Wednesday 19 September 2018

EFFECTS OF NEO-LIBERALISM ON PRIVATE AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS


BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO - NIGERIA
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE


EFFECTS OF NEO-LIBERALISM ON PRIVATE AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

As there are varieties of neo-liberalism so there are different and uneven consequences between nations and regions.

Within a nation, the differences may be of historical significance showing resiliency and weaknesses of private capital and public institutions in adapting to emerging market-oriented environment.

Both small and big indigenous businesses in the core Northern Nigeria i.e the former Sokoto Caliphate which now comprises of North-West and North-Central parts as well as some parts of North-East heavily depended on the state.  Of course, there are some large industrial productive undertakings, especially in Kano and Kaduna but are more proportionately oriented in commerce, finance, contract, strengthened by alliance with state.

But neo-liberalism affects the state resource based and new targets for distribution of the resources.

Indeed, nationally new beneficiaries emerge to capture state openings.

In addition to the difficult business environment the traditional businesses, especially the small, medium and big local enterprises had collapsed.

Very few have adjusted to take benefits of the new market environment.

That is the scene for private business in Nigeria under neo-liberalism.  The most successful, sustained operations because of their global link and still connection with local state.

The economic progress of private enterprises cannot be divorced from the political environment.  That is why neo-liberal theory argues that economic freedom should be accompanied by political freedom.

However, a kind of politics of “strongman” in Nigeria today is tempering with neo-liberal political freedom which may likely erode the initiative of private business because morality, value and so called “disciplinary society” may be used to guide economic decision making which is not consistent with liberal perspective.  In spite of the dogmatic application of neo-liberalism in the era of its global decline, this would limit the prosperity of the market.

The public sector, perhaps because the state does not whole heartedly embrace market system, and because of resistance against neo-liberalism remains far from market practice.

For example, the university sector is for long on the agenda of the state for reform, but still is far from market-oriented system.  This is partly because of lack of capacity of state to confront students, university lecturers and other segments of staff in the system and partly because the Bureaucracy directly involved, is not interested.

Another case scenario is the case of 2005 labour reform law which sought to decentralise the labour movement by restructuring it into few centres and making union payment voluntary and membership too but these could not be implemented.

Indeed, many problems like corruption and partisan influences on the operations of the public sector has not set free the public sector to behave market.

Neo-Liberalism and the Rise of Boko Haram
Neo-liberalism is also a political agenda to cut the wings of popular opposition against the interest and power of those who control the neo-liberal society.

Such oppositions based on the interest of workers and the poor are disorganised.  Lost focus against state power.

So people could use only ethnic, religious and other unspecified tendencies to respond against neo-liberalism.

This is one way of understanding the Boko Haram insurgency.  Yes! Neo-liberalism resulted in serious economic difficulties including unemployment which touch mostly the youths but, is not unemployed person’s movement.

Perhaps it’s only connection with unemployment is that in Nigeria the unemployed youths are recruited and paid to protest against or give support to anything including the Head of state or any big politicians.

It seems the Boko Haram insurgency is an expression of multi-layered conflicts – urban poor and security agencies, urban poor and public institutions; between various segments of the elites; between different religious groups; etc in a neo-liberal society.

It could be seen as a New Social Movement in a political process of a neo-liberal society that has its own demands but could not be legally recognised for democratic dialogue.


M. M. YUSIF
Senior Lecturer
Record of interview granted for research purpose
21st August, 2018.







Wednesday 18 July 2018

POL. 3312: POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT AND UNDERDEVELOPMENT FOCUS: POLITICS OF POST-DEVELOPMENT IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES


BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES [FSS]
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

POL. 3312: POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT AND UNDERDEVELOPMENT


FOCUS: POLITICS OF POST-DEVELOPMENT IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES


INSTRUCTOR: M. M. YUSIF


2018/2019, SEOND SEMESTER


Introduction
This course is not designed to study development praxis in Third World countries.  Rather, the study turns to discourse analysis of development.  As was observed by 1990s, development was definitively dead, “and sending out noxious fumes that could only be dissipated either by market-nationality or by New Social Movements.

Development is to be understood in a broad economic sense and historical perspective.  The historical implies opposition to static conditions but theoretical comprehension of development and underdevelopment as historical processes.

Encounter with development by Third World countries has gone through many phases all tied up with World Capitalist System.

This necessarily brings a controversy and contestation about the genealogy of development.

Indeed, in its various phases has surely been the most powerful influence in social and economic transformation in Third World countries.   But this transformation produces particular landscape and development space to understand what it is and is not.

At the moment when we reflect on both critical and conservative literature on neo-liberal globalisation we will note increased poverty which defies any characteristic of the meanings of development, thus making what development is and its configurations undergoing a flux.  This further provides a productive route to rethink about the concept of development.

As all phases or approaches to development do not bring desired satisfaction to development goal, then it becomes imperative to give critiques of development to understand the obstacles and promising paths.  In other words, this has to be concerned with alternative development.

What is this alternative development? Yes, there is profound and principled challenge to mainstream developmentalism, yet what can possibly take the form of an alternative development paradigm.?

The teaching of the course would indeed not follow strictly a paradigmatic thinking, but a combination of alternative development as a loose profile guided by critical and theoretical thinking.

Precisely this will lead to enquiry into the idea of post-development and scientific reflection of existing development reality i.e reflexive development.

Course Outline:
1.      General introduction
2.      Concept and method: The key concept as space
3.      Re-thinking the meaning of development
4.      Development theory: Rise and Fall
5.      Development theory: Alternative theories
6.      Alternative to development or alternative development
7.      Post-development: The theory
8.      The current Agenda: Post-Neoliberalism or Post-capitalism
9.      Post-development: Practice
10. Politics of Post-development: Social Movement; Oppositional Coalition
11. Politics of Post-development: Populism; Revolution in the 21st Century
12. Theoretical conclusion
Recommended Reading:
1.      Arif D. “Global South: Predicament and promise” Global South Vol. 1
2.      Mark T.B. “The End of the Third World”? Quarterly Vol. 15, No.2
3.      David H. “Space as a Key Word”.  In Critical Reader.
4.      Gilbert R.: The History of Development: Chapter 1 & 2
5.      John Rapley, Understanding Development: Theory and Practice in the Third World, Chapter 1
6.      Ann Philips “The Concept of Development”.  ROAPE No. 8
7.      John Rapley, “New Direction in the Political Economy of Development”.  ROAPE No. ?
8.      Seers Duddley, “The Meaning of Development”.  In Lehman (ed.).  Development Theory
9.      Jane E. L. And Suante C. Comparative Political Economy: Development Approach
10. Immanuel Wallerstein, Development: Lodestar or Illusion”.  In Sklair L. Capitalism and Development
11. Eskor Toyo, “Non-ethno centric flows in competing Non-Marxist Paradigms of Development”.  In Yolamu Barongu (ed.).  Political Science in Africa: A Critical Review
12. Henry Bernstein (ed.).  Under-development and Development: The Third World Today.  The Introduction
13. F.J. Schuman (ed.) Beyond the Impasse: New Directions in Development Theory
14. Mathew M. T. “Development Economics in the Wake of the Washington Consensus: From Smith Smith Sceens”.
15. Dube S.C. Modernisation and Development: The Search for Alternative. Chapters 1,2, & 3.
16. Lozenzo G.B. “Development and Development Paradigms”: Resources for Policy Making
17. A Escobar, Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World
18. Gilbert Rist op. Cit. Chapter 12
19. Patnaik I. K. “A Critique of Neo-Liberal Development and Alternative”.  Online
20. Bob Sutcliffe, “The Place of Development in Theories of Imperialism and Globalisation.” Online
21. F. J. Schuman op. Cit.
22. Kerth. Criffin, Alternative Strategies for Economic Development.  Chapters 1&2
23. Hajoon C. and Ilene G., Reclaiming Development: An Alternative Economic Policy Manual
24. John T. Dilemmas of Development: Reflections on the Counter-revolution in Development Theory and Policy
25. Henry V. “Beyond Pragmatic Neo-Liberalism: From Social inclusion and Poverty Reduction to Equality and Social Change”.
26. Charles G. “The Rise and fall of the Washington Consensus as a Paradigm for Developing Countries”.  World Development Vol. 28.
27. Elmer A. Post-Neo-Liberalism or Post-Capitalism? The Failure of Neo-Liberalism in the Financial Market.
28. Guenther B. “The Near-Death of Liberal Capitalism: Perspective from the Weber to Polanyi Brothers” Politics and Soceity Vol. 31, No.3.
29. Dalip Swamy, “An Alternative to Globalisation”. Third World Resurgence”. No. 74.
30. Arthur M. Neo-Liberalism or Democracy? Economic Strategy, Marxists and Alternative from the 21st Century.
31. Leslie S. Globalisation, Alternative, Capitalism and its alternatives.  Chapter 10, 11, & 12.
32. Ngozi I. Reforming the Un-reformable.
33. Ibrahim A. The Trapped Economy.
34. Ray K. “The Last Refuge of the Noble Savage? A Critical Assessment of Post-Development Theory.” The European Journal of Development Research Vol. II
35. J.N Pieterse, “After Post-Development”.  Third World Quarterly Vol. 21.
36. Gillian H. “Development Critiques in the 1990s: Culs de Sac and Promising Path”.  Progress in Human Geography Vol. 25.
37. James D. S. “Spaces of Post-Development”.  Progress in Human Geography Vol. 31.
38. Guy S. Brave New Words? A Critique of Stiglitz’s World Bank Rethink”.  Development and Change Vol. 31.
39. J. N. Pieterse, “My Paradigm or Yours? Alternative Development, Post-Development, Reflective Development”.  Development and Change Vol. 29.
40.  John D. E. “Understanding the Politics of Latin America’s Plural Lefts: social Democracy, Populism and Convergence on the Path to a Post-Neoliberal World, Third World Quarterly Vol.20.
41. Veronica P. “Globalisation from Below and New Political Identities: The Case of the World Social Forum, Journal of Economic and Social Research, Vol.4.
42. Bob J. “The Regulation Approach, Govanance and Post-Fordism: alternative Perspectives on Economic and Political Change”.
43. Kiyoshi M. “Beyond the Neo-Liberal Globalisation: Reflections on Democratising Democracy and the Multilingual Structure of Governance
44. Martin W. “Seeds of its Own Destruction”.
45. Steven C. “Global Governance and Revolution in the 21st Century.”
46. Deepax N. “Development through Globalisation”.?
47. Milton A. I. “Globalisation and the Patterns of Development in the 20th Century”.
48. ...................................... “The New Global Paradigm
49. Sen A. “Development as Freedom”.

These 49 texts are essential reading on the subject.  They are deliberately recommended because of their importance on theoretical relevance and debates on the issues under discussion.  However, given the unfolding dynamic and process of the post-development projects and the attraction of it by scholars, you are expected to use initiative and capacity of independent work to source and read other texts with a view to understand the subject.

 Course Requirement:
§  Evaluation of students will be based on end of the semester examination (70%) and Continuous Assessment (30%);
§  The last 30 minutes of each period is for discussion of a disputed area or an important text on the course;
§  On the Continuous Assessment students will be required to do so many things to meet the standard:
a.      Weekly assignment: this is as important as the end of the semester examination as any student who failed to do one will miss all the points ear-marked for that.
b.     A Seminar small research project, the importance of this is as the weekly assignment.
c.      There is going to be small research Project Response Papers as one seminar will review the work of another.
d.     Working Group Discussion would be organised during class hours.
e.      A supervised test – the type which test effective performance of student in learning.
f.       Class Attendance is a compulsory requirement:
§  In order to build competence and skills in work, you would be expected to improve on usage of ICT for learning.  Make use of the recommendations of Mauro and Rosanna to be circulated.
§  The relationship between students on the one hand and the teacher on the other determines a successful teaching, learning and research programme for development of knowledge.  So, among you the students talk to each other.  Then with your teacher there should be no fear.  Fear and learning are incompatible.
§  All other things are:
a.      For example; plagiarism and other academic dishonesty will not be tolerated;
b.     Secondly, active participation by asking questions, making observation and comments is the best way of learning which each student is hereby advised to use and indeed would be rewarded;
c.      Finally, my watch word is being critical, ruthless criticism of everything that exists as Karl Marx said. Criticism facilitates growth of knowledge.  In knowledge there is no absolute truth.  Make your contribution.
The principles which govern the style of my teaching remains.  It is what educationists call from teaching to learning.
a.      This is that I teach you by making you to learn to teach yourself and others;
b.     Therefore, I become like your facilitator to learn;
c.      My relationship with you is not of authority but of partnership and friendship for learning;
d.     In order to promote this principle, the relationship in dissemination of ideas is of openness and liberal tradition which make students to continue asking self a question and searching for answer;
e.      Other requirements of this principles include tolerance in diversity of ideas, hospitality among students in sharing ideas and sources of ideas, trust and hard work; and
f.       These will make you to master ways of acquiring knowledge independently and to build capacity for learning and study in the sense of not been credulous.