Proposal on “Governance in Economic Development: Law, Politics, and the Role of the
State” submitted to the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE)
Abstract
Around the developing world, the activist, interventionist state is making a comeback. From
China to Venezuela, Russia to India, Brazil to South Africa, one sees open discussion of state
activities in economic governance going far beyond what have been considered normal and
appropriate in recent years. The goal of this project is to study this return to the state by
developing countries, to examine where and why it is occurring, and to compare the specific
forms it takes in different national contexts. Particular attention will be paid to the role of law
and legal institutions as the concrete mechanisms through which the changing role of the state can
be chronicled. It is clear that at a very general level this is related to the waning influence of the
“Washington Consensus,” but a proper understanding of the changes actually taking place
demands much more focused study and analysis.
A basic starting point for this project is that the era of the Washington Consensus is over, and that
the state is making a comeback in developing countries around the world. It is crucial to
understand how stronger, more interventionist states will interact with today’s highly globalized
international economy. The objective is to identify and study ways in which the role of the state
is being reinterpreted and renegotiated, in response to globalization, but also in ways that will
affect the future path of globalization.
The general theme unifying various lines of research is the changing role of the state in governing
development, with development defined broadly as including both economic growth and social
development. We will explore this theme across the separate lines of research by undertaking
comparative studies along dimensions such as: the relationship between the state and the private
sector; the relationship with the international economy; the extent of democracy and protection of
political and civil rights; and the extent of state intervention for social protection and the role of
social and economic rights. Applying these dimensions across the various lines of research will
produce a rich body of material for comparative historical analysis in the following countries:
Brazil, India, China and South Africa.
One sentence description of the project:
The project will analyze issues of governance in economic development in China, India, Brazil
and South Africa with particular reference to the changing role of law, politics, and the state in
these countries, and how these forces interact at the international level within a globalized
economy.