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Regions and the wealth of the world

Regions and the wealth of the world. Daniel Latouche, Center for Urban, Culture and Social Studies, National Institute for Scientific Research, Montréal CPMR-UNDP Scientific Council , « Globalization and Territorial Development », 3 and 4 December 2007, Lisbon. Perspective.

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Regions and the wealth of the world

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  1. Regions and the wealth of the world Daniel Latouche, Center for Urban, Culture and Social Studies, National Institute for Scientific Research, Montréal CPMR-UNDP Scientific Council , « Globalization and Territorial Development », 3 and 4 December 2007, Lisbon

  2. Perspective In the 1990’s, SG of the Groupe de Lisbonne with Riccardo Petrella • PublishedLimits to competitiontranslated in six languages, but a differentreception in differentregions Academic for a very long time: enough to learn: • Ideas come and go…theynever die; theyreincarnatethemselves • This isat least the third time around for the idea of Region • We have to understand the reasons for thisrecent come-back

  3. Perspective (2) Work as a practicionner, i.e. a consultant, always on the look-out for a good theory • For the Canadian International Development Agency • But also for the ADB, the UNDP, the OECD • Africa: Morocco, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Niger, Benin • First Governance, then Decentralization, Local Economic Initiatives, Regional Development The perspective is clearly that of North America

  4. Putting all thistogethermakes for… • A certain obsession with identifying the simplest questions available rather than finding ideal solutions. • A preoccupation with what works and with how to make work better. • A high dose of scepticism vis-à-vis any paradigm which gets to be too comfortable.

  5. What questions shouldweask ? Question 1: Why are Regions suddenly so important ? Question 2: Are Regions a promissing level to consolidate development in the global era ? Question 3: What do Regions bring to North- South Cooperation ? Question 4: What could go wrong with the regional paradigm ?

  6. Question 1: Regions are in ! Why ? • We don’t really know…and François Perroux is no longer here to tell us. Humility. • Perhaps: • Exhaustion of the « Thinkglobally, actlocally ». Sans aucun doute. • The only territorial levelleft to explore ? The last frontier syndrome ? • Governanceseems to workbetterat the regionallevel • But the important thingiswhatwe do with the concept ….. whileitlasts

  7. Question 1: What about Africa ? • Except for South Africa, the continent has yet to embark on a regional course • Nigeria is the exception of course… • Morocco, Mali, Ghana, Sénégal are clearly heading this way There are costs, difficulties and dangers: • National unity • Clientelism • Localist ideologies • Highjacking of rare ressources

  8. Question 1: • Mutilateral donors can make a difference: • The ADB • The EU • The WB ?? But multilateral organizations are made up of….countries • The search for continental unity can be an issue. In Africa there are Regions (NEPAD) and regions. A problem or an opportunity ? Daniel Latouche Lisbonne December 2007

  9. Question 2:Are Regions a promissinglevel for developmentpurposes • The answerisyes …but empirical proof is rare • Need to workatevaluation in a comparative perspective • Proximityis no substitute for results. • What are the results of building betterregions: • Better public policies, more people oriented • More economicdevelopment, betterroads, mobility • More innovation • More sustainability • Lessinequities, inequalities

  10. Question 2: • While we wait for a critical evaluation, we can work at improving the odds: • Need knowledge, information, less celebration • Need South-South transfer of information : Mali needs to know about Brazil • Need to realize that « Regional economic development policies » don’t just happen. They are constructed…and their record is not that great. • Need to realize that there is little « natural » or « given » in regions. They are political construction, even ethnocultural regions

  11. Question 2: • Regions are imperfect creatures. Don’t wait for the perfect decentralization process. • Beware of the tyranny of sequencing • To create Regions is to create « power » … on credit. It needs to be used to be consolidated. • There are no « paper-tiger » regions ! • Regions are not large « arrondissements ». They need real identities and not just numbers.

  12. Question 3:What do Regionsbring to North South Cooperation ? • On paper, regionscanprovidedadded value: more money, more experience, better know-how, more proximity: in short thereisnothinglikeRegion to RegionCooperation • The reality is more limited: • Regions are often more bureaucratic, more dispersed and fragmented, less open, less pertinent and smaller • Aidfromregionscanoftenmake the difference and target « forgottenneeds » • Aidfromregions has to bebroughtunder the Paris Declarationumbrella; but how ?

  13. Question 3: • There is much talk of bringing coherence and synergy to aid and cooperation from regions; who can be against coherence • Make sure regions in the South will actually gain from this increased coherence • Regional development and Regions in the South are perhaps the way of the future, but they need help: • Building regions that work is difficult, more so than inefficient national governments

  14. Question 3: • Regions in the South need to understand (and they do) why Regions in the North are getting on the Cooperation bandwagon • Often want to confirm their place on their own political chessboard • Often a way to access private actors or promote heir own interest • Electoral considerations • Diasporas have economic clout • We all know about immigration considerations

  15. Question 4:Whatcould go wrongwith the regionalparadigm • The worst-case scenario is for the paradigm to stayaround for too long • Little chance as the « Regional/Local/Small-is-beautiful/ Bottom-up/Urban/Decentralized/ Endogeneous » (It’s the samefamily) isalreadyunder question • Long gone are the dayswhenRemy Prud’homme was the only one to suggestthatdecentralizationwas not the solution to everything

  16. Question 4: • By now, we know that: • All territories are not created equal. • The center is not only holding, but doing better than expected;the peripheries are likely to remain just that…peripheries • Proximity rarely makes people or institutions more intelligent or richer • There is suspicion that Jane Jacobs, prophet of City Life, might have had it all wrong: • Cities are not engines of growth • Rich countries make cities rich and not the reverse

  17. Question 4: • How to bring politics into regional life is a difficult task, the most difficult one • « Real » politics, with parties, elections, deals, promisses, leaders, opposition. • Regional governance is no substitute for regional governments • What kind of « institutions » at the local level: the issue of corruption, trust « If you can’t stand the political heat, get out of the regional kitchen »

  18. Obregado

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