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Fracture Points in Social Policies for Chronic Poverty Reduction

Author: K Bird and N Pratt
Date: 2004
Size: 49 pages (482 KB)

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Summary

Why are the needs of the chronically poor not being fully addressed? Why are they left off the policy agenda? This document by the Overseas Development Institute examines the fracture points in social policy formation and suggests why it is that policy responses are weak. It shows that the issues relevant to the chronically poor rarely get onto policy agendas and even when they do, failure to legitimise new policy commonly hampers implementation. Drawing on five cases in India and Uganda, the paper illustrates the political barriers undermining pro-poor policy innovation and implementation.

Addressing the problems faced by marginalized and chronically poor groups poses a complex challenge to all actors involved in the policy process. Fracture points are identifiable at different levels: technical, administrative, managerial and budgetary. The key constraints however lie in the political and social processes that often move these groups and their problems to the bottom of the policy priority list. Why does this happen?

Policy discourses tend to divide vulnerable and marginalized groups into deserving and undeserving: the latter are responsible for their own poverty and therefore should be left to deal with their problems on their own. The focal problems discussed in the paper (disability, mental illness, alcohol dependency, older people with no means of support and inheritance systems that privilege inheritance through the male line, and dispossess women as a result) are multi-dimensional and deeply embedded, both socially and culturally. This makes interventions complex, potentially expensive and also poses the extra challenge of facing opposition from elites or other members of society. This was the case in Uganda when attempts were made to change policies regarding women's land rights.

The problems faced by the most vulnerable members of society tend to be less visible. Other key points are:

• Marginalized groups have little capacity to articulate their concerns and organise themselves to pressure policy makers. Even when they do, the legitimacy of their concerns is questioned, making change more difficult.
• The current poverty discourse is dominated by economic stabilisation and growth related issues, which have sidelined chronic poverty concerns. But lifting the poorest out of poverty will take more than economic growth.
• Chronic poverty contributes to rises in inequality and disease; concerns over personal security and limited contribution to economic and social progress. This in turn hinders economic and social development.
• Ignoring chronic poverty might compromise attempts to reach the targets of the Millennium Development Goals.

Donors have a leading role to play if real changes are to occur. More specifically, donors should:

• Commit to long-term funding and to coherent policies across long periods of time in spite of changes in local governments and the strategic concerns of donor countries.
• Support the development of change-focused networks which will influence the belief systems of country-level policy makers and elites and provide usable evidence to help pro-poor social movements articulate their needs.
• Acknowledge their power to influence the policy and poverty discourse.
• Recognise the impact chronic poverty has on the chances of reaching the Millennium Development Goals.

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Source: Bird, K. and Pratt, N. et al., 2004, ‘Fracture Points in Social Policies for Chronic Poverty Reduction’, Chronic Poverty Research Centre Working Paper no. 47 / ODI Working Paper no. 242, Overseas Development Institute, London
Author: Overseas Development Institute (ODI), http://www.odi.org.uk/