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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 POWERSuch a rights-based approach anchors the debate about equity andjustice in principles endorsed by the international community andcodified in international law. In an era when nations are subject <strong>to</strong> amultiplicity of forces affecting the state’s capacity <strong>to</strong> address the needsof its citizens, the human rights framework helps governments andcitizens <strong>to</strong> pursue justice. 14 A rights-based approach compels <strong>Oxfam</strong>and other rights-based agencies <strong>to</strong> ‘raise the bar’ on their ownaccountability, lest they unwittingly perpetuate outmoded notions ofcharity, overlook discrimination and exclusion, and reinforce existingimbalances of power.RIGHTS AND POWERPeople’s capacity <strong>to</strong> realise their rights, and states’ capacity <strong>to</strong> fulfilthem, are of course dependent on their relative power. Inequality inpower drives the mo<strong>to</strong>r of social and economic inequality in the livesof poor and rich alike. <strong>Power</strong> resembles a force field that permeateshouseholds, communities, and society at large, shaping both the interactionsand innermost thoughts of individuals and groups. And like aforce field, it is often only detectable through its impact on events.Development policies and practitioners sometimes act as if powerdid not exist. When aid donor and recipient nations agreed the ParisDeclaration on Aid Effectiveness in 2005, they used the words ‘partner’and ‘partnership’ 96 times, but ‘power’ not once, ignoring the deeplyunequal power relationships between rich and poor countries. 15Understanding power and how it shapes the lives and struggles ofboth powerful and powerless people is essential in the effort <strong>to</strong> buildthe combination of active citizenship and effective states that lies atthe heart of development.<strong>Power</strong> is often unders<strong>to</strong>od merely in terms of one person’s ability<strong>to</strong> achieve a desired end, with or without the consent of others, but itcomes in at least four different forms:• <strong>Power</strong> over: the power of the strong over the weak.This power is often hidden – for example, what elites manage<strong>to</strong> keep off the table of political debate.• <strong>Power</strong> <strong>to</strong>: meaning the capability <strong>to</strong> decide actions and carrythem out.28

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