Is International Development the same as Economic Development?

Published: May 10, 2012

by Jan Logie

It would seem this Government thinks so.

This week the Government announced the newly appointed International Development Advisory and Selection Panel Chair is a former Rugby World Cup Tournament manager, Therese Walsh. Peter Kiely, the National Party’s lawyer who also chairs the Pacific Cooperation Foundation and is a director of the Pacific Forum Line Trevor Janes, investment banker and company director, Bob Major, agri-businessman who headed Fonterra’s China operations during the Sanlu milk contamination crisis, Gill Greer, internationally respected sexual and reproductive health advocate.   Mr McCully established this $21 million fund to redirect aid towards sustainable economic development to replace the previous system which was founded on much much broader development principles. These changes are in danger of being perceived as furthering NZ’s political and economic goals instead of meeting the needs of Pacific communities. Under the old system, the allocation committee was made up of NGO and NZAid representatives and had an independent chair. While Labour has pointed out the bumping of John Hayes from the committee and the addition of Gill Greer is an improvement, the composition and purpose of this panel is still highly questionable, and the changes are probably more a result symptom of the Government having to pull back from its excesses rather than any indication they’ve been up-skilling their development thinking. While I absolutely respect the work Gill Greer has done in new Zealand and internationally I’m really not confident that a lawyer, agri-businessman, investment banker, and event manager will compliment her knowledge base. I suspect most of this committee will have a very good understanding of power but not powerlessness. Combine this with a traditional economic agenda and you are likely to exacerbate poverty and inequality. Economic development led by New Zealand’s interests is not international development it’s exploitation.

Published in Environment & Resource Management by Jan Logie on Thu, May 10th, 2012   

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1. SPC

   Posted May 10, 2012 at 5:30 PM

   Compare our policy to that of the UK, they have more public debt and a worse budget deficit yet David Cameron and the coalition government have chosen to increase aid to .7% GDP as they (and we) promised in the 1970′s. That’s a display of both confidence in their future prospects and a grown up responsibility.

   Here given the on-going mess made of the entire foreign affairs portfolio and ministry in recent years one wonders if we are being conditioned to acceptance of a less than developed nations place in the world community. After all the government’s handling of the economy suggests a supplicants dependence on foreign ownership and investment.

   Like or Dislike: 4  0 (+4)
2. Sam Buchanan

   Posted May 11, 2012 at 3:26 PM

   “Is International Development the same as Economic Development?”

   Not always, but quite often. However, economic development only happens if it works in tandem with social development as it rests on improvements in health, education, gender equality, social cohesion, the building of trusted institutions and the removal of violence.

   The next question is do these people have the skills to promote economic development? Lawyers and investment bankers don’t have a great track record of contributing to economic development, nor do Rugby World Cup organisers (there’s limited scope for developing countries to profit from major sporting events) or sexual and reproductive health advocates. Few countries where New Zealand offer development work are going to be developing a dairy industry, or any other kind of large-scale agri-business.

   Historically the drivers of economic development have been improvements in small farming, small industries and large-scale state-owned infrastructure and enterprises (one could argue that these are no longer effective economic drivers for developing countries, but then one is hard pressed to find any economic drivers available to poor countries at all). Doesn’t seem to be a lot of expertise in such things on this panel.

   Like or Dislike: 5  0 (+5)
3. Asdevo

   Posted May 21, 2012 at 12:42 AM

   Hey, I really agree on your statement, Sam!

   Like or Dislike: 1  0 (+1)