From poverty to power - Oxfam-Québec

2 POWER AND POLITICS THE POLITICAL ROOTS OF DEVELOPMENTNevertheless, activism alone is not enough. Of all the institutionsthat exercise power over people’s lives, it is the state that is capable ofchannelling the power of individual initiative and the market towardlong-term development goals.In the interaction between states and citizens lie the seeds ofdevelopmental success and failure. That interaction includes both theformal politics of elections, parliamentary debate, and party activism,and the wider engagement of active citizenship.Development is seldom peaceful. When a country transformsitself, social and economic structures change rapidly, new classes areborn, and new wealth is accumulated at historically unprecedentedrates. Losers and winners in this upheaval often come to blows. It tookcenturies for this social and economic transformation to manifestitself in today’s industrialised countries, yet in developing countries ashock of a similar magnitude has been telescoped into a period ofdecades. 4In some countries, this process of ‘creative destruction’ has led toa viable and dynamic capitalism. In others, it has led to ‘spoils politics’– the theft of resources by unproductive classes – and a descent intoanarchy. The nature and political evolution of the state is crucial indetermining which path a country follows.Effective, accountable states are essential for development. Statesensure health, education, water, and sanitation for all; they guaranteesecurity, the rule of law, and social and economic stability; and theyregulate, develop, and upgrade the economy. There are no short cuts,either through the private sector or social movements, although thesetoo play a crucial role.A central challenge for development is thus how to build states thatare both effective and accountable, able to tackle poverty and inequalityin all their forms (not just income), and ensure the respect for rightsthat allows active citizenship to flourish. Effectives states are critical inreducing vulnerability to shocks and enabling poor people andcommunities to benefit from the market, as will be discussed elsewhere.However murky their origins, modern-day states are duty-boundby international law to uphold people’s rights, and are increasinglyevolving into this role under pressure from citizens’ movements and21