Showing papers in "Development and Change in 2021"
TL;DR: The development as de-risking paradigm narrows the scope for a green developmental state that could design a just transition to low-carbon economies as discussed by the authors, which is the goal of this paper.
Abstract: The Wall Street Consensus is an elaborate effort to reorganize development interventions around partnerships with global finance The UN's Billions to Trillions agenda, the World Bank's Maximizing Finance for Development or the G20's Infrastructure as an Asset Class update the Washington Consensus for the age of the portfolio glut, to ‘escort’ global (North) institutional investors and the managers of their trillions into development asset classes Making development investible requires a two‐pronged strategy: enlist the state into risk‐proofing development assets and accelerate the structural transformation of local financial systems towards market‐based finance that better accommodates portfolio investors Ten policy commandments forge the ‘de‐risking state’ They create a safety net for investors in development assets, protecting their profits from demand risks attached to commodified infrastructure assets; from political risks attached to (progressive) policies that would threaten cash flows, including nationalization, higher minimum wages and, critically, climate regulation; and from liquidity and currency risks These risks are transferred to the balance sheet of the state The new ‘development as de‐risking’ paradigm narrows the scope for a green developmental state that could design a just transition to low‐carbon economies
124 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the relevance of dependency theory for understanding contemporary development challenges, especially in the light of changes in the global economy over the past 50 years, is evaluated, and a new definition of Dependency Theory as a research programme, rather than a singular theory is proposed.
Abstract: This article evaluates the relevance of dependency theory for understanding contemporary development challenges, especially in the light of changes in the global economy over the past 50 years. In order to do so, the article rectifies previous misunderstandings of the scholarship and offers a new definition of dependency theory as a research programme, rather than a singular theory. Four core tenets of this research programme are identified: a global historical approach; theorizing of the polarizing tendencies of global capitalism; a focus on structures of production; and a focus on the specific constraints faced by peripheral economies. While each of these elements can be found in many contemporary theories, what makes dependency theory unique — and a particularly strong research programme — is the combination of these elements. The article demonstrates how this approach provides a deep and broad understanding that is necessary to appreciate the persistence of uneven development with reference to two case studies, namely successful industrialization in South Korea, and how the fragmentation of global value chains has impacted industrialization in Indonesia. Finally, the article argues that approaching these kinds of cases through a dependency research programme can contribute to a fruitful renewal of development studies.
70 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the underlying sources of the crisis are to be found not in the conjunctural cycles of reform fatigue, but rather in the post-2001, neoliberal, speculation-led growth model that relied excessively on hot money inflows and external debt accumulation.
Abstract: By the end of 2018 Turkey had entered a new economic crisis and a lengthy recession period In contrast to the previous financial crises of 1994, 2001 and 2009, when the economy shrank abruptly with a spectacular collapse of asset values and a severe contraction of output, the 2018 economic crisis was characterized by a prolonged recession with persistent low (negative) rates of growth, dwindling investment performance, debt repayment problems, secularly rising unemployment, spiralling currency depreciation and high inflation The mainstream approach attributes this dismal performance to a lack of ‘structural reforms’ and/or exogenous policy factors However, this analysis shows that the underlying sources of the crisis are to be found not in the conjunctural cycles of reform fatigue, but rather in the post‐2001, neoliberal, speculation‐led growth model that relied excessively on hot‐money inflows and external debt accumulation This article argues that following the post‐2001 orthodox reforms, a foreign capital inflow‐dependent, debt‐led and construction‐centred economic growth model dominated the economy and caused a long build‐up of imbalances and increased fragilities that led to the 2018 crisis The Covid‐19 pandemic of 2020‒21 further exposed these fragilities, pushing the economy back into a recession with rapid capital outflows causing another round of sharp currency depreciation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Development & Change is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )
38 citations
25 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a fine-grained understanding of how political territories and processes are imagined and produced by and through China's internationalization, focusing on infrastructure as a "technology" of territorialization is presented.
Abstract: China’s internationalization has been heralded by some as a new era of South–South cooperation. Yet such framings of development are pitched at an abstract space of the ‘global South’ which conceals more than it reveals. With some theory moving towards ontologies of ‘global development’, we need to capture both the connectedness and the local specificity of increasingly diffuse processes. This article sets out a more fine-grained understanding of how political territories and processes are imagined and produced by and through China’s internationalization, focusing on infrastructure as a ‘technology’ of territorialization. Much of the focus on China’s internationalization has been on state-to-state relations, but this obscures the ‘omni-channel politics’ that China practises. Using a critical literature review and illustrative case study, this article develops the idea of omni-channel politics to posit a view of ‘twisted’ territories in which political processes and development outcomes are more complex and contingent.
24 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors draw on secondary historical literature and primary research with Kenyan and international agritech developers, farmers, and representatives from international organizations, regulators and farmer organizations, to historicize contemporary platformization within a longer history of infrastructural performativity in rural Kenya, in order to tease out both continuities and departures from the past.
Abstract: While there is growing literature on the role of platforms in concentrating market power, this article centres on their role in ‘performing’ economic theory. As infrastructures that measure, monitor and ultimately compel human behaviour, the authors argue that digital platforms should be understood as ‘performative infrastructures’ that seek to incorporate informal populations by compelling behaviour in line with certain theoretical and commercial models. The article draws on secondary historical literature and primary research with Kenyan and international agritech developers, farmers, and representatives from international organizations, regulators and farmer organizations, to historicize contemporary ‘platformization’ within a longer history of infrastructural performativity in rural Kenya, in order to tease out both continuities and departures from the past. While contemporary technologists evoke similar justifications for top-down control over markets as did their analogue predecessors, they nonetheless seek to vest such power within the private sector and to use it to perform neoclassical theory. The authors argue that this particular orientation is not an intrinsic feature of the technology itself but is rather shaped by a longer history of shifting policy paradigms.
20 citations
16 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine data on the worldwide use of the shadow library website Sci•Hub and identify the underlying socio-economic drivers (i.e., GDP and population).
Abstract: This study examines data on the worldwide use of the shadow library website Sci‐Hub. It focuses particularly on the discipline of development studies, taking a critical look at current practices in scientific publishing and their implications for scientific conduct in this field. In the context of discussions about open science, the data demonstrate that Sci‐Hub represents an existing network of open access literature. The study first describes the extent and geographic distribution of download requests from Sci‐Hub and then identifies the underlying socio‐economic drivers (i.e. GDP and population). The authors find that Sci‐Hub is used the most by researchers from the global South, primarily from middle‐income countries, whereas researchers from the poorest countries in the data set use Sci‐Hub the least. This approach allows some conclusions to be drawn about factors that have an effect on a functioning open access network.
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the historical processes, institutional and digital infrastructures, and political dynamics shaping the effects of open access in development research, focusing on tensions and crises in the relationship between scholarly and corporate publishing ecosystems.
Abstract: This introductory article looks beyond the conventional framing of open access (OA) debates in terms of paywalls and copyrights, to examine the historical processes, institutional and digital infrastructures, and political dynamics shaping the effects of OA in development research. From a historical perspective, it focuses on tensions and crises in the relationship between scholarly and corporate publishing ecosystems. The spectrum of open access models is also examined, with a focus on green, gold, diamond and black, which tend to obscure the underlying scholarly publishing infrastructures that shape the parameters of openness and access. A closer look at distinctive for-profit and non-profit OA infrastructures reveals the inequitable and often neo-colonial effects of for-profit models on Southern researchers and the social sciences. Accounts of the politics of OA highlight processes of political capture of the OA agenda by Northern corporate and state interests and draw attention to alternative interest coalitions which are more suited to prioritizing the global public good over private profit. Reflecting on the requirements of OA in low-resource environments, this article echoes calls for more equitable forms of openness and access in development research ecosystems, with a view to decolonizing as well as advancing OA.
16 citations
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the specific processes through which these inclusive connections engage with informal actors, focusing on how they work and for whom, and examine processes of resistance and failed connections reworking inclusive infrastructures from below.
Abstract: The worrying welfare and political risks of expanding informal economies have put concerns about economic inclusion at the heart of contemporary development thinking — concerns further intensified in the wake of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Amid a collective ‘will to include’, this Debate adopts an infrastructural lens to decipher the distributive and governance implications of the complex institutional, financial and digital linkages through which informal workers and consumers are being included in the circuits of contemporary market economies. Looking beyond imaginaries of seamless linkages, the articles in this Debate examine the specific processes through which these inclusive connections engage with informal actors, focusing on how they work and for whom. Articles focus on various types of inclusive infrastructures that connect deprived communities to jobs, resources and social citizenship, ranging from social protection systems to employment linkages and services for hard‐to‐reach populations. With a view to cutting through the ideological blurring of inclusive discourses, this Introduction will examine the strategies of legibility and regulatory restructuring effected through inclusive infrastructures. It reveals the hidden politics of inclusive linkages, reflects on the techniques of governance operating through socio‐technical connections, and examines processes of resistance and failed connections reworking inclusive infrastructures from below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Development & Change is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
TL;DR: The authors investigates how elites in the United States and Germany have responded to this "Made in China 2025" challenge, a burgeoning "techno-nationalist" phase of globalization, and analyzes the divergent state responses of the USA and Germany: while both national elites are concerned, the reaction of the US has been far more confrontational.
Abstract: President Xi Jinping has made clear that the ‘Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation’ will involve world-leading competitiveness: his ‘Made in China 2025’ plan identifies 10 core sectors of advanced technology. This article investigates how elites in the United States and Germany have responded to this ‘China challenge’, a burgeoning ‘techno-nationalist’ phase of globalization. First, the article explores the divergent state responses of the USA and Germany: while both national elites are concerned, the reaction of the US has been far more confrontational. It then tries to explain this striking contrast in terms of the disparate domestic constituents. The US since Trump has aligned electoral grievances around manufacturing job losses with the interests of the national security establishment. In contrast, German labour has fared better in globalization, and the German state has not been able to override the interests of German capital in the way that the US has. Thus, the authors offer an account of how Germany and the US have responded differently to the China challenge, as well as explaining why with reference to the divergent structural conditions and class interests. The article ends by speculating that ‘techno-nationalism’ will only accelerate in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract: The digitization of taxation systems can assist inclusion. However, it can also inadvertently lead to adverse outcomes for the poor in developing countries where many firms in the informal sector have low capabilities. Moreover, larger formal sector firms are often politically networked and in a position to engage in extractive informal transactions that digitization alone cannot restrict. Thus, while digitization creates tools for the enforcement of formal regulations, formalization can be unequal. This contribution focuses on digitized taxation as an application of a more general problem with digitization as a tool for formalization, referring to evidence from the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India. Using the analysis of political settlements, the authors distinguish between types of rule violations in developing economies. Networked higher-capability firms engage in ‘informal’ transactions when they violate rules to extract rents. This is different from the informality of unregistered micro and small enterprises in the informal sector who often violate rules they cannot adhere to, and make informal payments to enforcers to continue operating. When digital technologies are used in these contexts, adverse outcomes for welfare and inclusion can follow from ‘premature formalization’. A more cautious and inclusive path to formalization is necessary to protect vulnerable groups.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider whether Plan S promotes or undermines the ability of Indonesian scholars to develop systems of OA adapted to local resource constraints and research needs, and they conclude that Plan S does not promote or undermine the ability for Indonesian scholars.
Abstract: Despite the absence of funding pressures that explicitly mandate a shift to open access (OA), Indonesia is a leader in OA publishing. Indonesia subscribes to a non‐profit model of OA, which differs from that promoted by Plan S. The penetration of bibliometric systems of academic performance assessment is pushing Indonesian scholars away from a local non‐profit model of OA to a model based on high publication charges. This article considers whether Plan S promotes or undermines the ability of Indonesian scholars to develop systems of OA adapted to local resource constraints and research needs.
TL;DR: Okune and Oniang'o as discussed by the authors offer perspectives from African scholars and activists on the politics of open access, revealing different experiences of and imaginaries for open access in Africa.
Abstract: Author(s): Okune, Angela; Adebowale, Sulaiman; Gray, Eve; Mumo, Angela; Oniang'o, Ruth | Abstract: In the 1970s and early 1980s, parastatal and independent indigenous publishing houses were established in capital cities across Africa, but these emerging operations and institutions were quickly undercut by structural adjustment programmes; African scholars had little alternative but to turn to organizations and publishing systems in Europe and North America. Unfortunately, contemporary scholarly publishing on the African continent remains largely dominated by Western corporate academic publishers. Even as the notion of open access has gained popularity, a growing body of scholarship indicates that the concept is in fact re‐entrenching the power of traditional academic publishers under a revised business model. This piece offers perspectives from African scholars and activists on the politics of open access, revealing different experiences of and imaginaries for open access in Africa. The piece is supplemented by data from the in‐depth discussion that informed it, which is published on an open‐source platform in an effort to invite readers to also lend their analytic perspectives and contribute towards iterative analysis and ongoing dialogue.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore how a rapid increase in domestic consumption in the case of Indian tea production has transformed the industry, and how institutional and regulatory actors have responded to these changes.
Abstract: The growth of emerging economies has led to a significant expansion of domestic markets in the global South. Yet, the vast majority of studies examining contemporary patterns of trade and production continue to use a global value chain (GVC) lens, therefore obfuscating important spatial and temporal shifts occurring within domestic geographies of production in the early decades of the 21st century. This article explores how a rapid increase in domestic consumption in the case of Indian tea production has transformed the industry, and how institutional and regulatory actors have responded to these changes. Using a value chain framework to explore the key actors and processes shaping the political economy of domestic production, this article identifies three processes which have driven the creation of new trade and production structures within India's domestic tea market: a significant rise in the outsourcing and fragmentation of the production process; the expansion of smallholder‐led production; and the introduction of private standards and governance programmes within the domestically oriented segment of production. These trends have important implications for the tea industry and shed light on how domestic markets in the global South are being transformed under 21st century geographies of trade and consumption.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an overview of the history and current trends in publishing practices in the scientific fields known to the authors (chemical sciences, social sciences and humanities), as well as a discussion of how open access mandates such as Plan S from cOAlition S will affect these practices.
Abstract: This academic thought piece provides an overview of the history of, and current trends in, publishing practices in the scientific fields known to the authors (chemical sciences, social sciences and humanities), as well as a discussion of how open access mandates such as Plan S from cOAlition S will affect these practices. It begins by summarizing the evolution of scientific publishing, in particular how it was shaped by the learned societies, and highlights how important quality assurance and scientific management mechanisms are being challenged by the recent introduction of ever more stringent open access mandates. The authors then discuss the various reactions of the researcher community to the introduction of Plan S, and elucidate a number of concerns: that it will push researchers towards a pay-to-publish system which will inevitably create new divisions between those who can afford to get their research published and those who cannot; that it will disrupt collaboration between researchers on the different sides of cOAlition S funding; and that it will have an impact on academic freedom of research and publishing. The authors analyse the dissemination of, and responses to, an open letter distributed and signed in reaction to the introduction of Plan S, before concluding with some thoughts on the potential for evolution of open access in scientific publishing.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that open access publishing only makes sense within a project that seeks to nurture this positive conception of academic freedom by transforming higher education towards something more socially just and inclusive of knowledge producers and consumers worldwide.
Abstract: This opinion piece interrogates the position that open access policies infringe academic freedom Through an analysis of the objections to open access policies (specifically Plan S) that draw on academic freedom as their primary concern, the article illustrates the shortcomings of foregrounding a negative conception of academic freedom that primarily seeks to protect the fortunate few in stable academic employment within wealthy countries Although Plan S contains many regressive and undesirable elements, the article makes a case for supporting its proposal for zero‐embargo repository‐based open access as the basis for a more positive form of academic freedom for scholars around the globe Ultimately, open access publishing only makes sense within a project that seeks to nurture this positive conception of academic freedom by transforming higher education towards something more socially just and inclusive of knowledge producers and consumers worldwide
TL;DR: This paper explored the reasons for the preference of Chinese state-and privately-owned companies for takeovers of this type of European company and concluded that Chinese corporate takeovers arguably problematize the future of European innovation and competitiveness and thus the technological robustness of Europe's economic development.
Abstract: While Europe has become the principal venue for new Chinese foreign direct investment, little of it has resulted in new (greenfield) production or research and development facilities. The bulk of this investment has been used to take over European companies, outstripping Chinese acquisitions in North America by 800 per cent. While some takeovers have been of insurance, sports, luxury goods and similar non‐strategic companies, many have been of innovation‐driven firms. This article explores the reasons for the preference — by Chinese state‐ and privately owned companies — for takeovers of this type of European company. Its working hypothesis is that there are correspondences between the continuing weaknesses in China's innovation system and the fact that Chinese companies have been partially shut out of the US and Japan, leading to the focus on cutting‐edge technological acquisitions in Europe. While these correspondences cannot be proven empirically, the article suggests that, given the available evidence and the context in which it arises (particularly the Chinese government's ‘Made in China 2025’ industrial agenda), the balance of presumption must be that these are key dynamics driving China's European acquisitions programme. Amongst its conclusions, the article suggests that Chinese corporate takeovers arguably problematize the future of European innovation and competitiveness and thus the technological robustness of Europe's economic development.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare three different models of leadership and democracy: liberal electoral democracy, Marxist-Leninist Maoist democracy, and democracy by sortition, the random selection of rotating leaders.
Abstract: What if we selected our leaders by lottery? Zooming out from the mud huts of indigenous communities in the forested hills of eastern India, this article compares three different models of leadership and democracy: liberal electoral democracy; Marxist-Leninist Maoist democracy; and democracy by sortition — the random selection of rotating leaders. The significance of sortition is introduced into discussions of democracy in India (showing connections with practices in Nepal and China) as part of a broader attempt to make scholarship on South Asia more democratic. The author also re-reads ideals of leadership among indigenous people, showing that we need a theoretical and practical vision arguing not for societies without leaders but for societies in which everyone may be a leader. In India, this compels us to push back against the critique of its indigenous communities for not producing leaders and enables a profound re-reading of the history of subaltern anti-colonial rebellions. The final aim of the article is to highlight the virtues of the potential of sortition in creating democratic society globally. How we think about democracy and leadership is thus turned on its head to provide a new vision for the future.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors introduce a dynamic analytical framework that is able to assess the response to investment by Chinese MNCs in Europe, and examine the implications of that response for China and its corporations.
Abstract: Since the turn of the 21st century, the emergence of Chinese outbound investment has been one of the most prominent features of globalization. Its trajectory has been notable both for its speed and scale and for its global dispersion. Since the early 2000s, Chinese outbound investment has grown rapidly from a very low base that predominately involved South–South flows, expanding into the global North. The idiosyncratic nature of Chinese investment has generated diverse responses over time from the countries of the developed world. The policy dilemmas that Chinese investment creates for the latter economies is manifest in their fragmented reactions and in the degree of contestation around policy responses. In the light of the recent increasing backlash towards investment by Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) in much of the developed world, this article introduces a dynamic analytical framework that is able to assess the response to investment by Chinese MNCs in Europe, and examines the implications of that response for China and its corporations. By doing so, this article contributes to the debate on Chinese globalization and further elaborates on the so‐called ‘China anxiety’ issue.
TL;DR: The authors build on theories of transnationalism and translocality to position migration as a cyclical process whereby the well‐being of Mustangis in Nepal and NYC rests on the reliability of global migratory networks and translocal kinship relations — a basis for security and belonging that COVID‐19 has challenged and reconfigured.
Abstract: New York City (NYC) garnered significant national and international attention when it emerged as the coronavirus epicentre in the USA, in spring 2020. As has been widely documented, this crisis has disproportionately impacted minority, immigrant and marginalized communities. Among those affected were people from Mustang, Nepal, a Himalayan region bordering Tibet. This community is often rendered invisible within larger Asian immigrant populations, but the presence of Mustangis in the US has transformed their translocal worlds, lived between Nepal and NYC. Seasonal mobility and life-stage wage labour in cosmopolitan Asia have been common in Mustang for decades. More permanent moves to NYC began in the 1990s. These migrations were based on assumptions about attaining financial stability in the US in ways deemed unattainable in Nepal. An ethnographic focus on one translocal Mustangi family frames this discussion of how COVID-19 has overturned previously held ideas around migration to NYC and uncovered new forms of precarity. The authors build on theories of transnationalism and translocality to position migration as a cyclical process whereby the well-being of Mustangis in Nepal and NYC rests on the reliability of global migratory networks and translocal kinship relations - a basis for security and belonging that COVID-19 has challenged and reconfigured.