Development Perspectives And Policy Making

1. Development Perspectives And Policy Making Jagadish C. Pokharel, Ph. D. Advanced Course on Management and Development Administrative Staff College Jawalakhel Chaitra 12, 2075 (March 26, 2019)

2. In this session • Brief discussion of concepts • Development • Policy • Perspectives • Theory • And others • Discuss theories of development • Changing paradigm • Policy Making process • What Nepal has been practicing • Discussion– what will it take to ?

3. Development • Development : What is it? • Desired Change of condition • A process of achieving desired change • Change “within” and change “in relation” • Change in— • Economic condition • Social condition • Environmental condition • Governance system

4. Measuring Development • Measuring Change • Indicators of measurement • Unit of measurement • Economic indicators • Change in personal or national wealth • Social indicators • Equity, justice, inclusiveness, freedom of expression, health, education, happiness etc

5. Measuring Development contd.. • Environmental indicators • Comfort, aesthetics, pollution level, disaster risks, clean drinking water, clean energy etc • Governance indicators (institutional) • Efficiency • Security and safety • Transparency and accountability/ voice • Protection of individual right/ dignity • Equality • Enforcement of law • etc

6. Perspective ? • The angle or direction in which a person looks at an object • Point of view: a position or perspective from which some thing is considered evaluated • A particular way of considering something • A way of thinking about something • Accurate view to understand what is important and what is not • A view especially one in which you can see a long way into distance • Keeping things in perspective– you must keep things in perspective, the overall situation is not that bad • “Because of its geographic position Nepal’s perspective on situation in Doglam is different from that of …” • “we have to look at things from international perspective” • “from her perspective the sun was setting but from the perspective of someone on the other side of the world the sun was rising”

7. Development Perspectives Political / philosophical • Marxist perspective • Mode of production • Capitalist perspective • Wage labor and surplus • Democratic Socialist Perspective • Democracy • Socialism • Internationalist perspective/ dependency • Existence of inequality historical reasons Disciplinary perspective (theories) • Sociological • Anthropological • Ecological • other

8. Development Policy • A purposive course of action or inaction undertaken by an actor in dealing with a particular problem or matter of concern. • Policies have goal • Have clear steps to achieve the goal • Policies are government decisions • Policies are product of demand

9. Policy Making Policy Program Agenda Implementation Issues Picked up Evaluation Issues

10. Development Goals • What we want to achieve, when, how? • Policies • strategies • steps • Programs • Resource • Action • Monitoring system

11. Theories • An understanding of • How things work • How changes take place • How things should work/ change • What should be done to make things work • Positive: How things work • Normative: How things should work

12. Development Theories Early thinking: • Having more wealth (nation and individual) • Indicators: income • Measurement: money ($) • Unit of measurement: per capita income, Gross Domestic product, Gross National Income • Early Development Problem • how to make more money, create more wealth, Labor is available, how/ where to get more capital and technology from? • Industrialization/ investment key to development COEN YEE Training 2017

13. Lessons and Realizations Big lessons: Not happening as we wished • Slow Growth • Disparities increased • Poverty did not get reduced • Inequality increased • Environmental degradation • Hunger and diseases • Weak and poor left behind • Vulnerability to disaster increased • Increased dependency on non renewable energy • undemocratic governments emerged COEN YEE Training 2017

14. Changing Perspectives • Humanity • Equity and justice • Redistributive justice • Human development/ happiness • Inclusive development • Access/ opportunities • Environmental concerns • Sustainable development • Nature’s capacity “Think of human race” / “Think of planet” / “one planet one world”

15. Changing Perspectives • Democratic values important • Decentralization • Participatory development • Empowerment • Freedom of information • Bottom up • Focus on institution: Role and Relations of • State • Market and • Civil society • Governance matters • Multiplicity of actors is good

16. Revised Theories • Sustainable development • Inclusive development • Self reliant economy • Sectors to promote: • Agriculture • Tourism • Industry • Focus • Infrastructure, energy and investment

17. Nepal’s Development Practice Nepal’s efforts to develop • National development planning since 1st plan (B.S. 2013) through 14th plan (2073/74-2075/76) • Basic needs, Poverty, growth, governance • Agriculture, tourism, industries • Prosperity, modernity and justice • Bottleneck: energy, capacity, efficiency • 15th Plan approach being finalized • Initially • The state main and only actor in development • Later on • Greater role of market and civil society • Strategy • Reform, privatize, open market COEN YEE Training 2017

18. Participation of Multiple Institutional Actors (post 1990s) State Facilitate Regulate Guide protect National development Market Efficiency Investment Management Growth Cooperatives Empowerment capacity building Local resource mobilization Civil Society Advocacy Social issues Justice equity

19. Revisiting Development Thinking • Evaluated impact of policies, program, projects against certain values– social justice, inclusion, human dignity, poverty etc • Plans/ projects evaluated: • NPC conducted mid/ final evaluation • Projects Mid/ terminal evaluations • Finding: Economic growth alone not adequate to reduce poverty, ensure equity, justice, happiness, make inclusive etc • Reformed policy, program, project, design and implementations process, evaluation

20. Changing Context Changing Macro and National Context • Global Trend • Shrinking and changing liberal, open and global thinking • Ownership of Global agenda – climate change etc • China’s emergence and new thinking National • Experience with trade, remittance and import based economy • Experience with Indian blockade • “self reliant economy”-- Production of strategic goods • State’s and private sector’s space • Overall “shrinking” space for NGO sector • Growth of Cooperative sector • SOON AGING NEPAL --about 2 decades • New governance structure • Federated Nepal and local units of government– development movement • Others

21. Changing Perspective • State should play intervening role in certain sectors • Role of different actors in development--non government (private sector/ Civil Society) and other actors revised • State should intervene and invest in certain strategic sectors to reduce vulnerability and risk

22. Guiding Principles • Constitutional provision • Socialism oriented development • Implies more • greater role of statevis a vis other actors private sector. Capital • distribution • equity • human focused, • social security

23. Key Development Concepts • Prosperity • Stability • Happiness • inclusion • Growth • Big project– infrastructure focus • Distribution

24. Driving Forces for Development • The following are major driving forces for Nepal’s development • Urbanization • Population, migration, demographic structure • Returned migrants and change in national income structure • Technology– ICT/ and knowledge • Two neighbors– China and India growth

25. Discuss • Will Nepal take off soon? • Why? • What do we have? • Economic process • Attitude (social), • lead industry (driver) • drive/ Zeal/ eagerness(chhatpat) • environment (money / economic gain) • resource, • infrastructure • ??? • What would it take to do?

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