Proposal on Governance in Economic Development: Law, Politics, and the Role of the State

Proposal on “Governance in Economic Development: Law, Politics, and the Role of the State” submitted to the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE)

Abstract

Around the developing world, the activist, interventionist state is making a comeback. From China to Venezuela, Russia to India, Brazil to South Africa, one sees open discussion of state activities in economic governance going far beyond what have been considered normal and appropriate in recent years. The goal of this project is to study this return to the state by developing countries, to examine where and why it is occurring, and to compare the specific forms it takes in different national contexts. Particular attention will be paid to the role of law and legal institutions as the concrete mechanisms through which the changing role of the state can be chronicled. It is clear that at a very general level this is related to the waning influence of the “Washington Consensus,” but a properunderstanding of the changes actually taking place demands much more focused study and analysis.

A basic starting point for this project is that the era of the Washington Consensus is over,and that the state is making a comeback in developing countries around the world. It is crucial to understand how stronger, more interventionist states will interact with today’s highly globalized international economy. The objective is to identify and study ways in which the role of the state is being reinterpreted and renegotiated, in response to globalization, but also in ways that will affect the future path of globalization.

The general theme unifying various lines of research is the changing role of the state in governing development, with development defined broadly as including both economic growth and social development. We will explore this theme across the separate lines of research by undertaking comparative studies along dimensions such as: the relationship between the state and the private sector; the relationship with the international economy; the extent of democracy and protection of political and civil rights; and the extent of state intervention for social protection and the role of social and economic rights. Applying these dimensions across the variouslines of research will produce a rich body of material for comparative historical analysis in the following countries: Brazil, India, China and South Africa.

One sentence description of the project:

The project will analyze issues of governance in economic developmentin China, India, Brazil and South Africa with particular reference to the changing role of law, politics, and thestate in these countries, and how these forces interact at the international level within a globalized economy.