William Ascher

Claremont McKenna College | CMC · Government and Economics

The continuity of Harold D. Lasswell’s legacy as a champion of democratic policysciences is demonstrated.

The degree to which internal migration is peaceful, successfully achieving various development and security goals, or is conflictual, mired in poverty and violence, depends a great deal on the host community.

This chapter seeks to identify how state actions may account for the problems of internal migration. As this book emphasizes, the presence of the state, of which migrants and host communities are citizens, largely sets internal migration apart from international migration. Whether population flows are state-initiated, state-managed, or unmanaged, t...

A core message of this book is that the state is the essential actor in understanding internal migration, but not that its role is uniformly negative. Although many state actions covered thus far have provoked conflict, well-governed internal migration can benefit migrants, host communities, and their countries more broadly.

Most internal migration is not through state-sponsored resettlement programs. State-sponsored migration is more common than we tend to think, and many unsponsored migrants may trail along with sponsored communities. Most people, however, move for reasons not driven by the state, sometimes doing so against state preferences.

For fifty years, the Brazilian Amazon has experienced extensive deforestation, stripping away one of the world’s largest rainforests and accelerating global warming.

Drawing from examples from a wide variety of countries, this book has made a case for greater attention to internal migration as a subject of advocacy, policy, and research. This echoes what the IOM repeatedly calls for as its first policy recommendation—the urgent need to “take into account internal migration in developing planning and sectoral an...

Before moving into this book’s core issues surrounding the actors, challenges, and best practices of internal migration, we provide a brief conceptual discussion. Internal migration is an expansive, deceptively tricky research and policy topic.

The international community can make significant contributions to enhancing the positive impacts of internal migrations within developing countries. Several multilateral organizations, most prominently the ILO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and World Bank have recognized that voluntary migration can enhance productivity.

Given the multiple reasons for states to promote migration, and different circumstances in which migrations occur, many forms of migration exist as the result of state actions. This variation makes it extremely difficult to generalize about the profiles of people who migrate because of state decisions to facilitate, instigate, formally sponsor, or...

It is well understood that “internal migration can play an important role in poverty reduction and economic development” (Deshingkar and Grimm in Internal Migration and Development: A Global Perspective, International Organization for Migration, New York, 2005, 5). However, sociopolitical dynamics often impart serious deprivations on both migrants...

With the state’s dominance in managing internal migration comes the problems, and even vulnerability, of being in charge. In contrast to the generally unsympathetic critiques of the state’s actions concerning internal migration, our analysis of the state’s roles and motivations recognizes that officials face enormous uncertainty and dilemmas.

A crucial insight into state behavior is officials’ preoccupation with their accountability. Understanding the dynamics of accountability is important for knowing why state actors often fail to adopt the most effective governance of migration and engage in misleading rhetoric that makes it difficult to assess migratory outcomes.

In 2000, the northern Indian state of Assam saw waves of violence as native militias attacked migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The attacks killed hundreds and displaced thousands. This is hardly a new problem in the region; in the 1980s, native militias killed four thousand people and displaced 250,000.

Although it is commonplace to speak of “the state” as if it were a monolithic entity, many levels of state exist in any country, not to speak of the myriad ministries, agencies, commissions, and the like that exist across governmental levels. The “state” at subnational levels has grown in power and relevance throughout the developing world through...

In Chapter 12, we noted that one important state failure in governing internal migration occurs when authorities refuse to accept help. States may jealously guard their roles, not wanting to face criticism or appear weak. As a result, IDPs and other vulnerable migrants do not obtain needed assistance because of what amounts to pride or the demand f...

As noted in Chapter 6, state-managed and initiated migrants are typically more voluntary than is often understood, with migrants joining state programs in the pursuit of better lives. Chapter 7 focused on unsponsored economic migrants, those seeking land, jobs, and money largely outside of state programs.

Following the ouster of long-time President Suharto in 1998, Indonesia was in turmoil.

The many varieties of ambiguity shape the prospects in lower-income countries to establish viable poverty-alleviation programs, appropriately target the poor, and reduce deprivations of families applying for or participating in such programs. Ambiguity can be both a problem and an asset, potentially serving pro-poor purposes but often manipulable t...

Poverty-alleviation initiatives in lower-income countries are challenged by intelligence deficits that cause suboptimal designs that threaten their effectiveness, targeting, and sustainability. The uncertainty of theory and information, the adverse consequences of conventional family-level “means testing,” and unpredictable future events and condit...

Given the still-growing use of coal and natural gas in generating electricity in many developing countries, it is necessary to put far more effort into promoting responsible large-scale hydropower projects. In contrast to hydro, solar and wind power face physical constraints that greatly limit their potential to replace fossil-fuel sources of power...

In order to design, enact, and protect poverty alleviation policies in developing countries, we must first understand the psychology of how the poor react to their plight, and not just the psychology of the privileged called upon for sacrifice. This book integrates social and psycho-dynamic psychology, economics, policy design, and policy-process t...

The conceptual boundaries of international mediation are defined, and the variety of available techniques is summarized. Philosophical premises are discussed, and the issue of appropriate technology is raised. Q methodology is then introduced as a method for exploring the structure of parties' perspectives, and an example of its potential applicabi...

Several strategies ought to be considered to reduce the disillusionment and potentially paralyzing impact of the current political climate and anti-environmental stance of the US administration, which risk diminishing both environmental activism and the attractiveness of environmental studies courses. Examples demonstrate the potentials for refocus...

Harold D. Lasswell (1902–1978) made groundbreaking contributions to political science, public policy analysis, political psychology, jurisprudence, and futures studies, based on his advances in the theory and methods of communications. The intertwined aspects of Lasswell's normative commitment, research approaches, and theories demonstrate his cont...

The Securitization of Foreign Aid. Edited by Brown Stephen and Grävingholt Jörn . New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. 267p. $109.00. - Volume 14 Issue 3 - William Ascher

Government actions to stimulate the production of particular goods and services in specific sectors (industry, agriculture, social services, infrastructure, etc.) have had major impacts on which groups are favored or disadvantaged, placated or threatened, as well as on general societal stability. Sectoral policies, that is, the policies that favor...

Restructuring economic institutions spans a broad range of reforms, with myriad combinations favoring or disfavoring various groups, triggering divergent views of its fairness. Each variation may also give the impression that the government is favoring particular groups, and induce people to view themselves or others as unified entities because of...

During recent decades, social policies in the developing world have undergone significant changes. Education and health care promotion and reforms, expansion of social protection and other social-service investments have taken prominent place on the agendas of domestic policymakers and international development agencies—all becoming important areas...

To do a more comprehensive job of identifying the pathways connecting economic development to inter-group relations, it is helpful to view them according to the functions of the policy process and their immediate and long-term impact on groups’ economic roles, their resources and relative power, and their perceptions of threats and opportunities.

As seen in chapter 9, the roles of the armed forces within developing countries are often heavily influenced by their interactions with governments and with the armed forces of other countries. Chapters 7 and 8 demonstrate that these relationships are even more complicated when foreign assistance is entwined with security initiatives. This chapter...

This chapter traces out how foreign assistance has been conceived and rethought throughout the post-WWII period. Whether in the hands of the US government, the Soviet Union, Western European nations, the East Asian Tigers, or international organizations, foreign assistance has served—but also disserved—both donors and recipients.

This chapter focuses on overt, explicit policy initiatives to redistribute income and wealth. To be sure, almost all economic policies have some redistributive impacts. In the short run, at least, both regulation and spending policies have winners and losers: regulations limit the behavior of some at the expense of others; budget allocations requir...

Can economic development initiatives promote and preserve peace within nations? The pessimists say no—development inevitably benefits some more than others, leading to resentment and perceptions of exploitation. Historically, development has been accompanied by violence among various groups with different collective identities (class, ethnicity, re...

Economic development strategies often have a very important spatial dimension. Many strategies target a particular region within the country, to develop the economy of that region, to move people from other regions to the target region, or both. This chapter focuses on the potential consequences of explicit, large-scale efforts to develop the econo...

The “three key tools” of macroeconomic policy are fiscal policy (revenue generation and spending), monetary policy, and exchange rate policy (Bird 2001, 37)1. The money supply and the volume of government spending together are the major instruments that governments use to manipulate the degree of overall economic activity; the volume of sustainable...

We have seen that some aspects of the evolution of development thinking and practice have been quite positive. First, the development agenda has been greatly expanded, bringing development efforts more broadly in line with the full pursuit of human dignity by going beyond economic growth to include equitable distribution, responsive governance, env...

Economic thinking and practice in developing countries have gone through striking changes in theories, doctrines, and practices over the post-WWII period. Yet many of the same issues and obstacles remain. To begin to assess this evolution, this chapter explores the linkages between theories and doctrines. These doctrines are only partially shaped b...

Expanding on the governance focus on the emergence of civil society institutions, this chapter examines the evolution of the theories and doctrines that have guided NGOs operating in developing countries and how, in light of this evolution, NGO practices have themselves evolved. The roles and influences of NGOs have increased considerably since the...

The feasibility of applying abstract theories and doctrines of governance and administration to the complex realities, limited resources, and political polarization of many developing countries has generated various approaches and strategies that are frequently at variance with the classic conceptions and aspirations of the theories. Democratic rhe...

Military roles in developing countries are numerous, complex, and highly variable— both in specific details and how these details change through time. Any overall survey of these matters is a challenge. Fitting the military as a distinct institutional entity into our organizing framework of theory, doctrine, and practice proves helpful.

Access to natural resources1 is often perceived among the major security risks of the twenty-first century. Although conventional wisdom suggests that natural resources should sustain broad-based development, there is a large body of academic literature that states otherwise. Using econometric specifications and selected case studies, some scholars...

Since the 1990s, decentralization has been one of the most prominent development strategies all over the world. Therefore, this chapter deals with the potential and observed outcomes of the various forms of decentralization strategy with particular emphasis on its impact on inter-group violence. We start with identifying the main forms and characte...

Any policy analyst or policymaker dedicated to conflict-sensitive development would have to consider the psychology of reactions to development policies. This chapter examines how psychological mechanisms can help to explain levels of inter-group conflict, and how to apply these insights in designing conflict-sensitive development strategies. The m...

We have seen that economic policy doctrines often do not correspond with the latest theories of development economics. Yet, to an even greater extent, economic policy practice has departed from theories and doctrines. Examining how and why these departures have occurred will build our understanding of the challenges that policymakers continue to fa...

This chapter examines the evolution of theories and doctrines of governance and development administration, especially over the post-WWII period. Because sound governance is the bedrock of responsive and effective policy, no other aspect of development, whether economic, political, or social, can escape the ravages of poor governance. As mentioned...

This chapter recounts the changing institutional and political context of US foreign assistance. This evolution is unique, not only in its dominance over the past 70 years but also in its major role in the global development assistance effort. The search for a stable US foreign assistance institutional structure has largely been accomplished, but t...

High human mobility is a major feature of twenty-first century development. Every year, millions of people leave their homes, whether voluntarily or under-duress. Some resettlements place people in economically or environmentally superior locations. However, in 2014, about 60 million people were forcibly displaced due to conflict, generalized viole...

Although many scholars and practitioners recognize that development and conflict are intertwined, there is much less understanding of the mechanisms behind these linkages. This book takes a new approach by critically examining how various development strategies provoke or help prevent intrastate violence, based on cases from all developing regions.

This landmark book offers a comprehensive analysis of how development approaches have evolved since World War II, examining and also evaluating the succession of theories, doctrines, and practices that have been formulated and applied in the Third World and beyond. Covering all developing regions, the book offers an integrated approach for consider...

Linkages between government development strategies and inter-group violence, with cases from all developing and transitional regions, covering all major categories of development approaches and impacts on identities. Understood through a framework capturing predispositions opportunity, incitement, and deterrence.

Although much effort has been directed toward overcoming obstacles to the constructive use of coastal conservation information in knowledge creation and dissemination, little attention has been paid to tackling such difficulties in the information-seeking process. We propose that strategies to improve stakeholder information seeking can lead to sig...

For many people outside of Africa, the continent conjures up images of perpetual violence seemingly revolving around ethnic or religious identity. Atrocities in Darfur, genocide in Rwanda, clan warfare in Somalia, and long history of the Tuareg rebellions in Mali support habitual understandings of Africa as the “dark continent.” Two decades ago, Af...

This volume presents a comparative analysis of interactions among development strategies, development patterns, and conflict in four countries in North Africa and in seven Sub-Saharan countries. Countries selected for review are quite different in the size of their economies and composition of their population, resource endowments and development t...

The cradle of world’s oldest civilizations and major religions, Asia has seen and is still experiencing all variations and consequences of armed violence2—from the devastation of international and civil wars, to brutal repressions by militarized regimes; from long-lasting insurgencies and separatist struggles, to explosions of religious and communa...

Since independence, Asia has grown more than twice as fast as the rest of the world, with stunning changes in economic approaches and structures in most countries. The transitions included experimentation with several economic doctrines and many development strategies. In the 1950s and 1960s, structural transition away from agriculture was pursued...

The motivation behind this effort is to sensitize policymakers, activists, and development practitioners to the challenges of conflict-sensitive development in Asia. An epicenter of new economic growth and the current destination of “shifting wealth,” Asia faces major challenges associated with such rapid socioeconomic transformation: demographic s...

Prior to the Nixon administration, environmental policy in the United States was rudimentary at best. Since then, it has evolved into one of the primary concerns of governmental policy from the federal to the local level. As scientific expertise on the environment rapidly developed, Americans became more aware of the growing environmental crisis th...

Indonesia has been moderately endowed with natural resources, most notably hydrocarbons, hard minerals and forests. The export revenues have sometimes been channelled constructively into sound development projects and social programmes, though with serious problems arising on occasion. This chapter assesses the chequered experience with hydrocarbon...

Latin America is a region with a long history of intergroup violence. Consistent with Tolstoy’s famous observation that “every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” Latin America stands out in several ways. No other world region has thus far seen such a variety of forms of violence. Through most of the twentieth century, the continent was plag...

Science in Environmental Policy: The Politics of Objective Advice. By KellerAnn Campbell. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2009. 304p. $52.00 cloth, $26.00 paper. - Volume 9 Issue 1 - William Ascher

Both cultural persistence and change reflect, in part, the broad forces of globalization. For example, consider the decline of handwoven rugs upon the introduction of mechanical looms or the rise of Navajo arti-sanship through new markets in Europe and Asia. We need only remember that the enormous market for Corinth’s striking black-figure pottery...

How do globalization and development strengthen—or threaten—the prospects of cultural persistence and vitality? Under what circumstances do these forces erode the cultural foundations that provide people with the sense of belonging and distinctiveness that protects their pride, self-worth, and general coping skills? Under what circumstances can dev...

Developing and maintaining adequate physical infrastructure poses perhaps the greatest challenge for overcoming the widespread problem of shortsighted decisions. Highways, seaports, airports, and other physical infrastructure projects may require a decade or more to construct, and the resources required to maintain these structures often must be se...

As argued in the introductory chapter of this volume, there is a compelling economic growth argument for much greater investment in physical infrastructure in virtually all developing countries and in many developed countries. Yet asserting a need to expand physical infrastructure does not directly engage the issues of poverty alleviation and equit...

The extent and quality of physical infrastructure are among the most crucial characteristics defining development. Any traveler from the First World to the Third World will be struck by the sheer difficulty of getting around, the economic opportunities lost for lack of transport or reliable energy, the flooding during heavy rains, or the stench of...

The article analyses the relationship between governments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the oil and minerals sectors. The case is made that SOEs in these sectors have distinct peculiarities of behaviour, and are beset with specific difficulties in addition to typical problems common to SOEs in all sectors. The reasons for the uniqueness of...

The author has identified a number of structural policy issues which adversely affect public sector enterprises involved in natural resource extraction. It is held that the various interactions between government policy and public management have created severe cross currents which impede the efficient and cost-efficient operation of these entities...

Humans are plagued by shortsighted thinking, preferring to put off work on complex, deep-seated, or difficult problems in favor of quick-fix solutions to immediate needs. When short-term thinking is applied to economic development, especially in fragile nations, the results—corruption, waste, and faulty planning—are often disastrous. In Bringin...

The policy sciences, in offering the most comprehensive approach to policy analysis and the sociopolitical processes that shape policy outcomes, is particularly appropriate for guiding the analysis required to promote sustainability. This article presents the main components of the policy sciences framework and demonstrates its potency in the cruci...

Given progress in policies for pursuing sustainable development, promoting commitment to thinking and acting more far-sightedly has become the primary strategic challenge. In the face of impatience, selfishness, uncertainty, analytical limitations, and vulnerability, strategies for promoting far-sightedness can be identified by assessing how these...

Expert valuation, a process used to determine how much stakeholders value eco-system aspects, places experts as intermediaries for public-preference input into the environmental policy process. While the rise and refinement of expert valuation might capture ecosystem values more comprehensively, two dilemmas are also worth of consideration: (1) wil...

The thesis of this article is that multilevel interventions based on ecological models and targeting individuals, social environments, physical environments, and policies must be implemented to achieve population change in physical activity. A model is proposed that identifies potential environmental and policy influences on four domains of active...

has always been a central consideration of urban planning. The premise of municipal (upheld by the US Supreme Court under Village of

Science can reinforce the healthy aspects of the politics of the policy process, to identify and further the public interest by discrediting policy options serving only special interests and helping to select among "science-confident" and "hedging" options. To do so, scientists must learn how to manage and communicate the degree of uncertainty in s...

Contrary to apparent differences in timing and style between Harold D. Lasswell's political psychology and the policy sciences approach that he pioneered, the continuity and compatibility between the two are very high. The appropriateness of Lasswell's political psychology framework for addressing the intellectual tasks of the policy sciences is de...

Around the camp¢res of policy scientists, the Brewer-Kakalik research on handicapped children’s services is considered a tour de force of problem-de¢nition breakthrough, achieved through disciplined application of a comprehensive policy sciences framework. A remarkable series of research and prototyping initiatives came out of the Rand Corporation’...

To cope with the daunting challenges posed by system complexity while maximizing their organizational interests, resource management institutions must implement strategies aimed at reducing some of the particular dimensions of complexity. Virtually all of the recent initiatives to improve resource management—ecosystem management, adaptive managemen...

Although ignorance and corruption play some role in the waste of natural resources, the principal cause often lies elsewhere.

In addition to invited presentations and their discussions, the Workshop conducted sessions of four working groups, each with wide diversity of stakeholders’ perspectives. The common task of all working groups was to provide a brief assessment of most serious conflict-prone environmental problems in the Caspian, identify their root causes, determin...

The surprisingly broad role of technical expertise in international environmental negotiation arises from the wide array of negotiation strategies that depend on expert analysis for their design and interpretation. These approaches include mechanisms for assessing and coping with risk and uncertainty, tactics to increase credibility and confidence,...

This volume is based on the presentations and deliberations of an Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) "Caspian Sea: A Quest for Environmental Security" that was held on March 15-19, 1999, in Venice (Italy). The Workshop was sponsored by the NATO's Division for Scientific and Environmental Affairs, with additional support provided by the Trust for Mutu...

Ecological sciences and the policy sciences have essential commonalities that open crucial opportunities for collaboration. Ecology represents the best of inter-disciplinary natural-science systems theory. The policy sciences merge understanding of the policy process with a framework for discovering how to maximize values. As Garry Brewer (1998) ha...