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Discussion Paper No.1The Politics of 'Participation': Civil Society, the State and Development AssistanceJames Putzel (DRC, DESTIN)January 2004The starting point for this paper are some of the key texts relating to the question of promoting ‘pro-poor’ political participation and organisation, which were written or circulated within the British government’s Department for International Development (DFID) in preparation for a retreat organised to discuss the issue in October 2002. I incorporate into this some of the concerns I believe we are addressing within the Crisis States Programme. In this paper I demonstrate how paying attention to politics challenges some of the assumptions within programmes pursued by donors involved in the promotion of ‘good governance’ and economic reform.The argument is structured around four issues: (1) the question of ‘participation’; (2) understanding ‘civil society’ and the state; (3) the role of what I think we can usefully call ‘political society’ and ‘political parties’; and (4) governance and economic reforms that may undermine political organisation.
Other Crisis States papers by James Putzel: Working Paper No.18 (October 2002) Politics, the State and the Impulse for Social Protection: the implications of Karl Polanyi's ideas for understanding development and crisis (James Putzel)
Discussion Paper No.2 (January 2004)
Discussion Paper No.7 (November 2004) The Political Impact of Globalisation and Liberalisation: Evidence Emerging from Crisis States Research (James Putzel)
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Last modified: 3rd May 2005 |