AN EXERCISE IN WORLDMAKING 2009 - ISS

80 SABRINA BRANDT
Trade liberalisation is referred to once, as leading to expanding exports
(GoR op. cit.: 63) rather than imports (this may relate to liberalisation
in the Southern Consensus, see Gore op. cit.: 797). Inflation is referred
to as a problem for the future, but instead of defining a percentage
goal of inflation, the report mentions that ‘double digit inflation
will return to single digits in the coming years’ (ibid.: 129) by improving
monetary policy but also by removing the bottlenecks for economic
growth, which can be seen as a more alternative explanation. Further
comments on monetary and fiscal policy are seemingly limited. The report
does mention that the local fiscal capacities remain weak due to a
lack of skills, so human resource development must take place before
decentralisation in that aspect can continue (ibid.: 36) – an explanation
that again can be rooted in the Southern consensus.
Decentralisation is a dominant theme throughout the document,
which could be related to Rwanda’s limited accomplishments in decentralisation
in the past. Overall, the importance of macroeconomic stability
is much emphasised.
The Southern Experience
What is interesting to mention here is that the main aim of the Rwandan
government is a social transformation into a knowledge-based, technology-driven
middle-income country by 2020 (GoR 2000, GoR 2007). As
Sumner points out, this is the ‘point of arrival’ for the Latent South Consensus
as well (op. cit.: 1405; see also Gore 2000: 796). It implies a long
term development strategy, which is also a Southern approach to development.
Especially one of the three flagship programmes of the EDPRSP –
Sustainable Growth for Jobs and Exports – reflects some of Gore’s notions
on development policy. First it is important to point out that the
paradigm shift Gore refers to will mean a more analytical approach to
development. In Rwanda’s EDPRSP this can be found in their growth
diagnostic (GoR 2007: 49), which ranks the bottlenecks for growth. Interestingly,
macroeconomic risks are given low priority whereas low human
capital and skills and weak infrastructure are given a high priority.
These are thus priorities in the flagship programme:
[T]he right policies for growth should revolve around fostering human
capital, business skills development and upgrading the infrastructure.
(ibid.: 49).