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CSA Lessons and Challenges. Carlos Sojo FLACSO Making Macro Social Analysis Work for Policy Dialogue . Social Development Department. The World Bank, May 16-19 2006 Washington DC. Contents. Social science and social knowledge A case for CSA Discussing WB CSA Challenges for CSA.
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CSALessons and Challenges Carlos Sojo FLACSO Making Macro Social Analysis Work for Policy Dialogue. Social Development Department. The World Bank, May 16-19 2006 Washington DC.
Contents • Social science and social knowledge • A case for CSA • Discussing WB CSA • Challenges for CSA
Social science and social knowledge • We still need social scientist? Decreasing enrollment in social sciences at public universities. • The tension between “applied science” and “critic theory”. • The “TWTP Syndrome”: the conflict between sound and sustainable scientific research vs. Consultancy work. • The neo empirism: knowledge = data. • Real cooperation and synergies. • Institutional, human resources, sharing methods and findings.
A Case for CSA • Beyond specialization: it is possible, and will be neccesary for increase development policies, to have comprehensive assesment of a given society, but… • Starting with a flexible and context sensitive framework. Looking for the differences not the regularities. • Discussing on participative basis the basic variables of each national case. • Selecting an issue that could be integrated with other specific and sector oriented diagnosis.
Discussing the WB CSA • Good selection of key entry points: inequalities (via social diversities) and power (via institutions). • The macro level: moves beyond projects or group related analysis. • Include a sound long term assestment: history matters. • Objective and timing: Knolewdge intensive, ideally comming before other instruments like CAS, PRSP, IGR, GA, etc. • “The CSA will improve the understanding of a country’s social context, and how social, political end cultural factors influence the opportunities and constraints to more equitable, inclusive development and better governance.”
Challenges for CSA • Maintaining the macro particularities (value added to other group specific or sectorial analysis). • Consolidate multidisciplinary and cualitative approaches (non income inequalities and power relations are difficult to quantify). • Intensive use of the local scientific resources (breaking the cultural and languages barriers). • Focus on long term processes rather than current events or crisis. • Building country based knowledge networks beyond the traditional “consultancy based” relations. • Understand the linkages between national problems and transnational dimensions.