scholarly journals De Civiele Maatschappij: een 'nieuwe' partner in een 'oud' systeem

Afrika Focus ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Vervisch
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
International Development ◽  
Political Change ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
International Consensus ◽  
The World ◽  
Formal Relations ◽  
Governance Reforms

Since the 1990s, there has been a growing consensus in the international development community about the role of civil society as a relevant partner in economic development and political change all over the world. This article places this debate in the context of state-society relations in Sub-Sahara-Africa. As will become clear, the international consensus is based on one specific and highly normative interpretation of this relation between state and civil society. This consensus defines civil society as an independent actor vis-à-vis the state, capable of championing democratic and governance reforms. Our own argument starts from the assumption that this interpretation ignores the complex interrelatedness of state and civil society in African societies. As such, we propose a theoretical framework that recognizes a plurality of different state-society relations and also pays attention to informal as well as formal relations between state and civil society. By doing so, we question the international consensus about the role civil society can play in Sub-Sahara-Africa.Key Words: Civil Society, State-Society Relations, Sub-Sahara-Africa

scholarly journals De Civiele Maatschappij: Een 'Nieuwe' Partner in een 'Oud' Systeem?

Afrika Focus ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 5-42
Author(s):  
Thomas Vervisch
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
International Development ◽  
Political Change ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
International Consensus ◽  
The World ◽  
Formal Relations ◽  
Governance Reforms

Civil Society in Africa: A 'new' partner in an 'old' system? Since the 1990s, there has been a growing consensus in the international development community about the role of civil society as a relevant partner in economic development and political change all over the world. This article places this debate in the context of state-society relations in Sub-Sahara-Africa. As will become clear, the international consensus is based on one specific and highly normative interpretation of this relation between state and civil society. This consensus defines civil society as an independent actor vis-à-vis the state, capable of championing democratic and governance reforms. Our own argument starts from the assumption that this interpretation ignores the complex interrelatedness of state and civil society in African societies. As such, we propose a theoretical framework that recognizes a plurality of different state-society relations and also pays attention to informal as well as formal relations between state and civil society. By doing so, we question the international consensus about the role civil society can play in Sub-Sahara-Africa.

Modern Civil Society

2008 ◽  
pp. 96-107
Author(s):  
Yu. Pavlenko
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Institutional Infrastructure ◽  
The World ◽  
Socio Economic Development

The article is aimed at providing arguments in favor of the vital role of civil society in the institutional infrastructure of socio-economic development. Civil society is explored both as a social phenomenon and as a theoretical concept. Civilization-based and formation-based characteristics underlying forms and contents of civil society in different countries are highlighted. Some conclusions regarding the future prospects of civil society development in Russia and around the world are suggested.

The Rationale for Offsets in Defence Acquisition from a Theoretical Perspective

2017 ◽  
pp. 263-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kogila Balakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Scholarly Work ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
The Past ◽  
Development Tool ◽  
The World ◽  
Vital Component

Offsets are an economic development tool used to seek technology from foreign suppliers as part of an international sale of equipment. Although offsets practice has been in existence for long, offsets have only become increasingly popular in the past two decades; thus a vital component of defence acquisition for many governments around the world. Most scholarly work on offsets have not clearly addressed the theoretical underpinnings behind why offsets are required as part of defence acquisition. What is the rationale for offsets being incorporated as part of a defence acquisition? This paper addresses the rationale for offsets in defence acquisition from a theoretical perspective. The chapter defines offsets, discusses the role of offsets in defence acquisition, outlines costs and benefits of offsets and undertakes an in-depth discussion on the various theories on the rationale for offsets in defence acquisition. This chapter argues rationale for offsets as a discipline within the defence acquisition framework can be discussed on a solid theoretical framework.

scholarly journals The African Dream for Quality Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 325-330
Author(s):  
Ahmed Legrouri
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
International Development ◽  
International Association ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Goals

AbstractEducation is well established as a leading means for building broad-based social welfare, promoting economic development and eradicating poverty. Most governments and international development agencies have, for many years, argued for a sequential development of schooling, giving priority to primary and then to secondary education before moving on to higher education. The World Education Forum: Education for All (Dakar, Senegal in 2000) advocated for primary education as a lone driver for development. In 2015, the United Nations recognised the role of HE in advancing the 2030 sustainable development agenda. HE is mentioned among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in target 4.3 and forms an important part of other goals (See Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD) global portal, International Association of Universities).

The Struggle for Public Recognition: Understanding Early Marriage through the Lens of Honour and Shame in Six Countries in South Asia and West Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 328-346
Author(s):  
Esther Miedema ◽  
Winny Koster ◽  
Nicky Pouw ◽  
Philippe Meyer ◽  
Albena Sotirova
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Female Sexuality ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Early Marriage ◽  
Social Standing ◽  
Public Recognition ◽  
The World ◽  
Economic Future ◽  
Different Parts

There is a burgeoning body of research on the role of ‘shame’ and ‘honour’ in decisions regarding early marriage in different parts of the world. Conceptualizing shame and honour as idioms through which gendered socio-economic inequalities are created and maintained, we examine early marriage decisions in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Senegal. While we acknowledge the existence of important differences between countries in terms of the nature and manifestations of shame and honour, we argue that regardless of setting, neither shame and honour, nor female sexuality and chastity can be separated from the socio-economic hierarchies and inequalities. Thus, in this article we seek to identify the cross-cutting dynamic of marriage as a means to overcome the shame associated with young single women’s sexuality, protecting family honour and social standing, and/or securing young women’s social-economic future. Building on our data and available scholarship, we question the potential of emphasizing ‘choice’ as a means of reducing early marriage and advancing women’s emancipation in international development efforts. Instead, we argue in favour of initiatives that engage with young people and caregivers on the ways in which, at grassroot levels, communities may revise narratives of respectability, marriageability and social standing.

scholarly journals In Search of Refutation of Rodrik’s Impossibility Theorem

2021 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-39
Author(s):  
M. V. Kharkevich
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
System Integration ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Global Capitalism ◽  
Impossibility Theorem ◽  
Nation State ◽  
World Culture ◽  
The World

The article is devoted to the analysis of the so called impossibility theorem, according to which democracy, state sovereignty and globalization are mutually exclusive and cannot function to the full extent when present simultaneously. This theorem, elaborated in 2011 by Dani Rodrik, a famous economist from Harvard University, poses a fundamental problem about the prospects of the global scalability of political institutions of the nation-state. Is it in principle possible to globalize executive, legislative and judicial branches of power, civil society, and democracy, or is it necessary to limit globalization in order to preserve democracy and nation-state? Rodrik’s conclusions, in essence, make one give up hopes to create global democratic order against the background of global capitalism. On the basis of the Stanford School of Sociological Institutionalism and the reconstruction of the historical materialism by Jürgen Habermas, the author refutes Rodrik’s theorem. The author’s analysis shows that not only is it possible to build democratic order at the global level, but also that it already exists in the form of the world culture that includes such norms as electoral democracy, nation-state, civil society and other institutions of Modernity. The world culture reproduces fundamental social values, playing the role of social integration for the humanity, while global capitalism provides for its material reproduction, playing the role of system integration. However, since globalization is a more dynamic process than the development of the world culture, between material and ideational universalism arises a gap, which in its turn is fraught with various kinds of political and economic crises.

scholarly journals Philip Albert Theodor Kircher. Poverty Reduction Strategies. Gottingen Studies in Development Economics. Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang, 2002. xiv+275 pages. Paperback. Price not given.

2005 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-111
Author(s):  
Faheem Jehangir Khan
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Development Cooperation ◽  
International Consensus ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
The Rich

Poverty is one of the most depressing global problems in the world today. Therefore, there is a growing consensus among development organisations that poverty alleviation should be the primary goal of cooperation between the rich and the poor countries. This consensus is due to the awareness that a widening international income gap threatens the well-being of people in the rich countries. In this volume, the author, Philip Kircher, offers a comprehensive study on the evolution, the content, the different national accentuations, and the problem of the international consensus on poverty alleviation, and provides a systematic analysis of today’s donor strategies for development cooperation for poverty reduction. The study focuses specifically on the strategic positions of the World Bank, the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany, and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), as well as the positions presented by the governments of these countries in regard to development.

Global Wars, Public Debts, and the Long Cycle

1983 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen A. Rasler ◽  
William R. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Longitudinal Analysis ◽  
Public Debt ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Long Cycle ◽  
Public Credit ◽  
The World

The explanation of the rise and fall of the world system's leading powers in terms of uneven economic development tends to overlook the role of the creation and management of public credit and national debts. Prior to 1815, the Netherlands and Great Britain owed a significant proportion of their respective victories over the larger and wealthier states of Spain and France to the development of competitive financial capabilities. Winning, however, leads to higher absolute debt burdens which, prior to 1945, encouraged postwar reductions in governmental expenditures. In this fashion, world leaders have contributed to the erosion of their preponderant capability positions before the emergence of international rivals. These ideas are elaborated within the context of George Modelski's long cycle of world leadership theory and through a brief review of war-related financial problems between 1500 and 1815 and the consequent development of national debts. The longitudinal analysis of British and American public debt data provides collaborating empirical support.

The Role of Technology to Achieve Sustainable Economic Development in Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 30-41
Author(s):  
Sally M. Farid
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Annual Series ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Telecommunications Infrastructure ◽  
Sustainable Economic Development ◽  
The World

Objective - The purpose of this paper is to study how the technological innovation can achieve and promote sustainable development particularly in Africa. It considers forms of innovation technology that could enhance sustainable development. Methodology/Technique - The data used in this paper includes 54 African countries and the study period is from 2000 to 2014, using data on IT that measures the stock of telecommunications infrastructure as telecommunications investment. The GDP series represents annual real GDP in the prices of 2000. Annual series for IT and GDP were collected from the World Development Indicators of the World Bank database in 2015. Findings - The paper presents the concept and strategies of Sustainable Economic Development, discusses existing technologies in sustainable development, shows the role of technology in sustainable development, and presents the information and communication technology to promote economic development in Africa and the obstacles to set up policies for innovation technology in Africa. Novelty - The results have major implications. Firstly, the access to telecommunications services contributes towards economic growth. Secondly, an appropriate regulatory environment is necessary to realize the potential growth in telecommunications demand generated by increased income. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Technology; Sustainable Economic Development; ICT in Africa.

11. Social Capital and Civil Society

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Letki
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Change ◽  
New Democracies ◽  
Modern Democracy ◽  
Civic Activism ◽  
Trust And Reciprocity ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter examines the role of civil society and social capital in democratization processes. It begins by reconstructing the definitions of civil society and social capital in the context of political change, followed by an analysis of the ways in which civil society and social capital are functional for the initiation and consolidation of democracies. It then considers the relationship between civil society and attitudes of trust and reciprocity, the function of networks and associations in democratization, paradoxes of civil society and social capital in new democracies, and main arguments cast against the idea that civic activism and attitudes are a necessary precondition for a modern democracy. The chapter argues that civil society and social capital and their relation to political and economic institutions are context specific.

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