Governance and rule of law: Read and reflect
Suggested readings and resources related to the lectures in part 3. Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
Public participation and good governance (Larry Diamond)
Related readings:
If you are interested in more insights into why democracy and good governance can support economic development, please see the following:
- Smith, N. (2015) "Democracy is good for business", Bloomberg View.
- Acemoglu, D. et al. (2014) "Democracy does cause growth", NBER Working Paper.
- Diamond, L. (2005) "Empowering the poor: What does democracy have to do with it", in D. Narayan (Ed.) Measuring empowerment: Crossdisciplinary perspectives, Washington, DC: World Bank.
- Fukuyama, F. (2013) "What is governance", Working paper 314, Center for Global Development.
You may also visit The Journal of Democracy website, which includes many open access articles.
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- What is the situation regarding governance in your own country? What kind of government do you have, and how has it impacted development? Have you seen evidence of the effect of good or poor governance, either at home or abroad?
NGOs and civil society (Larry Diamond)
Related readings:
Prof. Diamond recommends the following websites to learn more about participatory approaches to governance:
- JANAAGRAHA (mentioned in Prof. Diamond's lecture)
- Frontline SMS
- Open budget initiatives
Reflection:
- Is there a need for NGOs in the Global North that work on issues related to global development? Many NGOs in the Global South claim that they take all the risks while getting a small fraction of the resources available to NGOs in the Global North. Should there be greater resources made directly available to NGOs in low-income countries?
Protest movements in Africa (Boniface Dulani)
Related readings:
- Marks, Z., Chenoweth, E., and Okeke, J. (2019) "People Power Is Rising in Africa: How Protest Movements Are Succeeding Where Even Global Arrest Warrants Can’t”, Foreign Affairs.
- Afrobarometer (2019) "What’s behind the wave of protests in Africa?"
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- Think of a protest movement that has inspired you. What was special about the movement and what type of change did it inspire?
Citizen fora in Malawi (Michael Chasukwa)
Related readings:
If you are interested in learning more about Citizen Fora and mechanisms of accountability, Dr. Chasukwa suggests the following open access articles:
- O’Neil, T. et al. (2007) "Evaluation of Citizens’ Voice and Accountability: Review of the Literature and Donor Approaches", DFID.
- Tembo, F. (2012) “Citizen voice and state accountability: Towards theories of change that embrace contextual dynamics”, ODI Project Briefing 73.
You can also check out the 2016 open access book by Banik, D. and Chinsinga, B. (eds.) Political Transition and Inclusive Development in Malawi: The Democratic Dividend, Routledge.
The role of traditional leaders in Africa (Happy Kayuni)
Related readings:
- Kayuni, H. et al. (2019) "Perceptions on the legitimacy of traditional leaders in democratic Malawi”, Journal of Public Administration and Development Alternatives, 4(1).
- Female traditional leaders vow to end child marriage, The Daily Times, Malawi, 27 October 2019.
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- How should traditional leaders work with the formal apparatus of the state? Should such traditional authority structures continue to function in democratic societies?
The role of liberation technologies (Larry Diamond)
Related readings:
If you are interested in finding out more about liberation technology, please check out the following:
- Diamond, L. (2010) "Liberation Technology", Journal of Democracy 21(3).
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- Information and communications technology (ICT) is all around us. Prof. Diamond spoke about some ways it has helped promote better governance in places like India. Do you have ideas for how ICT can become "liberation technologies" and help promote good governance and public participation? Have you experienced this yourself in your everyday life?
Human rights and development (Margot Skarpeteig)
Related readings:
If you are interested in learning more about the human rights-based approach to development, Margot Skarpeteig suggests the following resources:
- Norad (2014) Results Report (Aid for Democracy and Human Rights)
- If you only have time for one reading, we strongly suggest you read the report, which summarizes the evolution of international aid for democracy and human rights, recent development trends, and why the Norwegian government provides this type of aid. It also lists 25 projects in the field of democracy and human rights that the government has supported.
- WHO (2013) Women’s and Children’s Health: Evidence of Impact of Human Rights.
- Donald, A and Mottershaw, E (2009) "Poverty, inequality and human rights: Do human rights make a difference?" (Summary and download available through link).
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- The human rights-based approach consists of “cross-cutting human rights principles” that guide the promotion and implementation of human rights, in concert with development programs. As Margot Skarpeteig notes, “The human rights approach helps us focus on people, not services or things.” It can help us identify and overcome inequities while contributing to more effective aid programs overall. In her lecture, she mentions examples such as “fair, effective and non-discriminatory health care,” “educational system” and “taxation policy” to name just three domains where this approach could be effective.
- Please consider your own domain of expertise. How might a human rights-based approach influence aid programs in your domain? Are there existing programs that would be enhanced by this approach? What programs would need to be reformed to take into account human rights? Can you think of specific examples or case studies?
Initiatives in rule of law (Erik Jensen)
Related readings:
If you are interested in finding out more about Rule of Law initiatives, Erik Jensen suggests the following resources:
- Andrews, M., Pritchett L., and Woolcock, M. (2012) “Escaping Capability Traps Through Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA)”, CGD Working Paper.
- Stanford Rule of Law Program’s legal education and legal development initiatives website
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Rwanda
- Timor-Leste
Book excerpts:
- Jensen, E (2003) “The Rule of Law and Judicial Reform: The Political Economy of Diverse Institutional Patterns and Reformers’ Responses” in Beyond Common Knowledge: Empirical Approaches to the Rule of Law by Jensen and Heller (Stanford University Press).
- Kennedy, D (2003) “Laws and Developments” in Law and Development: Facing Complexity in the 21st Century (Cavendish Publishing: 2003).
- Weber, M. (1954) “The Economic System and the Normative Orders” in Law in Economy and Society edited by Max Rheinstein (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1954).
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- In the talk by Prof. Jensen, the role of donors and their expectations played a role in the success or failure of Rule of Law programs. Donors want to see impacts - more “bang for the buck” - but at the same time, inflated expectations can prevent programs from being implemented in a realistic and efficient way, ultimately undermining their success.
- Please comment on donor expectations and how one might appropriately match these to the constraints of local conditions, while still giving donors optimism so they will continue contributing. Have you ever faced such a balancing act in your own work, and how did you or your organization handle it?
In search of democracy (Larry Diamond)
Related readings:
- Diamond, L. (2015) In search of democracy, Routledge.
Organization and management of elections in Malawi (Sangwani Mwafulirwa)
Related readings:
- Banik, D. and Kayuni, H. (2020) "A great judgment, but court victories won't deliver democracy in Malawi", The Conversation.
Reflection:
Continue the conversation on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. Please use the hashtag #WhatWorksUiO if you wish to respond to or reflect on any of the issues raised in the lectures.
- The results of Malawi's elections held in May 2019 was recently annulled by the constitutional court. You can read more about the case in the above piece by Professors Banik and Kayuni. How should a poor country finance yet another election, scheduled to be held in July 2020? Are elections worth the cost and effort?