(SUSTAINABLE) DEVELOPMENT. A brief timeline of the Post-War Development Project. Development is a contested term. Environment & development timeline

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1 (SUSTAINABLE) DEVELOPMENT A brief timeline of the Post-War Development Project Development is a contested term Development as economic growth, first and foremost (conventional definition, environmental Kuznets curve) Development as growth *with* improved human development indicators (UNDP) Development as sustainable growth (Brundtland) Development as discourse/knowledge/ power (Escobar, W. Sachs) Big D v. little d development (Hart) June Isha Ray ELP June Isha Ray ELP Sustainable is a contested term IUCN 1980: Resource use such that species & ecosystems can be renewed indefinitely Solow 1992: No need to bequeath any particular thing (with *some* exceptions), just capital to achieve a standard of living as good as our own (or better) WCED 1987: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future gentions to meet their own needs Key question: Can we meet current & future needs and not destroy the environmental resource base? June Isha Ray ELP Interventionist Needs Neolibl backlash : Int l Decade for Drinking Water & Sanitation 1970s 1980s 1990s 1970s: OPEC oil crises (part of the New 1972: Stockholm Human Environment 1982: Debt crisis 1987: Brundtland report 1985: UK privatizes under Thatcher Neoneoliblism 1990s: Developing countries liblize PPPs, Decentralization & Social Capital are mainstream 2000: MDGs adopted 2000s Mid-late 1980s on: 2002: Johannesburg Summit Structural adjustment on Env & Dev 1989: Berlin Wall falls Today: climate change drives sustainable dev ment agenda June Isha Ray ELP

2 Interventionist (part of the New June Isha Ray ELP Interventionist Era: 1940s- (1) War-wrecked countries rebuilt their economies through the Marshall Plan; Bretton Woods Institutions created Former colonies protected their nascent industries through restricting imports (e.g. import substitution industrialization in Latin America, Asia) Source: June Isha Ray ELP Interventionist : 1940s- (2) Capital intensive projects pursued (trunk sewers and water pipes, river basin development) Strong synergies with the start of the Green in the developing world Results: Important advances in water supply and agriculture (food became cheaper, more abundant), but smallholders did not benefit proportionately (or even at all) Ecological impact of monoculture & heavy chemical use became clearer later June Isha Ray ELP Interventionist Needs 1970s 1970s: OPEC oil crises (part of the New 1972: Stockholm Human Environment June Isha Ray ELP

3 Needs Era Redistribution with Growth: 1970s The basic problem of poverty and growth in the developing world can be stated very simply. Growth is not equitably reaching the poor. And the poor are not significantly contributing to growth. McNamara s speech to the Board of Governors of the World (1973) needs include essential services provided for and by the community at large, such as safe drinking water, sanitation, public transport, and health, education, and cultural facilities ILO Report (1976) Robert McNamara, President of the World Group June Isha Ray ELP Environment, women, poverty: the 1970s agenda 1970s: *huge* decade for environmental laws in the USA & elsewhere 1972: Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment 1976: Start of UN Decade for Women; women seen as central to dev ment & environment Appropriate Technology movement begins Schumacher influenced the emergence of appropriate tech/participatory projects Poster commemorating the Int l Decade for Women June Isha Ray ELP But the 1970s was also a decade of shocks OPEC oil crises of 1973 and 1979: windfall profits of oilproducing countries made available petro dollars for commercial lending Third World debt climbed form $75 billion in 1970 to ~$600 billion by /3 of which was from private banks Results: Created the conditions for the debt crisis which, in turn, led to a shift in the roles of the IMF and World. June Isha Ray ELP Interventionist Needs Neolibl backlash : Int l Decade for Drinking Water & Sanitation 1970s 1980s 1990s (part of the New 1970s: OPEC oil crises 1982: Debt crisis 1972: Stockholm Human Environment 1987: Brundtland report published 1985: UK privatizes under Thatcher Mid-late 1980s on: Structural adjustment 1989: Berlin Wall falls June Isha Ray ELP

4 Neolibl backlash: 1980s 1982: Interest rates increased making loans difficult to pay back + decreasing demand for Third World exports = debt crisis World /IMF structural adjustment programs (SAPs) imposed based largely on the Washington Consensus, e.g.: Fiscal austerity (= reduce public spending) Financial deregulation Trade liblization Privatization 1980s: privatization / decentralization / development with environment Utilities / railroads in the UK privatized WCED report published: Our Common Future June Isha Ray ELP June Isha Ray ELP Divergence between the UN and World /IMF: late 1980s The IMF inadvertently contributes to a cycle of deprivation in its role as net recipient of capital from developing countries. It is a source of conditional loan finance to whom needed resources are delivered in the form of interest payments. Debt servicing obligations siphon export earnings and divert cash from social welfare programs. UNICEF (1988) 1989: Berlin Wall falls June Isha Ray ELP June Isha Ray ELP

5 Interventionist Needs Neolibl backlash : Int l Decade for Drinking Water & Sanitation 1970s 1980s 1990s 1970s: OPEC oil crises (part of the New 1972: Stockholm Human Environment 1982: Debt crisis 1987: Brundtland report 1985: UK privatizes under Thatcher Neoneoliblism 1990s: Developing countries liblize PPPs, Decentralization & Social Capital are mainstream 2000: MDGs adopted 2000s Mid-late 1980s on: 2002: Johannesburg Summit Structural adjustment on Env & Dev 1989: Berlin Wall falls Today: climate change drives sustainable dev ment agenda June Isha Ray ELP Rio Summit Convergence of Environment and the Market: early 1990s 1992: Rio Summit on Environment and Development + World s ovll emphasis on marketoriented reforms, decentralization, and (greater) disengagement of state in infrastructure e.g. 1993: World water strategy based on sustainable water resources management : 1. Maintenance, not just new infrastructure 2. Economic instruments towards conservation 3. End-use efficiency 4. Good governance : cost recovery, accountability *towards* sustainable dev ment June Isha Ray ELP Revisionist Neoliblism: late 1990s- 2000s World adopts idea of social capital under Sgeldin, drawing from ideas of Putnam on trust, networks, solidarity The local as the place where social capital can be gented; civil society is central to sustainability *and* growth Social and environmental impact assessments are today mandatory in World projects 2000: The MDGs 1. Eradicate extreme poverty & hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality, empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria & other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development June Isha Ray ELP June Isha Ray ELP

6 To conclude 1. Thinking wrt public vs. private provision is somewhat more balanced than before as long as they are efficient and recover costs) [see e.g. ADB site] 2. Market and state are both seen as essential for sustainability -- how & how much depends significantly on ideology 3. Environment, women, participation, poverty alleviation: all remain on the agenda despite numerous policy disagreements on achieving the necessary goals 4. Climate change has become *the* driver for sustainable development 4. Conflict between growth and sustainable growth remains a huge debate Thank you isharay@berkeley.edu June Isha Ray ELP June Isha Ray ELP