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From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

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FROM POVERTY TO POWERThis book explores these and other efforts <strong>to</strong> grapple with inequalityand poverty in three key areas: politics, markets, and vulnerability.In each case it finds that development, and in particular efforts <strong>to</strong>tackle inequality, is best achieved through a combination of activecitizens and effective states.By active citizenship, we mean that combination of rights andobligations that link individuals <strong>to</strong> the state, including paying taxes,obeying laws, and exercising the full range of political, civil, and socialrights. Active citizens use these rights <strong>to</strong> improve the quality of politicalor civic life, through involvement in the formal economy or formalpolitics, or through the sort of collective action that his<strong>to</strong>rically hasallowed poor and excluded groups <strong>to</strong> make their voices heard. For thosewho do not enjoy full rights of citizenship, such as migrants or (in somecultures) women, the first step is often <strong>to</strong> organise <strong>to</strong> assert those rights.By effective states, we mean states that can guarantee security andthe rule of law, and can design and implement an effective strategy <strong>to</strong>ensure inclusive economic growth. Effective states, often known as‘developmental states’, must be accountable <strong>to</strong> citizens and able <strong>to</strong>guarantee their rights.Why focus on effective states? Because his<strong>to</strong>ry shows that nocountry has prospered without a state than can actively manage thedevelopment process. The extraordinary transformations of countriessuch as South Korea, Taiwan, Botswana, or Mauritius have been led bystates that ensure health and education for all, and which activelypromote and manage the process of economic growth. After 20 yearsof erosion by deregulation, ‘structural adjustment programmes’, andinternational trade and aid agreements, many states are weak orabsent. But there are no shortcuts, and neither aid nor NGOs can takeits place; the road <strong>to</strong> development lies through the state.Why active citizenship? Because people working <strong>to</strong>gether <strong>to</strong>determine the course of their own lives, fighting for rights and justicein their own societies, are critical in holding states, private companies,and others <strong>to</strong> account. Active citizenship has inherent merits: peopleliving in poverty must have a voice in deciding their own destiny,rather than be treated as passive recipients of welfare or governmentaction. What is more, the system – governments, judiciaries, parliaments,andcompanies – cannot tackle poverty and inequality by treating12

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