Donors, technical assistance and public administration in Kosovo
by Mary Venner, Bertrand Taithe
1 Introduction 2 The setting 3 The actors 4 Public finance management 5 The civil service 6 Conclusion Index ;
1 Introduction 2 The setting 3 The actors 4 Public finance management 5 The civil service 6 Conclusion Index ;
1 Introduction 2 The setting 3 The actors 4 Public finance management 5 The civil service 6 Conclusion Index ;
The reconstruction of Kosovo after 1999 was one of the largest and most ambitious international interventions in a post conflict country. The United Nations, other major multinational organisations and many large bilateral aid donors all played a role in restoring stability and establishing governance in the territory. While some understood the situation simply as peacekeeping and reconstruction, with unique requirements and rules, for most international participants it was a 'green fields' site on which to construct a new public administration based on their ideas about 'best practice'. They did this largely by funding technical assistance projects and engaging international experts to build institutions and develop capacity. This book looks beyond the apparently united and generally self congratulatory statements of these international actors to examine what actually happened when they tried to work together in Kosovo to achieve this goal. It considers the interests and motivations, and the strengths and weaknesses of each of the major players and how they contributed to the creation of new institutions in public finance and public sector management. Although in general the international exercise in Kosovo can be seen as a success, in the sphere of public administration the results have been mixed. More than 15 years later, some institutions of government perform well while others face ongoing challenges. The book argues that much of the current day performance of the Kosovo government can be traced to the steps taken, or not taken, by these international actors in the crucial first years. ;
Behind India's high recent growth rates lies a story of societal conflict that is scarcely talked about. Across its villages and production sites, state institutions and civil society organisations, the dominant and less well-off sections of society are engaged in antagonistic relations that determine the material conditions of one quarter of the world's 'poor'. Increasingly mobile and often with several jobs in multiple locations, India's 'classes of labour' are highly segmented but far from passive in the face of ongoing exploitation and domination. Drawing on over a decade of fieldwork in rural South India, the book uses a 'class-relational' approach to analyse continuity and change in processes of accumulation, exploitation and domination. By focusing on the three interrelated arenas of labour relations, the state and civil society, it explores how improvements can be made in the conditions of labourers working 'at the margins' of global production networks, primarily as agricultural labourers and construction workers. Elements of social policy can improve the poor's material conditions and expand their political space where such ends are actively pursued by labouring class organisations. More fundamental change, though, requires stronger organisation of the informal workers who make up the majority of India's population. ;
Behind India's high recent growth rates lies a story of societal conflict that is scarcely talked about. Across its villages and production sites, state institutions and civil society organisations, the dominant and less well-off sections of society are engaged in antagonistic relations that determine the material conditions of one quarter of the world's 'poor'. Increasingly mobile and often with several jobs in multiple locations, India's 'classes of labour' are highly segmented but far from passive in the face of ongoing exploitation and domination. Drawing on over a decade of fieldwork in rural South India, the book uses a 'class-relational' approach to analyse continuity and change in processes of accumulation, exploitation and domination. By focusing on the three interrelated arenas of labour relations, the state and civil society, it explores how improvements can be made in the conditions of labourers working 'at the margins' of global production networks, primarily as agricultural labourers and construction workers. Elements of social policy can improve the poor's material conditions and expand their political space where such ends are actively pursued by labouring class organisations. More fundamental change, though, requires stronger organisation of the informal workers who make up the majority of India's population. ;
How do changing class relations contribute to processes of capitalist development? Within development studies the importance of class relations is usually relegated to lesser status than the roles of states and markets in generating and allocating resources. This book argues that the changing class relations are central to different patterns of capitalist development and that processes and outcomes of class struggle co-determine the form that development takes. Workers, state and development in Brazil illuminates these claims through a detailed empirical investigation of class dynamics and capitalist development in North East Brazil's São Francisco valley. It details how workers in the valley's export grape sector have won significant concessions from employers, contributing to a progressive pattern of regional capitalist development. The book will appeal to students and researchers interested in processes of capitalist development, agrarian political economy and international political economy.
How do changing class relations contribute to processes of capitalist development? Within development studies the importance of class relations is usually relegated to lesser status than the roles of states and markets in generating and allocating resources. This book argues that the changing class relations are central to different patterns of capitalist development and that processes and outcomes of class struggle co-determine the form that development takes. Workers, State and Development in Brazil, nominated for the International Political Economy Group (IPGG) Book Prize 2013 and now available in paperback, illuminates these claims through a detailed empirical investigation of class dynamics and capitalist development in North East Brazil's São Francisco valley. It details how workers in the valley's export grape sector have won significant concessions from employers, contributing to a progressive pattern of regional capitalist development. The book will appeal to students and researchers interested in processes of capitalist development, agrarian political economy and international political economy. ;
This study addresses the role of agricultural policies in raising incomes in developing countries. Higher incomes are essential for sustained progress on the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG1), which calls for the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, and includes a specific target of reducing by 50% between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day. The aim is to identify ways in which the appropriate set of policies may vary according to a country's stage of development. A synthesis volume will also be published for policy makers. With more than two-thirds of the world's poor living in rural areas, higher rural incomes are needed to sustain poverty reduction and reduce hunger. This volume sets out a strategy for raising rural incomes which emphasises the need to create diversified rural economies with opportunities within and outside agriculture. This means adopting policies that facilitate rather than impede structural change and integrate agricultural policies within the overall mix of policies and institutional reforms that are needed. By investing in public goods, such as infrastructure and agricultural research, and by building effective social safety nets, governments can reduce the pressures related to less efficient policies such as price controls and input subsidies.
The rangelands of China and Mongolia encompass diverse landscapes of global environmental and cultural significance. Pastoralists in these two nations share much common history and tradition, including their nomadic heritage and twin eras of collectivized production under different centrally planned socialist regimes. This unique collection of case studies describes the change, loss, re-emergence and resilience of seven herder communities located in distinct socio-ecological settings ranging from the Gobi desert of Mongolia to the Tibetan Plateau regions of China's Sichuan and Gansu Provinces. Useful for policy makers within international development and conservation policy, this book is also of interest for researchers and students of rural economics and agriculture.
Rwanda's Land Tenure Reform: Non-existent to Best Practice provides a detailed account of how Rwanda managed to systematically demarcate and register all land, comprising over 10 million parcels within five years. This book: - Provides a detailed account of how Rwanda built a land administration system which is now internationally viewed as a model of success for implementing a complex land reform programme in the developing world. - Considers the ways in which land tenure reform has contributed to the country's development beyond the land sector. - Discusses how Rwanda's example can be followed by other countries wishing to embark on similar programmes of designing and implementing a nationwide land tenure regularisation programme. - Provides key strategic orientation to achieve a sustainable land administration programme. Offering a comprehensive narrative of the land tenure reform programme from inception to implementation, this book will be important reading for policy makers, land administration professionals, academics and development partners working in land administration and land tenure programmes in developing countries. Thierry Hoza Ngoga is a land development professional with special focus on land administration, land tenure and land use planning. He worked on Rwanda's land tenure regularisation reform programme for over 12 years in various capacities, most recently as Head of Land Technical Operations overseeing land use planning, land surveying and the land administration information system. He is currently working on land development issues focusing on building institutional and policy development in several African countries.
The reconstruction of Kosovo after 1999 was one of the largest and most ambitious international interventions in a post-conflict country. The United Nations, other major multinational organisations and many large bilateral aid donors all played a role in restoring stability and establishing governance in the territory. This book looks beyond the apparently united and generally self-congratulatory statements of these international actors to examine what actually happened when they tried to work together in Kosovo to achieve this goal. It considers the interests and motivations, and the strengths and weaknesses of each of the major players and how they contributed to the creation of new institutions in public finance and public sector management. Although in general the international exercise in Kosovo can be seen as a success, in the sphere of public administration the results have been mixed. More than fifteen years later, some institutions of government perform well while others face ongoing challenges. The book argues that much of the current day performance of the Kosovo government can be traced to the steps taken, or not taken, by these international actors in the crucial first years.
Based on fieldwork carried out in Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania and Ghana, this book shows how local governance institutions change the way that they work as they engage with climate change adaptation initiatives, and how the tendency of power and finance to be centralised at national level reduces the effectiveness and efficiency of real change on the ground. The evidence of these studies is that central government and international projects are neither cost effective nor institutionally sustainable; what is needed is devolution of power and resources to the local level. It's time to turn the old mantra on its head - to think globally but act locally.
This book provides a historical account of the NGO CARE as one of the largest humanitarian NGOs worldwide from 1945 to 1980. Readers interested in international relations and humanitarian hunger prevention are provided with fascinating insights into the economic and business related aspects of Western non-governmental politics, fundraising and philanthropic giving in this field. Not only does the book contributes to ongoing research about the rise of NGOs in the international realm, it also offers very rich empirical material on the political implications of private and governmental international aid in a world marked by the order of the Cold War, decolonialization processes and the struggle of so called "Third World Countries" to catch up with modern Western consumer societies.
This book provides a historical account of the NGO CARE as one of the largest humanitarian NGOs worldwide from 1945 to 1980. Readers interested in international relations and humanitarian hunger prevention are provided with fascinating insights into the economic and business related aspects of Western non-governmental politics, fundraising and philanthropic giving in this field. Not only does the book contributes to ongoing research about the rise of NGOs in the international realm, it also offers very rich empirical material on the political implications of private and governmental international aid in a world marked by the order of the Cold War, decolonialization processes and the struggle of so called "Third World Countries" to catch up with modern Western consumer societies.
This book provides a historical account of the NGO CARE as one of the largest humanitarian NGOs worldwide from 1945 to 1980. Readers interested in international relations and humanitarian hunger prevention are provided with fascinating insights into the economic and business related aspects of Western non-governmental politics, fundraising and philanthropic giving in this field. Not only does the book contributes to ongoing research about the rise of NGOs in the international realm, it also offers very rich empirical material on the political implications of private and governmental international aid in a world marked by the order of the Cold War, decolonialization processes and the struggle of so called "Third World Countries" to catch up with modern Western consumer societies.
This book is open access under a CC BY license. This is the first account of Britain's plans for industrial development in its Caribbean colonies - something that historians have usually said Britain never contemplated. It shows that Britain's remedy to the poor economic conditions in the Caribbean gave a key role to laboratory research to re-invent sugarcane as the raw material for making fuels, plastics and drugs. Science at the end of empire explores the practical and also political functions of scientific research and economic advisors for Britain at a moment in which Caribbean governments operated with increasing autonomy and the US was intent on expanding its influence in the region. Britain's preferred path to industrial development was threatened by an alternative promoted through the Caribbean Commission. The provision of knowledge and expertise became key routes by which Britain and America competed to shape the future of the region, and their place in it.
This collection interrogates the representation of humanitarian crisis, catastrophe and care. Contributors explore the refraction of humanitarian intervention from the mid-twentieth century to the present across a diverse range of media forms, including screen media (film, television and online video), newspapers, memoirs, music festivals and social media platforms (notably Facebook, YouTube and Flickr). Examining the historical, cultural and political contexts that have shaped the mediation of humanitarian relationships since the middle of the twentieth century, the book reveals significant synergies between the humanitarian enterprise - the endeavour to alleviate the suffering of particular groups - and its media representations, particularly in their modes of addressing and appealing to specific publics.
Behind India's high recent growth rates lies a story of societal conflict that is scarcely talked about. Across its villages and production sites, state institutions and civil society organisations, the dominant and less well-off sections of society are engaged in antagonistic relations that determine the material conditions of one quarter of the world's 'poor'. Increasingly mobile and often with several jobs in multiple locations, India's 'classes of labour' are highly segmented but far from passive in the face of ongoing exploitation and domination. Drawing on over a decade of fieldwork in rural South India, the book uses a 'class-relational' approach to analyse continuity and change in processes of accumulation, exploitation and domination. By focusing on the three interrelated arenas of labour relations, the state and civil society, it explores how improvements can be made in the conditions of labourers working 'at the margins' of global production networks, primarily as agricultural labourers and construction workers. Elements of social policy can improve the poor's material conditions and expand their political space where such ends are actively pursued by labouring class organisations. More fundamental change, though, requires stronger organisation of the informal workers who make up the majority of India's population.