Against the Odds: Politicians, Institutions, and the Struggle Against Poverty (Columbia/Hurst)

Andre Melo, Marcus,Ng'ethe, Njuguna,Manor, James

ISBN 10: 0231702485 / ISBN 13: 9780231702485

Published by Columbia University Press, 2012

About this Item

Good - Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name - GOOD Standard-sized.

Seller Inventory # M0231702485Z3

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Against the Odds: Politicians, Institutions, and the Struggle Against Poverty (Columbia/Hurst)
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0231702485
• ISBN 13: 9780231702485
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

Against the Odds is a Machiavellian study of the machinations of three senior politicians in quite different developing countries who adroitly played the tough political game in ways that reduced poverty.
The three--former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Chief Minister Digvijay Singh in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh--had scarcely heard of one another, and never communicated. And yet they used a broadly similar repertoire of political devices - persuasion, distractions, bargaining, stealth and pressure - to pursue broadly similar goals.
They demonstrated two crucial things: poverty reduction is politically feasible, even in the teeth of daunting economic and political constraints; and it is politically beneficial to those who achieve it, since it enhances their popularity, legitimacy and influence. If leaders in other developing countries who are naturally preoccupied with their own political interests recognise these things, then serious efforts to reduce poverty will become more common elsewhere.

Review

The key message of this uplifting and hugely important book is that 'politics matters; politicians matter'. The authors show that political entrepreneurship in the service of the poor is not only possible, but can be made to work, including for the politician. Institutions matter, and so do path dependencies, but not as much as we are often told. That's another message of this book and it's one that is written into the careers of its main protagonists, Yoweri Musaveni, Digvijay Singh and Fernando Henrique Cardoso. (Stuart Corbridge, Professor of Development Studies, London School of Economics)

This is a first-rate exploration of political strategies employed by "reform champions" in the introduction and implementation of policies to combat endemic poverty. It successfully combines analysis of institutions and the agency of reform leaders in finding room to manoeuvre in the promotion of policy change. (Merilee S. Grindle, Edward S. Mason Professor of International Development, Harvard University)

When we look back we need biographies as well as studies of institutions, politics and economies, but the literature on recent and ongoing development politics and economics typically ignores political leaders, unless to twist them into bogeymen of the liberal imagination, or ossify them as impossible heroes. This book does the rare and hugely needed job of highlighting the role and characters of three remarkable leaders in different continents. (Christopher Cramer, Professor of the Political Economy of Development, SOAS, and author of Civil War Is Not a Stupid Thing: Accounting for Violence in Developing Countries)

This book makes a strong argument for the potential power of politicians in developing countries to positively influence the poverty reduction agenda, in contrast to the often used "lack of political will" explanation for failures in the struggle against poverty. ... The analysis makes the important argument that pro-poor policies are not only politically feasible, but can also be advantageous for politicians. The authors' conclusion offers an insightful discussion on the conditions under which politicians might pursue poverty reduction agendas, and provide a useful unpacking of the construct of "political will". (Dr Bina Fernandez, University of Leeds)