Global Crisis: Responses and Impacts in the Global South One day workshop at University of Leeds

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1 POLIS, Politics and International Studies Global Development and Justice Research Group Global Crisis: Responses and Impacts in the Global South One day workshop at University of Leeds This workshop examines the nature and character of the global capitalist crisis, its origins in Europe and North America and the impact in the Global South. It does so by exploring perspectives that explain the background to the crisis and its consequences focussing on several key areas with the aim of understanding the ways in which the crisis has unfolded within the neo-liberal context, its global dynamics as well as national and local features. Two presentations will map out the background to the crisis and the importance of understanding the context in which it has emerged. These presentations will indicate how global dynamics impact on the world economy and unfold and are mediated by local actors in the global South. Specific case study focuses will then examine the ways in which the crisis impacts on women and ask: What is the significance of a gender analysis of international financial institutions, why is an understanding of gender relations necessary to explore the ways in which the crisis in general emerged and has been described and what implications has the crisis had on women in the global South? Further case study analysis involves the study of the impact of the global crisis for farmers and agriculture in North Africa and struggles over land. This case study examines the interconnections between EU policy and food security and rural social differentiation in Tunisia and Egypt.

2 POLIS, Politics and International Studies Global Development and Justice Research Group Global Crisis: Responses and Impacts in the Global South One day workshop at The University of Leeds Global Development and Justice Research Group, School of Politics & International Studies Monday 6th December, Worsley Seminar Room 8/9 11:30 am -1pm Session 1 Alfredo Saad Filho (SOAS, University of London) Crisis in neo-liberalism or Crisis of neo liberalism? Pietro Masina (Associate Professor of International Political Economy, University of Naples) When the geese stop flying: economic crises and the challenges for industrial upgrading in Southeast Asia 1pm-2:30pm Lunch 2:30pm-4pm Session 2 Irene Van Staveren (Institute of Social Studies Erasmus University, Rotterdam) Gender trends during financial crises in developing countries Ruth Pearson (POLIS, University of Leeds) Post-Crisis struggles over the "Reproductive Bargain": Lessons from the South for the North 4pm-4:30pm Coffee/Tea 4:30pm-6pm Session 3 Habib Ayeb (Social Research Center, American University in Cairo) Increased competition for resources: peasants, agriculture and crisis in Tunisia and Egypt Peter Dwyer (Ruskin College, Oxford) Responses to the Financial Crisis: resistance and social movements in the global south

3 Abstracts Alfredo Saad Filho, Professor of Political Economy, Department of Development Studies, SOAS Crisis in neo-liberalism or Crisis of neo liberalism? This paper argues that neoliberalism is a material form of social reproduction and social rule encompassing the structure of accumulation, international exchanges, the state, ideology and the reproduction of the working class, and which is compatible with a wide variety of policies under a supposedly free-market umbrella. This totality has been destabilized by the crisis, and the neoliberal consensus is attempting to restore the status quo ante as much as possible. This goal is grounded in the realities of social reproduction, and supported by the class alliances which structure, and benefit from, neoliberalism. In sharp contrast with these stabilizing goals, the destabilization of neoliberalism is a project of the radical left, and the spectrum for alliances at the top is very limited. Conversely, the scope for alliances at the bottom of the world s society is, potentially, unlimited. A left strategy to transcend neoliberalism must be based on mass political movements transforming the state and the processes of socio-economic reproduction and political representation that is, imposing a new system of accumulation, including a new configuration of the economy and more equal distributions of income, wealth and power. Pietro Masina, Associate Professor of International Political Economy at the University of Naples L Orientale who has also been Chairman of the European Associations for Southeast Asian Studies (EuroSEAS) When the geese stop flying: economic crises and the challenges for industrial upgrading in Southeast Asia Southeast Asia was severely hit by a regional economic crisis in 1997/98 while it was quite resilient during the global crisis ten years later. Since the regional crisis economic growth was resumed, but the hopes that a number of mid-income countries (Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand) would replicate the miracle of the first wave of Asian industrializers have faded away. Most critically, the regional productive order has become less favorable to technology diffusion and industrial upgrading. Contrary to the rhetoric of the flying geese, Asia has become more similar to other regions in which the spillover effect generated by the FDI is rather limited. Further, successful industrial policy in China is increasing the competitive pressure on Southeast Asian firms in technology intensive productions.

4 Habib Ayeb, Geographer, Associated Research Professor, Social Research Center (SRC) - American University in Cairo (AUC) Increased competition for resources: peasants, agriculture and crisis in Tunisia and Egypt This paper aims at presenting socio-economic marginalization dynamics belonging to a socioprofessional category composed of the small peasantry of the Nile valley in Egypt and the oases of Gabes, situated in the South-east of Tunisia. After the development of marginalization dynamics and mechanisms in Egypt, we will, more rapidly, address similar processes that occur in and around the Tunisian oases. Rather than making a comparison between the two regions, the objective here is to show how despite significantly different local contexts, the global processes are relatively similar. Contd. Since 1950, in Egypt as well as in Tunisia, the peasant agriculture and the small farmers have always been in the center of the agricultural sector. Entirely (in Egypt) or largely (in Tunisia) through irrigation, this family farming is subsistence agriculture and still guarantees the bulk of production, the jobs and the farming incomes. In Egypt, it is the Nile valley and delta with about 3 million irrigated hectares and globally as many peasants (3.6 million people in 2000). There are 2 to 3 crops a year on the same plots and it shows one of the highest productivities per hectare in the world. This old agricultural area was till the 1970 s and 1980 s the only agricultural production area and is still ensuring the highest part of it in terms of global volume. Paradoxically, this rich agricultural area that is situated among the most productive and intensive in the world with very high productivity (100 wheat quintals per hectare), had been held by peasants since the 1950 s agrarian reforms. Those peasants are nowadays among the poorest in the world. However, this sad privilege did not prevent them from ensuring a significant level of family food security. In the south east of Tunisia, the oases of Gabes with the irrigated plots, the three stage vegetal (palms, fruit trees and seasonal crops), the complex oasis system (consisting of an inside irrigated agriculture and an outside rain- agriculture, in the immediate periphery of the irrigated areas), together with thousands of small farmers (who made it themselves for decades through several generations) have always guaranteed the bulk of food including fruits and vegetables for the big city of Gabes and a large part of the South east of Tunisia (including Djerba and Jeffara). These oases as well as the Nile valley in Egypt have been the main areas of food production and have ensured to the local peasantry its nutritional necessities and therefore a considerable to sufficient family food security.

5 Irene van Staveren, Professor of Pluralist Development Economics, ISS, The Hague Gender trends during financial crises in developing countries The paper looks at several financial crises in the past: the Asian financial crisis, Brazil, Argentina and Turkey financial crises, around the turn of the last century. Data are analysed for a 10-year period around these crises. The data include gender indicators (mostly femalemale gaps) in education, health and the labour market and show lack of progress or even declines in gender equality in these periods of crises in the 8 countries analysed (Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippies, Thailand and Turkey). Moreover, some controls will be added for a more reliable interpretation of the trends. The paper will also look at evidence of FDI volatility and gendered labour market variables as well as tax revenue and finds that increased FDI volatility increases female job vulnerability and reduced tax revenue.