Volume 24, numéro 4 (2003)
Kari Polanyi Levitt: Contributions to Development Studies
Introduction
« A particular characteristic of our honouree is that she brings to her subject matter a rich background of experiences that cut across cultures. And, if that were not enough, she expanded the geographic boundaries of her interest and work to incorporate the Caribbean. As readers will note, three of the four papers focus on the Caribbean as her laboratory. And, typical of Kari Polanyi Levitt, if development is supposed to be restricted to poor countries, she will have none of it. Her world is all of what exists. Her forte will not be limited to so-called “international” development of poor countries. (That label begs the question of how to identify the work of the development specialist who is a native of a developing country working at home.) Rich countries also have development problems. And so, Canada, a rich country with problems of development, is the subject of the fourth article. Kari Polanyi Levitt is no shrinking violet on the subject of Canada’s development … »
Debt, Adjustment, and Development: Looking to the 1990s
Eric Williams Memorial Lecture (1990)
« In this paper, I propose to share some thoughts about the transformation of the international economic order that we are witnessing today, and the challenge that these developments present to Third World countries in general, and the Caribbean in particular. The last time I visited [the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago] I was asked to look at the microcosm of a specific statistical problem pertaining to the relations of this country with the IMF. For the past two months, I have been engaged in a detailed study of indebtedness and structural adjustment in Jamaica, and I will draw on this study later in this lecture by way of illustration. But in this paper I want to look at the macrocosm, beginning with a brief historical look at the changes in the international political economy, in order to gain a wider perspective on debt, adjustment, and development … »
The Right to Development
Sir Arthur Lewis Memorial Lecture (2000)
« I have chosen ‘The Right to Development’ as the theme of this lecture [and paper] because it was central to the life and work of Arthur Lewis, and because “globalization” has in many respects put development in suspense — if not regression. Developing countries are without effective voice in the making and the implementation of the rules governing the global economy. The right to development has been subordinated to the rights of investors; fortified by the trade-enforceable regime of the WTO, and an ever-growing list of economic and political conditionalities attached to official development finance. The new rules governing trade, investment, and property rights are increasingly invasive, requiring institutional “reforms” that transgress the sovereignty of developing countries, and seriously constrain policy autonomy to determine domestic social and economic priorities … »
Development in Question: What Have We Learned about Development?
Discours d’ouverture, conférence de l’Association canadienne d’études du développement international (2000)
« Perhaps the most important thing I have learned about “development” is the role of ideas in defining the limits of the possible, and the role of the powerful in the production and dissemination of these ideas. In the euphoria that greeted the victory of the “free world” over communism, “globalization” was heralded as an opportunity, which promises “enormous gains” to “winners” who undertake radical liberalization of their domestic economies. Official reports of the World Bank greeted “globalization” as a return to a “Golden Age” of 1870–1914 when capital was free to roam the world in search of gain. The authors of these reports forgot to mention that 1870–1914 was the classic era of colonialism and imperialism, or that it terminated in a major World War, a Revolution in Russia, the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Second World War, and Communism in China — in three brief decades … »
Silent Surrender, préface à l’édition Carleton Library Series (2001)
« My remarks here constitute a preface to the republication of my book, Silent Surrender, by McGill-Queen’s University Press in 2001. The book is an early case study of the effects of foreign direct investment on Canada, a “hinterland” with a historical legacy of economic dependence. At the core of the book is a carefully documented analysis of the modern multinational corporation and the strategic considerations that drive it to capture ever more spaces, real and virtual, private and public, domestic and global. In the thirty years that have passed since this book was written, the power of these private economic entities has grown, while the fiscal resources of the state to redistribute the gains from growth have declined. Increasingly, corporations are defining the ‘public interest’ and governments are engaging in international agreements that grant foreign investors privileges that take precedence over the public control of national resources … »
Articles
The Face of Neo-Liberalism in the Third World: Landscapes of Coping in Trinidad and Tobago
Compte tenu de la mondialisation, le visage du Tiers-Monde connaît d’importantes mutations. Cette recherche s’est attachée à l’étude des changements qu’entraîne la mondialisation néo-libérale et se demande « comment et pourquoi les perspectives géographiques du Tiers-Monde sont remodelées? » Cette enquête a cherché à déterminer les tactiques de survie des citoyens de Trinité-et-Tobago, dans les Caraïbes, à partir d’une enquête menée auprès de foyers de quartiers défavorisés et d’une étude du contenu de journaux locaux. Les résultats de cette recherche, qui fait appel tant aux vues des personnes que des médias et qui incorpore également les observations des participants, dressent un portrait qui reflète à la fois les héritages d’un passé récent et les modifications qui découlent des efforts de survie que suscite une économie renouvelée. Une tentative de traduire les événements à caractère économique, politique et humain qui se déroulent dans le Tiers-Monde dans leur contexte géographique sous-tend cette recherche, reliant modèle et processus à mesure que le portrait de la nation est remodelé par les stratégies de survie en un monde qui fait face à la situation.
The Peace of the Oligarchs: Land Distribution and the Guatemalan Peace Process
Depuis longtemps, au Guatemala, la propriété et l’utilisation des terres sont le pivot du développement économique et social. Elles ont aussi été à l’origine du récent conflit armé et du contexte actuel de pauvreté et d’inégalités. Malgré le rôle central de la réforme agraire prévue dans les accords de paix négociés en 1996 par l’intermédiaire des Nations Unies, il y a eu peu de changements substantiels et la majeure partie des accords reste lettre morte. Après une description détaillée de la situation, l’auteur examine les événements et les parties responsables de l’absence de réforme agraire. Enfin, il suggère une stratégie afin d’obtenir une réforme minimale en dépit d’une forte opposition.
État des lieux
Le Modèle de développement intégré : vers une harmonisation des orientations stratégiques de l’aide au développement
Au nom d’une plus grande efficacité, le Modèle de développement intégré (MDI) des institutions financières internationales, prône la réforme de l’ensemble des mécanismes de l’aide au développement. Cet article a pour but de cerner certaines implications relatives à l’harmonisation des orientations stratégiques de tous les bailleurs de fonds internationaux. Nous chercherons à démontrer que la réforme, sous le couvert de l’objectif très louable de réduire la pauvreté, promulgue la pratique d’une plus grande sélectivité stratégique. L’analyse de cette sélectivité permet de revisiter les stratégies véhiculées par le MDI et de constater le caractère éminemment politique de la réforme actuelle.
Recensions
The Human Factor in Shaping the Course of History and Development, Senyo B.-S.K. Adjibolosoo (ed.)
Development Hegemony: NGOs and the State in India, Sangeeta Kamat
State of the World 2003The Worldwatch Institute
The Least Developed Countries Report 2002: Escaping the Poverty Trap, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)