“East Asian Miracle” in Africa? : a Case Study Analysis of the Rwandan Governance Reform Process Since 2000
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Chasing the “East Asian Miracle” in Africa? : A case study analysis of the Rwandan governance reform process since 2000 Francis Gaudreault A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Doctorate in Philosophy degree in Public Administration Faculty of Social Sciences School of Political Studies University of Ottawa © Francis Gaudreault, Ottawa, Canada, 2019 To Amandine My better half, literally ii iii Abstract In the last few decades, many governments around the world—especially in emerging economies—have strayed from neoliberal prescriptions to get closer to a model originating from East Asia: the developmental state. These East Asian countries (Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan) instead of just regulating market mechanisms, have exercised strong control over their economies and society through highly-ambitious long-term economic and social development programs implemented in tight partnership with the private sector. Indeed, this phenomenon is worth exploring when we ask the question of how governance and political economy is evolving in the world and what are the new approaches that can inform governments. This Ph.D. thesis focuses on the evolution of strategies for social and economic development and more specifically on the emergence of developmental states in Africa. By looking at the case of Rwanda that is often considered as a success story in Africa, the aim of this thesis is to show how much this state is transforming its institutions in line with a model that resembles the developmental state, but with its specificities and perspective. Based on a large selection of primary sources gathered in Rwanda between 2015 and 2016, we argue that the system of governance of Rwanda has evolved in a different direction than the typical neo-liberal model often advocated by the West and is following a developmentalist approach much closer to some early East Asian developmental states. The case of Rwanda is a good starting point to analyze the emergence of alternative governance models in Africa which illustrate the current change in today’s political economy. Keywords : Governance; Political Economy; Rwanda; East Asia; Developmental State; Public administration; Public Policy; Africa. iv Acknowledgments After passing through so many early academic challenges in my life, I never thought that I would have reached this far with my studies. Such development did not come alone. This would have never been possible without the help and support of so many incredible people. It would be impossible to begin thanking anyone else other than my dear mother, Diane. You have put so much patience and generosity into my early education, and in making me an honest person. For this I can’t thank you enough and will be forever grateful. Amandine, my dear and precious wife, thanks for your unwavering support, love and protection. You have been my pillar and certainly the most important person before and during the process. Your faith in me is no stranger to my success. I was also blessed enough to have the best possible supervisor, Prof. Eric Champagne. I could never have hoped to have a mentor so ideal for me. Eric, I have learned so much from you, professionally and in terms of ethics and values, thank you so much. Your teachings are something I will carry for the rest of my life. Many other people have also supported and motivated me from the beginning. Filip, thanks for your brotherly love and for showing me the strength of knowledge. Agnès, you have played an important role in this process with your contagious ambition and blessings, merci. Totof and Pam, thanks so much for your welcoming and generous hearts, and for your help and support throughout my doctoral study. Yousif, thanks for your pure support, generous advice and continuous motivation during the last four years. Finally, I want to thank the Rwanda Governance Board and Prof. Shyaka for welcoming me and providing me with such wise advice. I am forever grateful for all these sources of support that have made this transformational experience possible. v Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. x Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................. xi Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 PART I ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter One: Research Problem—Governance Models and Public Sector Reforms: A time for a change? .............................................................................................................................................. 6 1.1. Emerging Economies, Developmental State and Other Alternative Models ............ 8 1.2. Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 10 1.3. Contributions to the Advancement of Knowledge ........................................................ 11 Chapter Two: The Evolution of Public Sector Reforms in Africa ............................................... 14 2.1. The Pre-Colonial Administration ............................................................................................ 16 2.2. The Colonial Administration ................................................................................................... 17 2.3. The First Generation of Public Sector Reforms: Post-Independence and Development Administration ......................................................................................................... 19 2.4. The Second Generation of Public Sector Reforms: The Structural Adjustment Program and NPM-Style Reforms .................................................................................................. 21 2.5. The Third Generation of Public Sector Reform: Today’s Development Agendas ....... 24 2.6. The Political Economy and the Role of the State in Economic Development ............ 29 Chapter Three: Literature Review—the Concept and Theory of Developmental State ....... 34 3.1. The Roots of the Developmental State Concept .................................................................. 36 3.1.1. Nationalism and Economic Development Debate ....................................................... 36 3.1.2. Towards a Clearer Concept of the Developmental State ............................................ 38 3.2. The Emergence of the Developmental State Theory .......................................................... 40 3.2.1. Johnson and the Concept of Developmental State in Japan ...................................... 40 3.2.2. Wade and the Developmental State in Taiwan and South Korea ............................ 42 3.3. The State-Market Relation Debate ......................................................................................... 43 3.3.1. Market-Augmenting Paradigm ......................................................................................... 44 3.3.2. The governed market theory ............................................................................................. 45 vi 3.4. The Embedded Autonomy ........................................................................................................ 46 3.5. The Developmental State Model’s Journey from Asia to Africa ...................................... 48 3.5.1. The Democratic Developmental State ............................................................................ 49 3.5.2. A broader-based coalition or embeddedness ............................................................... 51 3.5.3. The Developmental Patrimonial State ........................................................................... 53 3.5.4. The developmental regimes in Africa in the literature .............................................. 55 3.5.5. A developmental state in Rwanda? .................................................................................. 56 Chapter Four: Theoretical and Analytical Framework—Building a Developmental State model and Analytical Tools ................................................................................................................. 58 4.1. Developmental State’s Preconditions and Contexts .......................................................... 62 4.1.1. The four Pre-Condition of the Developmental state ................................................... 62 4.2. Building a Model of Developmental State ............................................................................ 65 4.2.1. The Developmentally Oriented Leadership and Public Administration ............... 66 4.2.2. A Capable and Meritocratic Public Administration ...................................................