‘But you can't compare Malawi and Ireland!’ – shifting boundaries in a globalised world

Abstract

Although global influences – in the form of international finance coupled with discourses of partnership, participation, good governance, and democracy – exercise an increasing influence on national and local governance arrangements worldwide, comparative studies across the traditional South/North divide remain extremely rare. Drawing on findings from a comparative study of Malawi's PRSP and Ireland's national Social Partnership process, this article demonstrates that a shifting of conceptual boundaries beyond traditionally delineated geographic borders is not just valid but essential, in that it helps to reveal new perspectives on the politics underlying globalised development processes and the transformative potential of those processes.

« Mais on ne peut pas comparer le Malawi et l'Irlande! » : frontières en mutation dans un monde globalisé

Bien que les influences mondiales – sous la forme du financement international conjugué à des discours de partenariat, participation, bonne gouvernance et démocratie – aient un effet croissant sur les arrangements de gouvernance nationaux et locaux de par le monde, des études comparatives de part et d'autre de la fracture traditionnelle Sud/Nord restent extrêmement rares. Sur la base des conclusions découlant d'une étude comparative du DSRP de la Malaisie et du processus national de Partenariat social de l'Irlande, ce document démontre qu'un déplacement des frontières conceptuelles au-delà des frontières géographiques traditionnellement définies est non seulement valide mais aussi essentiel, dans la mesure où il dévoile de nouveaux points de vue sur les éléments politiques sous-jacents et sur le potentiel transformatif des processus de développement mondialisés.

‘Mas você não pode comparar Malauí com Irlanda!’: mudando fronteiras em um mundo globalizado

Embora influências globais – na forma de finanças internacionais agrupadas com discursos de parceria, participação, boa governança e democracia – promovam uma influência cada vez maior sobre os arranjos de governança nacionais e locais no mundo inteiro, estudos comparativos em toda a tradicional divisão Sul/Norte continuam extremamente raros. Utilizando resultados de um estudo comparativo do PRSP de Malauí e do processo de Parceria Social nacional da Irlanda, este artigo demonstra que uma mudança de fronteiras conceituais além das fronteiras geográficas tradicionalmente delineadas não apenas é válida como também essencial, pois ela ajuda a descobrir novas perspectivas na base política e o potencial transformativo de processos de desenvolvimento globalizados.

¡Malawi e Irlanda no se pueden comparar!: Fronteras que se desplazan en un mundo globalizado

Si bien es cierto que los impactos de la globalización – generados por las economías internacionales unidas a discursos comunes sobre alianzas, participación, buen gobierno y democracia – han ocasionado cambios en los gobiernos nacionales y locales del mundo entero, también es cierto que no se han hecho suficientes estudios comparativos Sur-Norte. Basándose en las conclusiones de un estudio comparativo del DERP (Documento de Estrategia de Reducción de la Pobreza) de Malawi y la Alianza Social de Irlanda, este ensayo aclara que el desplazamiento de las fronteras conceptuales más allá de los contornos geográficos, no sólo es positivo sino que constituye un paso esencial para impulsar nuevas perspectivas políticas y la transformación de los procesos de desarrollo en el mundo.

Keywords:

• Civil society
• Globalisation
• Governance and public policy

Notes

The processes were Malawi's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, later renamed Malawi's Growth and Development Strategy (PRSP/MGDS) and Ireland's national Social Partnership process respectively. The study was carried out between 2004 and 2008 and formed the basis for my PhD thesis.

Social Partnership comprises an employer, trade union, farming, and community and voluntary pillar, together with the state. Many of the largest national-level representative bodies from each respective sector sit on these pillars.

The National Economic and Social Council (NESC) is one of the key formal institutions of Social Partnership.

It is worth noting in passing that, while it has become popular to describe civil society as a ‘new’ concept in much development literature, Malawi provides ample evidence of what Comaroff and Comaroff have described as a ‘social revisioning’ (1999: 3) of the concept. Civic associationalism is extremely diverse and has a long history in Malawi (see Lwanda 2005); many of the local associations represented within MEJN's District Chapters have existed for decades.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Niamh Gaynor

Niamh Gaynor, based in Dublin City University, directs a research project linking nine universities in Ireland with four in Africa. Previously she worked for a number of years in Bénin and then as a freelance researcher with NGOs and community groups in both Ireland and Africa.