THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS,
AID PROGRAM/PROJECT AND MALAWI
Beny Trias Oktora, SE, MA
economist wanna be…
benytriasoktora.blogspot.com
Beny Trias Oktora, SE, MA
economist wanna be…
benytriasoktora.blogspot.com
1.
Introduction
By this far up to year 2009 – it means that 6 year to
year 2015, we are waiting what will happen in the year 2015 when Millennium
Development Goals will reach its target year in 2015. I am sure that almost
everyone is doubted that by the year 2015 almost developing countries and least
developed countries will attain those goals. The real challenge is in sub
Saharan region. For instance, spreading of HIV/AIDS especially in Sub Saharan
region has been tremendously widely proliferated. Since the medicine has not
effectively recuperated yet those goals will hardly attain. The bottom line is
many scholars and researchers doubted that sub Saharan region will accomplish
the MDGs.
As part of
countries that located in sub Saharan region that have extremely serious
problem, Malawi also has another extremely serious problem which is Malawi is
“landlocked country”. What a double or even triple extremely serious problem
carried by Malawian. Landlocked countries deal with different and difficult circumstances
the most pronounced is high cost of transportation. Special condition needs
special formula to deal with. Even Adam Smith has already grasped the idea that
geographical condition do affect to economic development for policy purposes
and institutions.
To develop
this essay and also to answer systematically two questions regarding the MDGs for
Malawi whether Malawi needs or not those goals in measuring their development
and what another aid program and project are apposite in sustaining development
in Malawi, I organize my essay as follows. Section 2, I criticize the
conception of MDGs in appropriate mode. Section 3, I question whether the MDGs
is guiding Malawi or not in making ways of better life. Section 4, I try to
examine what sort of program and project that will help Malawi probably in the
long period. I argued that strengthening on combating HIV/AIDS and establishing
on real education. And also I discuss which social-political-economic
development policy in broader sense that will help Malawian. I argued that in
development field only is focusing on economic development not virtuous policy.
It needs also considering socio-political approach in attempting development. And
at the final section, I build policy recommendations that summary the answer of
two main questions.
2.
Criticizing the Millennium Development
Goals
I propose one question to explore more for the sake of
the MDGs: Is the MDGs the answer for development of those developing world?
Some researcher mentioned that the MDGs are ambitious project on development
that needed also extraordinary efforts. Some are doubted about how to measure
achieving goals. Amir Attaran (2005) is doubted on measurement of the MDGs
especially on how to measure health targets of the MDGs. Timeframe target or
bound in time that has attached to the MDGs is burden for each country. It is
very lucid that many factors that will affect in achieving those goals during
time frame of the MDGs. The World has already experienced several crisis ranges
from economic crisis, political crisis and social crisis. These events not
doubted have affected positively those targets. For instance, when Southeast
Asia especially Indonesia experienced financial crisis in 1997, country was
devastated in social unrest, in economic downturn and also in politic crisis. No
security, unemployment and no loader were the real condition at the time that
affected fundamentally on the MDGs. Who will secure and conduct efforts in
achieving those goals while country concentrated on solving crisis? And who
will guarantee that in the future (like today happened in US: financial crisis)
that crisis would not happen in the Western Europe?
The
Millennium Development Goals are development program that deal with human not
numbers. And development is not always domain of economics at which every
single object is calculated and transferred or translated into numbers. Even
the methodology that is used to conduct evaluation of the MDGs found not
reliable. Reddy and Heuty (2004) in Achieving The MDGs: A Critique And A
Strategy, argued that existing (technocratic) approaches to
identifying the best strategies for achieving the MDGs are unreliable.
To sum up
this section, I found that because of the ambitious goals of the MDGs in
implementing the strategy, measurement and methodology in each developing
country especially in sub Saharan countries the MDGs likely failed. I argued
also that the MDGs is development program that deal with human so the
approaches are not rigid like numbers. Timeframe in achieving the MDGs is
problematic because each country has its own characteristic in overcome
problems. It would be better if each country set up its own time period in
achieving the MDGs.
3.
Are the MDGs guiding Malawi?
For
opponents of the MDGS, obviously the answer is NO. For proponents of the MDGs,
they will answer YES. Goals of development in the MDGs are nothing new in
development fields. Institutionalize of development goals brought in the MDGs program
are new way in order to accelerated the progress of development in developing country.
Commitment of government in conducting those goals and translated in government
policy are crucial step. Most developing countries in conducting government work
or doing service to the public are still debatable. Government officer goodwill
in conducting service to the public depend on what “benefit” generated from
that sort of service. In simple word, bureaucratic government hampers
development. Magalasi (2005) in
People’s Report on the MDGs: The Case of Malawi, found that government
institution action for attaining the MDGs are not in the right path. On the
contrary, non government organizations actions are in the right path and
positively correlated with the MDGs. Magalasi (2005) mentioned some
international organizations for instance ActionAid, Oxfam, Care
International, World Vision International, Save the Children and Water Aid that
did efforts business as unusual. Many scholars suggested that cooperation
between NGOs and government become essential regarding to flexibility and
experiences of NGOs.
Even before
Malawi signed commitment of the MDGs, in 2000 Malawi formulated its country
vision. Furthermore, Neville (2003) in,
The Millennium Development Goals: Towards a Civil Society Perspective on
Reframing Poverty Reduction Strategies in Southern Africa, mentioned that especially since the
mid-1990s, Southern African civil society organizations have consistently
campaigned against poverty and for policy and governance transformation towards
defined social development objectives.
The new way in accelerating development in the MDGs
framework made development looks new. Wrapped in United Nations program and
advertised like commercial advertisement in television, the magnitude are
enormous. But its content is nothing new: development. For Malawi the question
is whether need or no need of the MDGs but how government deliver and bring
development matter in appropriate way of their policy. At what degree they are
seriously working in the sake of their people. As indicated by Magalasi (2005),
Malawi government is still doing policy in development as business as usual.
4.
Efforts for Malawi
As I mentioned in Introduction section, I argued that
HIV/AIDS is big challenge and also big obstacles for Malawi in conducting
development. I argued that Strengthening on combating HIV/AIDS is first
priority. Magalasi (2005) in People’s
Report on the MDGs: The Case of Malawi stated that what is needed now is for the government and stakeholders
to implement the recommendations. Efforts must be concentrated on preventing
new infections; and apart from preaching abstinence, the use of condoms,
treatment of infections and prevention of mother-to-child transmission must be prioritized[1]. The
reason is the impact of HIV/AIDS for human is very shocking. The medicine
available for HIV/AIDS now does not totally heal human. In Malawi data showed
that effect of HIV/AIDS is decreasing life expectancy to only around 43. I
argued that strengthening program or project in HIV/AIDS in the short and in
the long run that might help Malawi. Since medicine for HIV/AIDS is still in
searching, no doubted that strengthening program or project in combating
HIV/AIDS might help Malawi.
The second program or project that
might help Malawi is establishing real education. Real education means that Malawi
should formulate not only better infrastructure in education but also better
curriculum policy. Some scholars suggested two parties involvement which are
donor countries and NGOs. Their roles are hoped played in order to carry check
and balance function and to more utilize in partnerships relation. Considering
that Malawi government is still weak in conducting public policy and also to
ensure that development efforts well conducted.
For long
run, Malawi needs are to formulate socio-politic-economic policy that
comprehensively capture both socio-politic and economic. Sen (1999) in his book
Development as Freedom argued that the breath of development not always
fostering economic policy and casting socio-politic policy but also how to
formulate both policy simultaneously. I do agree that regardless socio-politic
policy that well recognized as Lee Thesis refers to Singapore Prime Minister
thoughts has inadequate evidences. In Western Europe and North America US and
Canada, those wealthy countries have already established state based on the
spirit of democracy and individual freedom. And their people until today enjoy
individual freedom and prosperity simultaneously.
Identify
sort of economic development policy that appropriate for Malawi with special
geography condition is not easy task for Malawian. Combination of worse climate
and landlocked are the reason why it is not easy to tackle Malawian`s obstacles.
Several economic policies that might match the need of landlocked country are
continuously making cooperation with their neighbor country in order to have
better access to coastal. Manage their economy in discipline and efficient principles
are a must because realizing that their economy is high cost economy.
Controlling its population is a part of efficient policy. And practicing of
good governance principles is necessarily important such as transparency and
accountable.
The
prominent of growth as converge to achieve development is presented by Bigsten
and Abebe (2007). Their work simulation on effect of growth to achieving the
MDGs relies on available data on per capita consumption expenditure and its distribution.
A distribution-neutral growth scenario was compared with different pro-poor
growth scenarios, where reduction in inequality was considered as one possible
means of achieving MDGs. The results suggest that, with a modest but sustained
growth in per capita consumption expenditure and unchanged inequality, most
countries in Africa can achieve the target. If recent growth rates in per
capita consumption can be sustained until 2015, more than half of the countries
in our sample, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, will attain MDGs[2].
My purpose in showing Bigsten and Abebe works (2007) is with adequate economic
policy and in cooperation with socio-politic policy as evidences range from
Western Europe to North America as Sen in his book Development as Freedom
mentioned (not mention of India and Indonesia that both enjoyed significant of
economic growth and also practicing democracy), Malawi might be able to achieve
both enjoyed economic growth and individual freedom.
5.
Policy Recommendations
Two questions that are proposed brought
many aspects and should incorporate not only economics discipline but also
social and politics discipline. The MDGs is not everything. I am shocked even
IMF economist on economic perspective Rogoff
(2003) in Unlocking Growth in Africa Aid For Humanitarian Purposes is
Desperately Needed, But It Cannot Be The Engine Of Growth argued that it is
hard to see the MDGs providing a framework for long-term growth. To begin with,
consider the awkward fact that MDGs are stated as absolute goals and don’t
embody any notion of trade-offs or priorities[3].
To sum my
arguments that presented in policy recommendations as follows:
1.
First
priority is preventing widely spread of HIV/AIDS infection. Political will of
government that Malagasi (2005) mentioned in his work is important.
2.
Establishing
comprehensive education policy that includes providing adequate infrastructure
and excellent curriculum.
3.
Formulating
simultaneously economic policy and socio-politic policy that will perform well
with evidences empirically proved in the Western Europe and North America US
and Canada. As Sen argued in his book.
4.
Special
strategies are needed for special condition of Malawi. Comprehensive highly
efficient and discipline economy and accompanied by implementing principles of
good governance are necessarily implemented.
The last
remark I borrow from Rodrik (2001) in Development Strategies for The Next
Century, he argued that “Economic
development ultimately derives from a home-grown strategy, and not from the
world market. Policy makers in developing countries should avoid fads, put
globalization in perspective, and focus on domestic institution building. They
should have more confidence in themselves and in domestic institution building,
and place less faith on the global economy and blueprints emanating there from”.
Being confidences to tackle its problems with its own characteristics are indispensable.
6.
References
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[1] Magalasi, Collins. 2005. People’s
Report on the MDGs: The Case of Malawi. pp. 19.
[2] Bigsten, Arne and Shimeles,
Abebe. 2007. Can Africa Reduce Poverty by
Half by 2015? Development Policy Review, 2007, 25 (2): 147-166. pp.
163.
[3] Rogoff, Kenneths. 2003. Unlocking
Growth in Africa Aid for humanitarian purposes is desperately needed, but it
cannot be the engine of growth.