Volume 28, number 1 (2007)
Sustainable Livelihoods and Local Development
Introduction
“Over the past two decades calls for and voices in support of a new paradigm — a different way of thinking about and practising development — have become increasingly vocal to the point of constituting a worldwide intellectual movement.
“It is difficult to define precisely the nature of this new paradigm, given its diverse formulations. It is possible, nevertheless, to identify within these diverse formulations of the new paradigm common principles: ‘development’ in this new intellectual context is expected to be more equitable and socially inclusive, human in scale and form, participatory and empowering, and sustainable in terms of both the environment and livelihoods. And, at the level of agency, development should be initiated from within (civil society) and below (the grassroots) rather than from the outside (overseas development assistance) and above (the government or state) …”
The Big-Push Approach to African Development and Local Capacity Building: Understanding the Issues
This article discusses the “big-push” approach to Africa’s development and its implications for local-level processes. This approach has enhanced the role of national governments in development planning along with a focus on building the capacity of public sectors. It is argued that building strong capacity from below is equally important to initiate and support sustained action on poverty reduction. The article thus presents a brief case study of the role and functions of the kebele (local) administrations in Ethiopia along with a practical planning framework to help understand the issues involved in the planning of local capacity building.
The Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Approach: A Critical Review
This paper presents a critical, academic review of the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (SRL) approach to development, beginning with a presentation of the central SRL tenets and their origins, and proceeding to a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the academic literature, particularly in relation to theoretical consistency.The author argues for the importance of academic engagement with the SRL construct and identifies specific opportunities for integration with social theory, using as an example Norman Long’s actor-oriented approach to development research.
A Political Ecology of Sustainable Livelihoods in Coastal Sulawesi, Indonesia
This paper examines selected dimensions of ecological and socio-institutional change in two coastal communities in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The authors analyze issues that influence power, marginality and vulnerability, and the implications for livelihood sustainability. They propose a conceptual framework to identify constraints and opportunities involved inmaintaining and renewing sustainable livelihoods and the commons resource systems upon which they depend. Highlighted issues include the need to carefully consider the nature and extent of ecological change, clarify rights and entitlements to resources, articulate desirable and feasible futures, address ethnic and socio-cultural conflict, and foster empowerment through enhanced communication.
Articles
The S-Shaped Labour Supply Schedule: The Evidence from Less-Developed Countries
Consistent with an S-shaped labour supply schedule, the overwhelming evidence for the total supply of labour in less-developed countries shows a negative relationship with wages (and income levels), for both men and women at low wage levels, in particular in rural areas, except during seasonal peaks. In urban areas and at higher wage levels, the relationship becomes positive. Women (and children) usually make most of the adjustment. The study therefore appraises them primarily. Three caveats are discussed with respect to forced labour, informal employment, and child labour.
Attached Labour Contracts in Agriculture: Results and Analysis from a Survey in South India
This paper analyzes agricultural attached (long-term) labour contracts in the Telangana region of South India. Insights into the functioning of rural labour markets are provided, facilitating a richer understanding of impoverished groups in rural contexts. Most attached labourers in Telangana are heavily indebted and lack land or other assets. They choose attachment to get credit (used mainly for servicing debt) and a dependable source of income. Indebtedness reduces their bargaining power and hinders their engagement in collective action. Both in their perception and in the perception of others, attached labourers are on the lower rungs of the agrarian economy.
Opposing Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights and Dependency: Back to the Future?
Few publications have related issues raised by the globalization of intellectual property legislation to the broader movement against economic globalization, or sought to situate such concerns within a theoretical framework. This paper illustrates unifying critiques among networks within the movement and applies a historical structuralist framework on the emerging global intellectual property rights regime in the area of medicinal and agricultural plants. The analysis highlights contemporary processes thatmight repeat colonial patterns of economic exploitation and underdevelopment. Ways in which anti-globalization networks have addressed concerns at the global and local level are illustrated. A new research agenda that would document and assess such alternatives is proposed.
2006 Kari Polanyi Levitt Prize
La Reconstruction du système de santé en Afghanistan : le rôle des acteurs internationaux sur la prise de décision du gouvernement transitoire afghan
This article summarizes research seeking to measure the influence of external actors on the interim Afghan government’s maternal mortality reduction policy and planning. The author studied the pathways of influence in relations between the Afghan Ministry of Health and key actors in the country’s reconstruction during the transitional period (2002–2004), while measuring possible impacts on the Afghani health care system. A survey of critical perspectives on reconstruction help to nuance the author’s conclusions. Her research demonstrates that external actors exert a relatively high degree of influence on the maternal health care in Afghanistan.
Voices from the Field
Partnership Theory and Practice: Time for a New Paradigm
“The problems of partnership practice will not be solved with a generic call for improved partnership relationships. It is the funding context within which partnerships must exist that increasingly represents a significant barrier to genuine partnership among Northern and Southern organizations, regardless of how well their relationships reflect genuine partnership ideals. This article provides an unabashedly impenitent perspective from the field on the barriers to partnership that arise from the current international development funding context …”
Reviews
Seeing the State: Governance and Governmentality in India, Stuart Corbridge, Glyn Williams, Manoj Srivastava, René Véron
Regional Trade Arrangements in Africa, Yongzheng Yang, Sanjeev Gupta
The Global Women’s Movement: Origins, Issues and Strategies, Peggy Antrobus