Public policy analyst and researcher with over 20 years of work with international NGOs. PhD (cum laude) in Development Studies. Research focuses on illicit economies (drug crops), development, and peacebuilding.
Powerful local and national elites remain the ‘elephants in the room’ in discussions about intern... more Powerful local and national elites remain the ‘elephants in the room’ in discussions about international development. They are always in a position, and by definition have the power, to flout, coopt, thwart or even reverse good governance reforms and development-enhancing institutional change. Yet their influence is typically ignored; the analysis of their roles routinely depoliticised. Warning signs are telling us that this needs to change. Corrupt politicians are reviled, yet they win the vote. Violent criminals are detested, yet many become de facto authorities, dispensing street justice. The reach of corruption in many countries has been more extensive than assumed. The understanding of political contestation has become confused. In other words, more analysis of the distribution of power held by different elite and interest groups in countries has become necessary to make reforms realistic and changes more firmly embedded.
Privatisation – or the practical method of taking what is 'public' and 'socialised... more Privatisation – or the practical method of taking what is 'public' and 'socialised' and making it 'private' – is the main instrument of neoliberal theory for the free market to prevail. While the instrument itself has been resisted, little has been done to contest the applicability of the underlying theory on water supply provision particularly in developing countries. This has resulted in the overselling of private sector involvement and the exaggeration of its benefits by the global donor community, leading to the blanket promotion and enforcement of private sector participation as the main element of water sector reforms in poor countries. This paper is an attempt to demonstrate not only the limits of free market theory as it applies to water supply provision, but also the inapplicability in poor countries of managing of water as an economic good using market-like and market-friendly instruments, where prices function as the chief mechanism that guide deci...
Philippine Political Science Journal 24 (47) 2003 From llaga to Abu Sayyaf: New Entrepreneurs in ... more Philippine Political Science Journal 24 (47) 2003 From llaga to Abu Sayyaf: New Entrepreneurs in Violence and Their Impact on Local Politics in Mindanao ... The history of conflict in Mindanao is marked by the violence associated with groups like the llagas and the Abu Sayyaf. ...
Public services in poor countries are almost always written off as inefficient, resistant to refo... more Public services in poor countries are almost always written off as inefficient, resistant to reform, and prone to wasting precious resources. In water and sanitation services, despite substantial investments in public utilities, coverage or service levels often fail to improve as expected. This is a key reason why development banks and aid donors tend to favour the private sector takeover of public services: a profit-maximising private company, by its very nature, will almost always try to reduce inefficiency and improve coverage. In 1998, Uganda implemented water sector reforms that reduced the roles of state bodies while increasing private sector involvement. Significant achievements were made, but one key observation that this case study will demonstrate is how the supposed efficiency of the private sector has been overrated. Instead, what Uganda's experience shows is that it is improved governance capacity and radical improvements in public sector performance that instituti...
Lyn N. Capistrano is Deputy Director of the Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation Internat... more Lyn N. Capistrano is Deputy Director of the Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation International Training Network Foundation (PCWS-ITNF), a non governmental organisation based in Manila. She did the field work for this study. Eric Gutierrez is Policy Officer at WaterAid in ...
Policy Studies 8 The Moro Conflict: Landlessness and Misdirected State Policies Eric Gutierrez an... more Policy Studies 8 The Moro Conflict: Landlessness and Misdirected State Policies Eric Gutierrez and Saturnino Borras, Jr. East-West Center Washington East-West Center The East-West Center is an internationally recognized ...
Powerful local and national elites remain the ‘elephants in the room’ in discussions about intern... more Powerful local and national elites remain the ‘elephants in the room’ in discussions about international development. They are always in a position, and by definition have the power, to flout, coopt, thwart or even reverse good governance reforms and development-enhancing institutional change. Yet their influence is typically ignored; the analysis of their roles routinely depoliticised. Warning signs are telling us that this needs to change. Corrupt politicians are reviled, yet they win the vote. Violent criminals are detested, yet many become de facto authorities, dispensing street justice. The reach of corruption in many countries has been more extensive than assumed. The understanding of political contestation has become confused. In other words, more analysis of the distribution of power held by different elite and interest groups in countries has become necessary to make reforms realistic and changes more firmly embedded.
Privatisation – or the practical method of taking what is 'public' and 'socialised... more Privatisation – or the practical method of taking what is 'public' and 'socialised' and making it 'private' – is the main instrument of neoliberal theory for the free market to prevail. While the instrument itself has been resisted, little has been done to contest the applicability of the underlying theory on water supply provision particularly in developing countries. This has resulted in the overselling of private sector involvement and the exaggeration of its benefits by the global donor community, leading to the blanket promotion and enforcement of private sector participation as the main element of water sector reforms in poor countries. This paper is an attempt to demonstrate not only the limits of free market theory as it applies to water supply provision, but also the inapplicability in poor countries of managing of water as an economic good using market-like and market-friendly instruments, where prices function as the chief mechanism that guide deci...
Philippine Political Science Journal 24 (47) 2003 From llaga to Abu Sayyaf: New Entrepreneurs in ... more Philippine Political Science Journal 24 (47) 2003 From llaga to Abu Sayyaf: New Entrepreneurs in Violence and Their Impact on Local Politics in Mindanao ... The history of conflict in Mindanao is marked by the violence associated with groups like the llagas and the Abu Sayyaf. ...
Public services in poor countries are almost always written off as inefficient, resistant to refo... more Public services in poor countries are almost always written off as inefficient, resistant to reform, and prone to wasting precious resources. In water and sanitation services, despite substantial investments in public utilities, coverage or service levels often fail to improve as expected. This is a key reason why development banks and aid donors tend to favour the private sector takeover of public services: a profit-maximising private company, by its very nature, will almost always try to reduce inefficiency and improve coverage. In 1998, Uganda implemented water sector reforms that reduced the roles of state bodies while increasing private sector involvement. Significant achievements were made, but one key observation that this case study will demonstrate is how the supposed efficiency of the private sector has been overrated. Instead, what Uganda's experience shows is that it is improved governance capacity and radical improvements in public sector performance that instituti...
Lyn N. Capistrano is Deputy Director of the Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation Internat... more Lyn N. Capistrano is Deputy Director of the Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation International Training Network Foundation (PCWS-ITNF), a non governmental organisation based in Manila. She did the field work for this study. Eric Gutierrez is Policy Officer at WaterAid in ...
Policy Studies 8 The Moro Conflict: Landlessness and Misdirected State Policies Eric Gutierrez an... more Policy Studies 8 The Moro Conflict: Landlessness and Misdirected State Policies Eric Gutierrez and Saturnino Borras, Jr. East-West Center Washington East-West Center The East-West Center is an internationally recognized ...
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