Global Development 2.0: Can Philanthropists, the Public, and the Poor Make Poverty History?

The optimism of this book is welcome! Contributors persuasively argue the case for how new and radical opportunities for change and progress in the 21st century can tackle poverty effectively, without glossing over or ignoring the persistent - and in many cases multiplying - challenges which threaten these.

Matthew Bishop’s entertaining portrait of a White House summit (Chapter 2) captures the multitude and diversity of players in the contemporary world of development and poverty reduction, where heads of state and senior ministers can (intermittently at least) be witnessed partying with the ‘new philanthropists’ on the global stage. ‘Billionnaires, foundations, multinational companies, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, actors, rock stars, sports stars, eccentrics, preachers – all working, or trying to work, in partnership with the established governmental bodies that dominated aid and development for most of the post-World War II period’(p43).

In Chapter 3 Homi Kharas points out that, alongside Official Development Assistance (ODA) from traditional bilateral and multilateral donors which now tops $100 billion US annually, contributions from new players are significant and rising, with estimates for 2005 equalling or exceeding this (p59).

Of course aid is not just a matter of money - and the challenges facing the global community are daunting. High levels of poverty, inequality and insecurity, and the increasing impact of climate change and environmental degradation, population growth and conflicting agendas of emerging economies all need to be addressed. Whilst it is beyond the scope of the book to explore these causes and drivers of poverty,
Kharas’ contention that aid for ‘real development’ should be defined as that portion of ODA spent on country programmable aid to show how this has barely increased in real terms (not least as inflated figures for debt relief have artificially distorted the overall picture of aid giving), does not however acknowledge the link and need for greater integration between humanitarian response/emergency aid and development programming to improve development aid efficiency - for example in preparing for natural disaster. Nor does it acknowledge the positive impact domestic awareness-raising campaigns might have on changing policies and/or attitudes and beliefs which have contributed to causing poverty.

With celebrity and advocacy movements as one of the most visible distinguishing features of the ‘new philanthropy’, the book reviews this issue in some depth. As the line between entertainment and politics becomes increasingly blurred, many people share scepticism about the role of celebrities in cause-related advocacy and fundraising, where complex issues run the risk of being trivialized, and political action may be notable by its absence. The positive role well-briefed celebrities can and do play in getting and keeping issues on the political agenda can be hard to dispute however, with rock star Bono and the Jubilee 2000 debt relief campaign and Live 8 concerts in the run up to G-8 summit 2005 being notable examples.

Reading this book I was reminded of a response by African Initiatives to a comment in the Guardian newspaper ‘Ornamental mouthpieces’ (25 August 2007) criticizing charity fundraisers (and Oxfam in particular) for arguing that celebrities are one of the best methods for giving poor people a voice, when ‘part of being powerless is that people are always speaking on your behalf’ and how ‘millionaires against poverty’ are unaccountable and often represent the contradictions between poverty and its major causes of over consumption, economic inequality and climate change.

Whilst issues of accountability are central to the book (I found Jane Nelson’s article (p149-186) calling for an ethos and practice of ‘mutual accountability’ illuminating), and many examples of philanthropy from the developing world are included, it is arguable to what extent the voices of poor people themselves are directly represented here.

With reference to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s insight that development concerns people’s freedom to be active agents of their own destiny, there may be other critics of references (most notably in the title) to ‘the poor’. In fact language and terms are used variably throughout the book but at the risk of pedantry and/or controversy it does seem worth pointing to implicit if subtle distinctions. Referring to ‘poor people’ or ‘poor men, women and children’, at least semantically invests individuals who are suffering from poverty with the power and agency the book is otherwise attesting to and crediting. Conversely referring to ‘the poor’ tends to imply a homogeneous and passive group of people and conceals the diversity of different individuals, groups and communities with different and often conflicting needs and interests. People suffering from poverty are acknowledged less as individuals and heaped in a category they might find hard to deny but resist to identify with.

If we want to use the language of empowerment in development discourse - and recognise that language itself can be a tool for awareness raising - examining vocabulary as a tool of the trade seems fundamental.

Semantics aside, I found it inspiring to learn more about how the ‘new philanthropists’ are embracing market–oriented approaches as an integral element in creating lasting social change. Whilst not everyone might agree that ‘income is development’ (p122), it is difficult to argue that social and economic progress are not inextricably intertwined and as Dees (pp120-134) argues, new private actors have the potential to play a significant role in creating more sustainable income-earning opportunities for poor people worldwide.

Overall, I came away from the book exhilarated and exhausted by the wealth of new buzz-words and jargon in this new global giving order: Celanthropists, venture philanthropists, strategic levers and innovation platforms, innovative financing mechanisms and network enablers, enabling technologies, incentive alignment, common evaluation metrics and flexible geometry to name just a few. Phew!

What is clear is that if the many-heralded opportunities in the ‘new reality of aid’ are to be effectively exploited to make a long-term commitment to sustainable development and poverty reduction, strategies for increased collaboration, coordination and consensus building need to be extended and developed. If all players, old and new, are united and coordinated in their efforts, align their aid and development strategies with poverty reduction strategies at a national level and with accountability mechanisms in place, and continue to innovate in their methods and approaches - poverty can and should become a thing of the past.

In the current economic climate with finite and potentially dwindling resources for aid and development the importance of adopting a coordinated approach cannot be overstated. It is also pertinent to ask – as this book was doing as it went to press – what role the new US President will be able and willing to play in championing new models of development assistance. Credit crisis notwithstanding it is clearly a pivotal moment. Obama’s historic election combined with his undisputed rock-star appeal can and should lend unparalleled advantage in the global bid to Make Poverty History. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking an overview of the contemporary donor landscape and concerned with how the fight against global poverty by all development players can be strengthened.