Date:June 12, 2008 (Thu.) 17:00-19:30PM
Venue: No.1 Lecture Room, Department of South and West Asian Area Studies, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Research Building No.2, 4th floor, Kyoto University
Presentation:
Speaker1: Dr. Devin Joshi (Assistant Professor, University of Denver)
Title: Comparing Human Development in India & China
Abstract: This presentation examines the relative contributions of government performance and economic growth to advancing human development (HD) in India and China over the period from 1950 to 2005. Within human development I focus on maternal and child health (MCH) and compulsory elementary education (CEE) achievements as crucial indicators of poverty reduction and future development in these two nations. To empirically assess the impact of good governance as distinct from economic growth I examine government effectiveness for HD at the macro and micro levels through public finance and policy implementation. Contrary to neo-liberalism and other growth-centered development explanations, I find that government performance and social equality explain as much or even more than economic growth regarding HD performance.
Speaker 2: Dr. Giorgio Shani (Associate Professor, Ritsumeikan University)Abstract: This presentation will seek to examine the effects of neo-liberal globalization and the war on terror upon human security in South Asia. It will be argued that economic liberalization in South Asia in general and its most populous country, India, in particular has resulted in unbalanced growth which has disproportionately benefited, and politically empowered, members of the dominant classes, religious communities and castes at the expense of the rural and urban poor. This has had profound consequences for members of South Asia's religious minorities and subaltern castes and classes who find themselves increasingly marginalized by national discourses derived from the majority religious tradition. These trends have been reinforced by the post 9/11 political climate and the introduction of anti-terrorism legislation which has contributed to a greater securitization of society in general and the targeting of ethno-religious minorities.
Discussants: Prof. Patricio N. Abinales, Prof. Koichi Fujita, Dr. Akio Tanabe
Moderator: Tatsuro Fujikura
The two presentations dealt with similar subjects in contrasting ways. To handle the issues concerning Human Development, Prof. Joshi concentrated his focus on child health (MCH) and compulsory elementary education (CEE), and presented the concept of effective governance. Then he showed various statistical datum related to human development (MCH and CEE), effective governance and economic growth in China and India, to compare the situations in those two countries. National and provincial datum were compared in order to examine complex relationships between those indicators. Based on his assessment, he found that government performance and social equality explained as much as, or even more than economic growth regarding HD performance, and highlighted the importance of the state in prioritizing human development.
Dr. Shani started his presentation with the examination of the general concept of human security. With regard to human security, he distinguished two existing approaches: narrow and broad. He criticized them on the ground that they are prone to fall into “democratic imperialism” and/or “securitization of development”. He also noted how the post 9/11 political and economic situations of South Asian countries have created “war on terror” situations which have intensified ethno-religious and caste conflicts (and hence human insecurity) in the area, and he further expressed concerns about the impact of neo-liberal globalization and the “securitization” led by the states.
According to Dr. Shani, a critical approach to human security is necessary to address issues such as poverty and gender inequality.
The discussion started with the comments from the three discussants. First, Prof. Fujita (CSEAS) commented mostly on Dr. Joshi’s presentation. He pointed out that the correlation between the indices of human development and effective governance might be somewhat tautological, in the sense that they included the same components. In addition, he maintained that the presenter should take into account the importance of social, cultural and historical backgrounds and the internal disparities of the two countries. Second, Prof. Abinales (CSEAS) enhanced the discussion. Referring to the Philippino-Muslim case as an example, he highlighted that the relationship between democracy and state power is indeed very complicated.
Third, Prof. Tanabe (Institute for Research in Humanities) summed up the similarities and differences of the two presentations, and raised questions regarding the role of the state and the ways to progress people’s welfare. Mentioning the concept of “Humanosphere-sustainable development”, he stressed that we should adopt a broader perspective which took into account not only the social but the ecological environment as well as something that supports human well-being. Finally, the attendants reached a consensus on the significance of the concept of “Humanosphere-sustainable development” and a number of constructive exchanges of views among attendees was developed.
(Fumikazu Ubukata and Shuhei Kimura)