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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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An alternative approach to poverty reduction –The inclusion of country specific factors: A case study of Eritrea
| Panel |
81. Contradictions along the path to development: International co-operation, elites and entrepreneurs
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| Paper ID | 589 |
| Author(s) |
Habtegaber, Kookie
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | The basic context in which poverty reducing policies are taken has a major impact on their ultimate success i.e. ‘death at the root kills the fruit’. Presently, this context is typified by the dominance of capitalism and neo-liberal ideology, as well as by economic and political injustice going back to the colonial era. As a result, policies do not generate the needed outcome and are flawed from the onset.
This paper presents an alternative approach to the neo-liberal poverty reduction policies that have been dominant in recent history. It claims that identifying crucial country specific factors (CSF) through separate analysis of each country and incorporating the former within the poverty reduction framework provides higher probability in achieving the desired goal of improved living standards even if this means a departure from conventional policies. It proposes to outline policies on the bases of local circumstances and local solutions without abandoning the possibility to learn from past lessons and applying tested methods if they can fit with domestic circumstances.
A major advantage of CSF is, it enables one to reduce the clear-cut division that exists between sociology, anthropology, and economics allowing other factors that do not take center stage in economic policies and poverty alleviating efforts to be considered simultaneously. Therefore, for instance, historical past, geography, cultural norms and values, institutional setup and civic organizations, as well as political dynamics within a country are all studied to understand their impact on and interaction with poverty policies.
In this paper Eritrea is taken as a case study. The hypothesis is unless country specific factors (CSF) are accounted for when formulating poverty policies, in the long-run, a significant reduction in overall poverty will be hindered. The paper identified two factors pertinent to Eritrea , its geographical location and social capital a priori. To test the hypothesis, the paper examined the experience of other countries that benefited from integrating country specific factors directly or indirectly, it reviewed the principal guideline of the Eritrean government in poverty reduction, it investigated whether there are any similarities with the factors identified a priori and whether they have been addressed in any way. It found that Eritrea does indeed identify both CSFs but does not address each factor as extensively. It concludes that CSFs do make a difference in the success of poverty policies because they look further into the deeper causes of failure. In this context it is paramount that the realities of poor countries take the forefront in poverty alleviation policies more than theoretical models or calculations. Taking this reality means that political, societal, as well as economical aspects of a country equally matter for a successful implementation of poverty policies; the weight of each feature being country specific.
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