_study_guide, PDF e-book. “What to Do About Development in Poor Nations,” Thinking Out Aloud, May, 2014 Read More