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Global Development and Its Discontents: Rethinking the Theory and Practice

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Global Development and Its Discontents: Rethinking the Theory and Practice GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AND ITS DISCONTENTS: RETHINKING THE THEORY AND PRACTICE By Anna Malavisi A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Philosophy – Doctor of Philosophy 2015 ABSTRACT GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AND ITS DISCONTENTS: RETHINKING THE THEORY AND PRACTICE By Anna Malavisi Global development is comprised of a system of ideas, policies, institutions and individuals all concerned with the amelioration of the living conditions of those populations living in disadvantaged conditions. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 25, Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and Article 22, Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. So, in a way the system of global development has been set up as a way to respond to these two human rights, first to provide all children, women and men with the fulfillment of basic necessities and second to ensure that the social and international order responds appropriately. However, in the reality this is not so. I argue that if we are really serious about the impact of global development, then this requires a rethinking of the theory and practice. Despite efforts made to contribute to the amelioration of people’s lives in the name of development, human development indicators continue to be alarming: more than a billion people are malnourished, 884 million people do not have access to clean water, basic sanitation is denied to 2.5 billion people and 774 million people cannot read and write. Although the causes of these evident deprivations are not entirely due to development, it could be argued that due to the ineffectiveness of development these situations are not adequately addressed. Some of the problems particular to development include the implementation of inappropriate projects and programs; the dynamics of relationships between the multiple actors who play a role in development often entrenched in power and domination; and poor mechanisms of accountability. This has resulted in trillions of dollars invested in the name of development, but I would argue with poor results. In my dissertation I offer a more in-depth analysis and understanding of the current development paradigm, its theory and practice. There are two fundamental problems in development. First, there is a rather token and weak presence of an ethical dimension and second, the suppression of knowledge or what Boaventura de Sousa Santos calls, “a form of epistemicide.” There is another dimension to the way the global north has imposed a capitalist and imperial order on the global south that is often missed or blatantly ignored. This is epistemological. Therefore, I argue that implementing a strong ethical approach to development and understanding epistemic injustice in development will help to respond to severe global problems such as poverty and hunger in a different way. I particularly focus on neglected tropical diseases (NTD), a group of tropical diseases that occur all over the world but are markedly absent from the affluent countries. Using the example of NTD, I analyze how current development paradigms and approaches fail to address gross injustices such as the health disparities in the treatment and cure of these diseases. My ultimate aim is to offer an analysis of the problem of NTD from a development ethics perspective which intersects with feminist epistemology. From my own analysis which also draws on my experience, I venture to argue that one of the fundamental problems of development theory and practice is grounded in theoretical discussions of knowledge, and how this knowledge is then applied in the practice. First, I introduce an interpretation of global development from a theoretical standpoint as well as its practice. Second, I analyse the situation of NTD, and particularly Chagas Disease as a consequence of the failings of development. Third, I argue for a strong ethical approach in development and propose what a strong ethical approach should entail. Fourth, I discuss the notion of epistemic injustice in global development. Lastly, I offer some recommendations for the practice of development based on a strong ethical approach and epistemic justice. Copyright by ANNA MALAVISI 2015 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the guidance and encouragement of my advisor, Stephen L. Esquith and my committee members Sandra Harding, Judith Andre and Kristie Dotson. I express my sincere gratitude to them, for their ongoing support and belief that I could actually do this. This dissertation would also not have been possible without the understanding and patience of my three daughters, Bianca, Adriana and Maya, but also my parents, Italo and Mafalda. I also need to express my sincere gratitude to the management and baristas of Grand River Café and Espresso Royale in East Lansing, for supplying me with the coffee and space which enabled me to complete this dissertation. v PREFACE My interest in pursuing a PhD in philosophy comes from a long trajectory working as a development practitioner for 16 years in Bolivia. Over the course of these years having worked in national and international Non-Government Organizations (NGO), and coordinated with other national and international NGOs, bilateral governments, multilateral institutions, corporations and community based organizations I became quite skeptical and despondent about the true impact of our work. Did we really make a difference? Who were the true beneficiaries of development projects? It seemed that so much money was being invested in the name of development with disproportionate results. That is, for the amount of money invested in development programs and projects this should be able to reduce extreme poverty, but in fact this is not the case. For me, one of the problems is the gross absence of ongoing critical analysis and reflection: thinking through some of the very complex issues that arise in development from a perspective grounded in ethical principles. Critical analysis and reflection just wasn’t taking place on the ground. It was frustrating to be part of a system of NGOs where one gets so caught up with writing grants and reports, executing projects, etc. that no time is dedicated to taking a step back, to think through if in fact the work is having any real impact. We had all become cogs in a machine responding to the requirements of the grant, the questions of a reviewer, or the question of where the next round of support will come from. What I also realized was that this kind of development work would continue, since it is so entrenched in the global economic system in which countries continue to invest large amounts of money via bilateral agencies or NGOs. Therefore, it is naïve to think that quashing development theory and practice, as post- and anti-development theorists suggest will lead to any desirable outcome. What is urgently needed is a paradigm shift in the way we approach development.1 More critical voices are 1 I have opted to use the term paradigm throughout my dissertation to best describe what is meant by development. I talk about the development paradigm. Paradigm in this sense is consistent with the dictionary’s definition: a vi needed which would allow for the analysis and reflection of development from an ethical perspective as well as a social, economic, political and cultural one. Bearing witness to the constant shortfalls and limitations of development, some successes but also the failures, I began to question development and to think about it more critically. My questioning highlighted the need for more critical analysis and reflection at large, and in particular, ethics, which was not taking place. This disquietude brought me to the United States to study philosophy! In a world where there is much affluence, there is also much suffering. There are millions of children, women and men who do not have access to clean running water, a safe and secure supply of food, electricity, education and the fulfillment of other human rights, and it is a moral failing on the part of individuals and institutions. For Thomas Pogge, as for me, to do philosophy is to better understand problems we are confronted with on a daily basis. In Pogge’s words, “I continue to believe that philosophers can illuminate what really matters. The best support for this belief comes not from abstract argument. It comes from showing by doing: from working through a problem so as to make evident its importance” (2010, 8). This is my aim; I will work through an aspect of the problem of global development “so as to make evident its importance.” And I write this on behalf of the millions of children, women and men who suffer undeservedly at the hands of a global economic order. But also, for the thousands of women and men working in development in any capacity, in an endeavor to kindle the desire to think beyond the given and the expected. I believe there is an urgent need to shed our complacencies and blinkered views. I entered development work as an idealist who believed that I could bring about some change in the world, who believed that through my work alongside children, women and men from a different culture and from more disadvantaged situations I could contribute to making their lives better. It wasn’t long before I realized the reality, that development is just one big business or a juggernaut as it has been framework containing the basic assumptions, ways of thinking and methodology that are commonly accepted by members of a scientific community. It is also consistent with Thomas Kuhn’s use of paradigm in his influential book; The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
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