THINKING POLITICALLLY ABOUT MeTA

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THINKING POLITICALLLY ABOUT MeTA

• DECISIONS, PROCESSES AND COLLECTIVE ACTION

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Confucius, The Analects (c.500 BC)

• Tzu-kung asked about government. The Master said,
  "The requisites of government are that there be
  sufficiency of food, sufficiency of military
  equipment, and the confidence of the people in
  their ruler." Tzu Kung said, "If it cannot be
  helped, and one of these must be dispensed with,
  which of the three should be foregone first?"
  "The military equipment," said the Master. Tzu
  Kung again asked, "If it cannot be helped and one
  of the remaining two must be dispensed with,
  which of them should be foregone?" The Master
  answered, "Part with the food. From of old, death
  has been the lot of humanity but if the people
  have no faith in their rulers, there is no
  standing for the state."

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Aristotle The Politics336 BC

• What is the best constitution and what it would
  be like if it could be constructed exactly as one
  would wish? And what constitution is suited to
  what people.. And from what is already there?
  Where should sovereign power of the state reside?
  With the people? With the propertied classes?
  With one man, the good? With one man, the
  tyrant?
• UNIVERSAL ISSUES ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

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ARGUMENT

• THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF MeTA WILL BE
  INSTITUTIONAL
• SHAPED BY POLITICAL PROCESSES
• WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEM
• WE NEED A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR GETTING AT
  THEM
• WHAT DO WE MEAN BY POLITICS?

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WHAT IS POLITICS?

• All the activities of conflict, negotiation and
  cooperation
• concerned with decisions about ownership, use,
  production and distribution of resources
• whether money, water, food or medicines.

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A PROCESS COMMON TO ALL GROUPS

• WE ARE ALL INVOLVED IN POLITICS, AT HOME,
  SCHOOL, CLINIC, OFFICE
• ALL OUTCOMES DEPEND ON INTERACTION OF
• INTERESTS of players or stakeholders
• IDEAS/ VALUES of players or stakeholders
• POWER that each brings to the process
• THROUGH INSTITUTIONS (RULES)

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TWO LEVELS OF POLITICS

• THINK OF INTERNATIONAL SPORT international,
  national, club levels. AMAZING THAT IT HAPPENS.
  WHY?
• RULES OF THE GAME
• Basic agreements, regimes, constitutions and
  settlements ways of doing things
• Without these there is anarchy, exploitation,
  mistrust
• Hard to get never easy can take time
• GAMES WITHIN THE RULES
• Standard procedures and practices within the
  rules
• Normal politics
• IF WE CANT AGREE THE RULES WE CANNOT PLAY THE
  GAME
• THAT IS, WE CANNOT COOPERAT FOR MUTUAL ADVANTAGE

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THE POLITICS OF MeTA

• THE CENTRAL OBJECTIVE IS TO SET (NEW) RULES OF
  THE GAME THE INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNANCE
• WILL ESTABLISH OPERATING PROCEDURES/CONVENTIONS
• WILL REQUIRE MONITORING AND IMPLEMENTATION
• ESSENTIALLY POLITICAL REMEMBER THE DEFINITION
  OF POLITICS
• NEW RULES REQUIRED if needs are to be met

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VICTORIAN FOOD STANDARDS

• Victorian food regulation to FSA of today
• An institutional issue.
• Long political process. Complex rules. Meats,
  vegetables, water, restaurants.
• Not without struggle
• Food traffic lighting at present
• Objective? The collective good.

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THINKING SYSTEMATICALLY ABOUT POLITICS

• WE NEED A FRAMEWORK
• WE NEED TO IDENTIFY THE PROCESSES
• WE NEED TO IDENTIFY THE PLAYERS IN THE GAME

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Diagram 1
The Political Process
Lobbying Legitimate and Non-legitimate
POWER MAP OF Decision Making Tariffs, girls
schooling, SBRs, irrigation access, land reform,
health care access, privatization, labour market
rules, etc.
Gate keepers Various
Decisions
Inputs (I) InfluencesDemandsOppositions
Outputs
Legitimacy?
Inputs (ii) SupportsWithdrawals
Capacity and Politics of Implementation
Feedback Loop
National Environment
economy
social system
cultural system
ideologies
International Environment
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Diagram 2
Lobbying Legitimate and Non-legitimate
1 External Agents (eg) World BankDonors MeTA ?
WHO HAI Pharma companies 2 Internal Agents
(eg) Parties Civil Society groups doctors
consumers and medical staff traders
wholesale/retail transporters
InfluencesDemandsOppositions
Decision making Power map Ministers Civil
Service Consultants Advisers Regional? RESPONSIV
ENESS?
Gate keepers various
Decision
Outputs rules
Legitimacy?
SupportsWithdrawals
Capacity and Politics of Implementation can it
be made to work? CAPABILITY? Will the rules be
played?
Feedback Loop
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THE POLITICS OF MAKING RULES DEMAND

• WHO WANTS TRANSPARENCY? WHY? WHERE ARE THEY IN
  THE MAP?
• WHAT POWER DO THEY HAVE?
• WHAT IS THE CURRENT INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT?
• ARE THEY ORGANIZED? CSOs
• DEMOCRACY? PARTIES?
• UPWARD LINKS?
• CAN A COALITION BE BUILT?
• BY WHOM? CAN DFID HELP?

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THE POLITICS OF MAKING RULES RESISTANCE

• WHO OPPOSES ? WHERE ARE THEY?
• WHY? WHAT POWER DO THEY HAVE?
• WHAT CONNECTIONS?
• WHAT INCENTIVES ARE THERE?
• CAN THEY BE PERSUADED?
• BY WHOM?
• COMPETITION?

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THE POLITICS OF MAKING RULES IMPLEMENTATION

• RULES OF THE GAME ESTABLISHED
• IS THE GAME BEING PLAYED?
• MONITORED?
• REGULATORY AGENCY? CAPABILITY
• STRENGTH? AUTHORITY? AUTONOMY?

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CONCLUSIONS its about building institutions

• POLITICS MATTERS
• ESTABLISHING RULES MATTERS
• IDENTIFY THE PROCESSES will vary from country
  to country
• PROTAGONISTS AND OPPONENTS
• OVERCOMING COLLECTIVE ACTION PROBLEMS