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Regions and Global Development: Challenges and Opportunities

Explore the significance of regions in global development, focusing on North-South cooperation, challenges, and the potential for progress. Delve into the complexities and potential benefits of regional policies, fostering sustainable growth and equity. Discuss the implications of regional initiatives, emphasizing the need for empirical evaluation and South-South information exchange. Evaluate the role of regions in shaping aid efforts and their potential for adding value to development cooperation. Consider the complexities of regional dynamics and their impact on global progress.

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Regions and Global Development: Challenges and Opportunities

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  1. Regions and the wealth of the world Daniel Latouche, Center for Urban, Culture and Social Studies, National Institute for Scientific Research, Montréal CPMR-UNDP Scientific Council , « Globalization and Territorial Development », 3 and 4 December 2007, Lisbon

  2. Perspective In the 1990’s, SG of the Groupe de Lisbonne with Riccardo Petrella • PublishedLimits to competitiontranslated in six languages, but a differentreception in differentregions Academic for a very long time: enough to learn: • Ideas come and go…theynever die; theyreincarnatethemselves • This isat least the third time around for the idea of Region • We have to understand the reasons for thisrecent come-back

  3. Perspective (2) Work as a practicionner, i.e. a consultant, always on the look-out for a good theory • For the Canadian International Development Agency • But also for the ADB, the UNDP, the OECD • Africa: Morocco, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Niger, Benin • First Governance, then Decentralization, Local Economic Initiatives, Regional Development The perspective is clearly that of North America

  4. Putting all thistogethermakes for… • A certain obsession with identifying the simplest questions available rather than finding ideal solutions. • A preoccupation with what works and with how to make work better. • A high dose of scepticism vis-à-vis any paradigm which gets to be too comfortable.

  5. What questions shouldweask ? Question 1: Why are Regions suddenly so important ? Question 2: Are Regions a promissing level to consolidate development in the global era ? Question 3: What do Regions bring to North- South Cooperation ? Question 4: What could go wrong with the regional paradigm ?

  6. Question 1: Regions are in ! Why ? • We don’t really know…and François Perroux is no longer here to tell us. Humility. • Perhaps: • Exhaustion of the « Thinkglobally, actlocally ». Sans aucun doute. • The only territorial levelleft to explore ? The last frontier syndrome ? • Governanceseems to workbetterat the regionallevel • But the important thingiswhatwe do with the concept ….. whileitlasts

  7. Question 1: What about Africa ? • Except for South Africa, the continent has yet to embark on a regional course • Nigeria is the exception of course… • Morocco, Mali, Ghana, Sénégal are clearly heading this way There are costs, difficulties and dangers: • National unity • Clientelism • Localist ideologies • Highjacking of rare ressources

  8. Question 1: • Mutilateral donors can make a difference: • The ADB • The EU • The WB ?? But multilateral organizations are made up of….countries • The search for continental unity can be an issue. In Africa there are Regions (NEPAD) and regions. A problem or an opportunity ? Daniel Latouche Lisbonne December 2007

  9. Question 2:Are Regions a promissinglevel for developmentpurposes • The answerisyes …but empirical proof is rare • Need to workatevaluation in a comparative perspective • Proximityis no substitute for results. • What are the results of building betterregions: • Better public policies, more people oriented • More economicdevelopment, betterroads, mobility • More innovation • More sustainability • Lessinequities, inequalities

  10. Question 2: • While we wait for a critical evaluation, we can work at improving the odds: • Need knowledge, information, less celebration • Need South-South transfer of information : Mali needs to know about Brazil • Need to realize that « Regional economic development policies » don’t just happen. They are constructed…and their record is not that great. • Need to realize that there is little « natural » or « given » in regions. They are political construction, even ethnocultural regions

  11. Question 2: • Regions are imperfect creatures. Don’t wait for the perfect decentralization process. • Beware of the tyranny of sequencing • To create Regions is to create « power » … on credit. It needs to be used to be consolidated. • There are no « paper-tiger » regions ! • Regions are not large « arrondissements ». They need real identities and not just numbers.

  12. Question 3:What do Regionsbring to North South Cooperation ? • On paper, regionscanprovidedadded value: more money, more experience, better know-how, more proximity: in short thereisnothinglikeRegion to RegionCooperation • The reality is more limited: • Regions are often more bureaucratic, more dispersed and fragmented, less open, less pertinent and smaller • Aidfromregionscanoftenmake the difference and target « forgottenneeds » • Aidfromregions has to bebroughtunder the Paris Declarationumbrella; but how ?

  13. Question 3: • There is much talk of bringing coherence and synergy to aid and cooperation from regions; who can be against coherence • Make sure regions in the South will actually gain from this increased coherence • Regional development and Regions in the South are perhaps the way of the future, but they need help: • Building regions that work is difficult, more so than inefficient national governments

  14. Question 3: • Regions in the South need to understand (and they do) why Regions in the North are getting on the Cooperation bandwagon • Often want to confirm their place on their own political chessboard • Often a way to access private actors or promote heir own interest • Electoral considerations • Diasporas have economic clout • We all know about immigration considerations

  15. Question 4:Whatcould go wrongwith the regionalparadigm • The worst-case scenario is for the paradigm to stayaround for too long • Little chance as the « Regional/Local/Small-is-beautiful/ Bottom-up/Urban/Decentralized/ Endogeneous » (It’s the samefamily) isalreadyunder question • Long gone are the dayswhenRemy Prud’homme was the only one to suggestthatdecentralizationwas not the solution to everything

  16. Question 4: • By now, we know that: • All territories are not created equal. • The center is not only holding, but doing better than expected;the peripheries are likely to remain just that…peripheries • Proximity rarely makes people or institutions more intelligent or richer • There is suspicion that Jane Jacobs, prophet of City Life, might have had it all wrong: • Cities are not engines of growth • Rich countries make cities rich and not the reverse

  17. Question 4: • How to bring politics into regional life is a difficult task, the most difficult one • « Real » politics, with parties, elections, deals, promisses, leaders, opposition. • Regional governance is no substitute for regional governments • What kind of « institutions » at the local level: the issue of corruption, trust « If you can’t stand the political heat, get out of the regional kitchen »

  18. Obregado

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