Annual Workshops


PSA Development Politics Group 2nd Annual Workshop

'Making Politics Practical: Development Politics and the Changing Aid Environment'
Convened by Heather Marquette
(International Development Department, University of Birmingham)
Held at European Research Institute, University of Birmingham
26th January 2007

Background

For over 20 years, political scientists have provided theoretical and empirical evidence that establishes the 'primacy of politics' for development, but they have often felt that the development community - and donors in particular - have not been listening. Widespread changes within the aid environment, brought about in no small part thanks to the emphasis on governance, mean that political scientists have a unique opportunity right now to engage with policy makers on the politics of development. From the scramble for workable tools to analyse politics in developing countries, to the unprecedented appointment of a political scientist to head the World Bank, to the move towards general budget support in the distribution of aid and the implications of this for national and local politics within countries, and so on, we are reminded everywhere we turn about how central 'getting politics right' is for ensuring developmental success.

These trends are likely to impact the environment in which we conduct research, the funding opportunities available and the way we understand or explore development, both in theory and in practice. It also means that we have a real opportunity to influence the way in which policy emerges in the field of development politics.

Within the development studies academic community, there has been a rigourous debate about the need for better engagement with policy makers. An entire Development Studies Association (DSA) Conference in 2004 and a special issue of Development in Practice in 2006 were dedicated to this. Recent work by David Mosse, for example, and the development of the RAPID framework for analysis at ODI continues this debate, and the emphasis here is on constructive, if cautious, engagement with policy makers. Few political scientists have engaged in this debate, despite the centrality of politics in much of this work, and the field generally has a reputation - deserved or otherwise - for asking lots of questions, but hardly ever seeking solutions; for rarely moving beyond criticism into work that can actually help improve donor practice.

Conference panels

Panel 1: Political Concepts in Practice in Developing Countries

Chair: Dr Ben Thirkell-White (University of St Andrews)

  • Adrian Leftwich (University of York: "From Drivers of Change to the Politics of Development"
  • Mark Robinson(Institute of Development Studies, Sussex): "Reforming the State: The Politics of State Capacity Building"
  • Sue Unsworth (Institute of Development Studies, Sussex): "Can Political Science Speak to Policy Makers?"

Panel 2: Donors "Doing Politics": Emerging Issues in Development Practice

Chair: Dr Andrew Wyatt (University of Bristol)

  • Jennifer Romine (University of Illinois): "Comparison of Aid Distribution from the World Bank and EBRD to the Postcommunist States"
  • Stephen Klingebiel (Institut Allemand de Developpement): "Interfaces between Development and Security Policy: Donor Contributions to Strengthening the African Peace and Security Architecture"
  • Paolo de Renzio (Overseas Development Institute): "Aid, Budgets and Accountability"

Panel 3: Linking Researchers to Policy Makers: The Role of Online Resource Centres

  • Brian Lucas (Manager, Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC))
  • Paul Jackson (Director, Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform (GFN-SSR))

Panel 4: Is Better Engagement Between Policy Makers and Political Scientists on the Politics of Development Possible?

Chair: Heather Marquette (University of Birmingham)

  • Martin Gainsborough (University of Bristol)
  • Graham Teskey (Head of Governance and Social Development, Policy Division, DFID)