Human rights &amp; development in Africa: moral intrusion or empowering opportunity?

Mohan, Giles; Holland, Jeremy P.

doi:10.1080/03056240108704524

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Review of African Political Economy

Volume 28, Issue 88

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Human rights & development in Africa: moral intrusion or empowering opportunity?

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research-article

Author(s): Giles Mohan ^a , Jeremy Holland ^b

Publication date (Print): June 2001

Journal: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

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Abstract

Throughout the 1990s the debates about human rights and development have increasingly converged. The article asks whether the emerging human rights‐based approach to development, honed in the period of revisionist neo‐liberalism, can deliver meaningful improvements to the African crisis. It begins by outlining the evolution of the rights‐based development agenda in order to understand how the present agenda is defined. The next section examines the theoretical underpinnings of the current rights‐based development agenda and summarises two recent reports which place such concerns at their centre. From there we examine the implementation of rights‐based procedures in Africa and assess the moral and practical implications of the rights agenda for Africa. We conclude by arguing that the emphasis on economic and developmental rights should be welcomed, because it raises the possibility of cementing the right to a decent standard of living. However, the potential exists for the rights‐based agenda to be used as a new form of conditionality which usurps national sovereignty and by handing the responsibility for defending rights to authoritarian states the process does little to challenge the power structures which may have precipitated rights abuses in the first place. Finally, the emphasis on universal rights, as defined through largely western experiences, limits the relevance of rights to local circumstances and thereby effects another form of Eurocentric violence which seeks to normalise a self‐serving social vision. Hence, only by embedding discussions of rights in the locally meaningful struggles that confront impoverished Africans and by promoting broader and direct participation which, crucially, promotes self‐determination can a rights agenda more thoroughly promote African development.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): crea20

Journal ID (archive): CREA

Title: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

ISSN (Print): 0305-6244

ISSN (Electronic): 1740-1720

Publication date (Print): June 2001

Volume: 28

Issue: 88

Pages: 177-196

Affiliations

^a Department of Geography , University of Portsmouth

^b Centre for Development Studies , University of Wales , Swansea

Article

Publisher ID: 8704524 Coden ID: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 28, No. 88, June 2001, pp. 177-196

DOI: 10.1080/03056240108704524

SO-VID: b0593817-4f9a-4858-9e39-97d3f59f458d

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

Page count

Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 51, Pages: 20

Bibliography

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_____. . 1999. . ‘Constructing a New Rights regime: Promises, Problems and Prospects’. . Social and Legal Studies . , Vol. 8((2)): 253––276. .
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Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Ake C. . 1987. . ‘The African Context of Human Rights’. . Africa Today . , Vol. 34:: 1––2. . 5––12. .

[2] An‐Na'im A. . 1999a. . “‘Introduction’. ”. In Universal Rights, Local Remedies: Implementing Human Rights in the Legal Systems of Africa . , Edited by: An‐Na'im A. . p. 1––21. . London : : Interights. .

[3] _____. . 1999b. . “‘Possibilities and Constraints of the Legal Protection of Human Rights under the Constitutions of African Countries’. ”. In Universal Rights, Local Remedies: Implementing Human Rights in the Legal Systems of Africa . , Edited by: An‐Na'im A. . p. 22––24. . London : : Interights. .

[4] Assiter A. . 1999. . “‘Citizenship Revisited’. ”. In Women, Citizenship and Difference . , Edited by: Pettman J. . London : : Zed Books. .

[5] Bebbington A. . 1999. . ‘Capitals and Capabilities: A Framework for Analyzing Peasant Viability, Rural Livelihoods and Poverty’. . World Development . , Vol. 27((12)): 2021––2044. .

[6] Bobbio N. . 1996. . The Age of Rights . , Cambridge : : Polity Press. .

[7] Chambers R. . 1983. . Rural Development: Putting the last first . , Harlow : : Longman. .

[8] _____. . 1997. . Whose Reality Counts? Putting the first last . , London : : Intermediate Technology Publications. .

[9] _____. . 1989. . ‘Editorial Introduction: Vulnerability, coping and policy’. . IDS Bulletin . , Vol. 20((2)): 1––7. .

[10] Currill N. . 1997. . Repensando ro Publico a traves de la Sociedad . , Caracas : : CLAD. .

[11] Deacon B. . 1997. . Global Social Policy . , London : : Sage. .

[12] Department for International Development (DFID). . 2000. . Human Rights for Poor People, DFID Plans . , London : : DFID. .

[13] Dunne T and Wheeler N. . 1999. . “‘Introduction: human rights and the fifty years’ crisis’. ”. In Human Rights in Global Politics . , Edited by: Dunne T and Wheeler N. . p. 1––28. . Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .

[14] Evans T. . 1995. . ‘Hegemony, Domestic Politics and the Project of Universal Human Rights’. . Diplomacy and Statecraft . , Vol. 6((3)): 616––44. .

[15] _____. . 1997. . “‘Universal Human Rights: Imposing Values’. ”. In Globalization and the South . , Edited by: Thomas C and Wilkin P. . p. 90––105. . Basingstoke : : Macmillan Press. .

[16] Ferguson C. . 1999. . Global Social Policy Principles: Human Rights and Social Justice . , London : : DFID. .

[17] Fowler A. . 2000. . ‘NGDOs as a moment in history: beyond aid to social entrepreneurship or civic innovation?’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 21((4)): 637––654. .

[18] Furedi F. . 1997. . “‘The Moral Condemnation of the South’. ”. In Globalization and the South . , Edited by: Thomas C and Wilkin P. . p. 76––89. . Basingstoke : : Macmillan Press. .

[19] Gaventa J and Valderrama C. . June 21–4. 1999 . “‘Strengthening participation in local governance’. ”. In Participation, citizenship and local governance . , June 21–4. , Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. .

[20] Leftwich A. . 1994. . ‘Governance, the State and the Politics of Development’. . Development and Change . , Vol. 25:: 363––386. .

[21] Maluwa T. . 1997. . ‘Discourses on Democracy and Human Rights in Africa: Contextualising the Relevance of Human Rights to Developing Countries’. . African Journal of International and Comparative Law . , Vol. 9((1)): 55––71. .

[22] Mamdani M. . 1996. . Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism . , Oxford : : James Currey. .

[23] Marshall T. . 1964. . Class, Citizenship and Social Development . , Chicago : : University of Chicago Press. .

[24] Maxwell S. . September. 1999 . “‘What can we do with a rights‐based approach to development?’. ”. In ODI Briefing Paper . , September. , London : : ODI. .

[25] McIlwaine C. . 1998. . ‘Civil society and development geography’. . Progress in Human Geography . , Vol. 22((3)): 415––24. .

[26] Migdal J. . 1994. . “‘The state in society: an approach to struggles for domination’. ”. In State power and social forces: domination and transformation in the Third World . , Edited by: Migdal J, Kohli A and Shue V. . Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .

[27] Mohan G and Stokke K. . 2000. . ‘Participatory Development and Empowerment: The Dangers of Localism’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 21((2)): 247––268. .

[28] Mohanty C. . 1997. . “‘Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses’. ”. In The Women, Gender and Development Reader . , Edited by: Visvanathan N. . London : : Zed Books. .

[29] Moser C. . 1998. . ‘The Asset Vulnerability Framework: Reassessing Urban Poverty Reduction Strategies’. . World Development . , Vol. 26((1)): 1––19. .

[30] Murray R. . 2000. . The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and International Law . , Oxford : : Hart Publishing. .

[31] Nagengast C and Turner T. . 1997. . ‘Introduction: Universal Human Rights Versus Cultural Relativity’. . Journal of Anthropological Research . , Vol. 53:: 269––272. .

[32] Norton A. . 2000. . “‘Can there be a global standard for social policy? The “social policy principles” as a test case’. ”. In ODI Briefing Paper . , London : : ODI. .

[33] Penna D and Campbell P. . 1998. . ‘Human rights and culture: beyond universality and relativism’. . Third World Quarterly . , Vol. 19((1)): 7––27. .

[34] Pettman J. . 1999. . “‘Globalisation and the Gendered Politics of Citizenship’. ”. In Women, Citizenship and Difference . , Edited by: Yuval‐Davis N and Werbner P. . p. 207––220. . London : : Zed Books. .

[35] Potter R, Binns T, Elliott J and Smith D. . 1999. . Geographies of Development . , Harlow : : Longman. .

[36] Rhodes R. . 1997. . Understanding Governance: Policy networks, governance, reflexivity and accountability . , Buckingham : : Open University Press. .

[37] Sano H‐O. . 2000. . ‘Development and Human Rights: The Necessary, but Partial Integration of Human Rights and Development’. . Human Rights Quarterly . , Vol. 22:: 734––752. .

[38] Scoones I. . 1998. . ‘Sustainable Rural Livelihoods: a Framework for Analysis’ . , (Working Paper 72). Brighton : : Institute of Development Studies. .

[39] Sen A. . 1997. . ‘Editorial: Human capital and human capability’. . World Development . , Vol. 25((12)): 1959––1961. .

[40] Sengupta A. . 2000. . ‘Realizing the Right to Development’. . Development and Change . , Vol. 31:: 553––78. .

[41] Shivji I. . 1989. . The Concept of Human Rights in Africa . , Dakar : : Codesria. .

[42] _____. . 1999. . ‘Constructing a New Rights regime: Promises, Problems and Prospects’. . Social and Legal Studies . , Vol. 8((2)): 253––276. .

[43] Slater D. . 1993. . ‘The geopolitical imagination and the enframing of development theory’. . Transaction of the Institute of British Geographers . , Vol. 18:: 419––37. .

[44] Turner B. . 1993. . “‘Contemporary Problems in the Theory of Citizenship’. ”. In Citizenship and Social Theory . , Edited by: Turner B. . p. 1––18. . London : : Sage. .

[45] UNDP. . 2000. . The Human Development Report: Human rights and human development . , New York : : UNDP. .

[46] Von Lieres B. . 1999. . ‘New Perspectives on Citizenship in Africa’. . Journal of Modern African Studies . , Vol. 25((1)): 139––48. .

[47] Wanyeki L. . 1999. . “‘Strategic and Thematic Considerations: Proceedings of the Dakar Conference. ”. In Universal Rights, Local Remedies: Implementing Human Rights in the Legal Systems of Africa . , Edited by: An‐Na'im A. . p. 103––126. . London : : Interights. .

[48] World Bank. . 1990. . World Development Report: Poverty . , Oxford : : OUP. .

[49] _____. . 1997. . World Development Report: The state in a changing world . , Oxford : : Oxford University Press. .

[50] _____. . 2001. . World Development Report 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty . , Washington , DC : : World Bank. .

[51] World Development Movement. . 2001. . Stop the GATSastrophe .