Socialism and African Development

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Socialism and African Development

• PIA 2574

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Socialism in Africa

• At Issue new look at development strategy
• the role that ideology has played in effecting
  performance of state
• (self-ascribed ideology)

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The Socialist Framework

• .Dependency as an alternative form of analysis to
  Modernization
• Influence of socialist ideas since 1965
• in Africa

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Tanzanias Ujamaa Policy

• President Julius Nyerere
• Arusha Declaration 1967 Socialist Declaration-
  Control Commanding Heights
• Collectivism and Self-Reliance
• An approach to agricultural class formation

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The 1960s-Voluntary Collective Farms

• Goal create villages from small family
  households
• Self-sustaining economic units of 20-30 families
• Primary target- the subsistence farmer
• 1968- official policy but voluntary

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1970s

• Goal Prevention of a rural proletariat
• 1970- Few villages established
• Government Spending only on ujamaa villages
• Popular Response- poorest areas of the country
  marginal farming/pastoral areas

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After 1973

• Targets the wealthier areas and the rich farmers
• Kulaks

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1975

• Forced Collectivization and Collapse of Policy

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Problems with Ujamaa

• Tanzaphilia- Socialism and the Field
  Administrator
• Shift from voluntary to compulsory Burning
  Houses
• Shift from goal of local level decision-making
  and village autonomy to centralized
  decision-making and standardized policies

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Problems

• Collectivization Forced, use of state violence
• Villages became very large 300-500 people or
  more
• Target Universal villagization by the end of
  1976
• Resistance from Wealthy Farmers

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Government Reaction

• Withdrawal
• Drought, Agricultural Mismanagement
• Agricultural Collapse
• 1983- Tanzania Moves Towards Policy Reform

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Regime Types in Africa (Crawford Young)

• 1. African (Socialist) and mixed Economy
  regimes pragmatism or African capitalism (Kenya
  and Senegal in 1960s)
• 2. Socialist- Populist (Tanzania, Zambia,
  Mozambique in 1970s)

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African Regimes

• 3. Afro-Marxist or Leninist Vanguard regimes
  (Angola, Benine1980s)
• 4. Marxist-Leninist- (Ethiopia under Dergue)
• 5.Post-Structural Adjustment Regimes Mozambique,
  Uganda and Ghana (1990s)

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Attractiveness of an ideology

• Impact of Policy on development in the 1980s
• Will effect rule making and resource allocation
• Ideology does make a difference

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Attractiveness of an ideology

• There is a measure of internal slack or
  decision-making authority
• A choice that can be made (in terms of
  dependency) that can be made internally
• Thus Socialist Policies can be tested

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Evaluation criteria-

• Five measures re. Socialism (1965-1985)

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Growth

• 1. Growth is still important- though downplays
  mineral induced growth and tourism
• 2. Focus is on peasant based subsistence
  agriculture rather than export commercial
  agriculture

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Result

• Import Substitution, inflation and decline of
  food production

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Equity or distribution Effects

1. Effect of taxation- especially indirect tax
   mechanisms (extractive)
2. Pricing policies deflate income for agricultural
   commodities
3. Relocation of rural resources to urban areas
4. Wage control policies (no strike clauses)

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Autonomy and self-reliance-

• Delinkage from the international economy
  (Autarky)
• Increased debt burden, continued use of
  expatriate personnel as planners (often
  sympathetic)
• Exploitation of natural resources and foreign
  exchange outflow

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Exploitation of Human Rights

• Goal- human dignity
• Reality of repression- movement of peoples
• Economic and political refugees
• Increased size of security forces

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Development capacity Goals and Results

1. Ability to plan and manage state resources and
   stimulate economic behavior change
2. Expansion of the social capacity of the state
3. The African disaster- Tyrants, corruption and
   Skimmed public resources

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Socialism

• Why has it Failed?

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Discussion

• What have you been reading lately?
• What should others read?