ABSTRACT
In the preface, we discussed the problems with the implicit foundations of the predominant approaches to LA development. Building upon the oldest story in the world, that of conspiratorial fate, the Left focuses on emotion-based critique, pointing out that misery must have some blame. As we have seen, the problem with this approach is not only is it non-productive, but it also glosses over many of the complications inherent in the LA landscape. For example, as I have pointed out elsewhere (Hira 1998), a class – and/or imperialist-based analysis not only begs the question of the haphazard nature of rebellion (leading to bringing in exogenous variables such as control through ideology), but also misses the multi-faceted aspects of individual and group identity, such as religion, race, gender, ethnicity and geography as well as the wide variety of possible reaction-interactions over time and space. On the Right, the glib faith that the only thing that matters is individual maximization of economic goods also not only misses the rich social context of development, but the fact that other goals such as domestic equity and a sense of place may also affect behavior. This leaves us with the last predominant approach of the literature, namely that of policy analysts. This group, including primarily economists in state institutions, multilateral development banks, and think tanks, is by far the most influential in setting policy, matching resources with supposed dominance by way of “scientific” expertise and privileged access to policymakers. This group creates barriers from conversing with others through its insistence that mathematically-based economic models are the only sensible way to discuss policy issues. The end result is incredibly sophisticated ways of reflecting the problems that exist, such as fiscal imbalances’ effects on growth, but no attempt to answer why or how such problems can be fixed, and certainly no sense of evaluating or assigning responsibility to agency, that is the decisions people choose to make.1
