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[Combating poverty and inequality] Democracy and the politics of poverty reduction
Bangura, Yusuf Lavers, Thomas
Bangura, Yusuf
Lavers, Thomas
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Abstract
"The types of development strategies states pursue and the possibilities for achieving a redistribution of income, wealth and social benefi ts depend substantially on politics. Politics refers to processes of cooperation, confl ict and negotiation that shape decisions about the production, distribution and use of resources. Outcomes from the political process further depend on the way power is confi gured or distributed, the types of relationships governments establish with different groups in society, and the institutions that structure relations and mediate confl icts among competing interests. Organization, contestation and claimsmaking by groups with strong ties to the poor are crucial in producing redistributive outcomes that reduce poverty. However, interest groups or social movements concerned with the welfare of the poor rarely organize around issues of poverty per se. Instead, they frame their discourse around rights, asset distribution, services, or earnings and benefi ts derived from work. This opens up the possibility of addressing the structural roots of poverty, social rights and issues related to redistribution. Even though poverty has been eradicated under certain types of authoritarian rule, the aim of this chapter is to convey an understanding of how it can be eliminated within a democratic context, given that democracy, rights, freedom and choice are essential components of development.1 Although democracies offer opportunities for participation and contestation in policy making, redistributive outcomes cannot be taken for granted, given differences in the capacity of groups to organize, contest and infl uence public policy in different contexts. The challenge lies in forging democratic states that are both developmental and socially inclusive."(pg 283)
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Book chapter
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2010
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9789290850762
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With permission of the license/copyright holder