About this blog Charles Abugre
I used to think that opinions and perspectives I hold dear are 'alternative' to the mainstream. But they are in fact mainstream. I believe for example that Africa in general is no less developed – economically, socially and politically -than it ought to be by any historical measure. In my view, the current balance of conditions favour faster rather than slower progress. But for this progress to end abject poverty, create significant number and good quality jobs and for people to live longer, healthier, peaceful and happier lives, we need, as a continent to make major changes to our policies and the way we think.
We need for example to be more concerned about the production side of things – i.e. adding value to our agriculture, services and manufacturing through application of science and technology with active rather than passive government support - than the exchange side of things (trade) which is our current preoccupation; we need to trust the outside advise less and the inside advise more; we need to believe in our own ability to drive our own change more and the power of our history contribute to this; we need to avoid thinking about ourselves and our history largely negatively; (more below) |
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we need to harness the knowledge and creativity of our young people better; we need to value our own resources more without which external resources – knowledge and ideas, aid, investments, - cannot add much value to our progress or may be positively destructive; we need to value our communities and realize that as individuals our successes and happiness lies in the progress of the larger society; we need to value egalitarianism not worship or ignore inequalities because inequalities will come back to bite hard in the form of conflicts, fear and misery. We need to jettison the anti-state, or small state ideology propagated by neoliberalism which has only succeeded in promoting harmful privatization, undermining the developmental role of the state and its capability to manage social change and made poor people poorer.
These views are now increasingly the new mainstream. Production-based economic analysis founded on the ideas of the likes of Antonio Senna and Schumpeter are becoming vogue as the "Washington Consensus" retreats. The global banking crisis still dogging the world's matured capitalist economies has severely wounded the neoliberal consensus, dominant since the late 70s. The developmental state discourse prominent in the 1950s and 1960s is back on the table with the additional tag of balancing the development process with democratization. Social tensions and 'revolutions' driven by disaffected jobless youth stretching from South Africa to Egypt, and from Senegal to Kenya have forced the ruling classes to begin to take unemployment and inequalities seriously, at least rhetorically, as credible threat to their power.
The purpose of my blog is to highlight these "different mainstreams" as options for Africans. My blog will be predominantly about the African state, its choices and its relationships internally and externally, which shape the economy and society. It will avoid a sense of helplessness for this will be a-historic. After all, we are where we are – no less developed than we should be – because Africans have fought injustices and subjugation successfully for centuries. It is this sense of triumph and "can do" that my blog intends to amplify.
From now onwards I should try my best to write without jargon, to explain simply when jargon cannot be avoided and be forthright and bold when needed. CharlesAbugre.com is Abugre thinking aloud to himself but if overhead, I am happy to engage. - Visit Charles Abugre BLOG
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These views are now increasingly the new mainstream. Production-based economic analysis founded on the ideas of the likes of Antonio Senna and Schumpeter are becoming vogue as the "Washington Consensus" retreats. The global banking crisis still dogging the world's matured capitalist economies has severely wounded the neoliberal consensus, dominant since the late 70s. The developmental state discourse prominent in the 1950s and 1960s is back on the table with the additional tag of balancing the development process with democratization. Social tensions and 'revolutions' driven by disaffected jobless youth stretching from South Africa to Egypt, and from Senegal to Kenya have forced the ruling classes to begin to take unemployment and inequalities seriously, at least rhetorically, as credible threat to their power.
The purpose of my blog is to highlight these "different mainstreams" as options for Africans. My blog will be predominantly about the African state, its choices and its relationships internally and externally, which shape the economy and society. It will avoid a sense of helplessness for this will be a-historic. After all, we are where we are – no less developed than we should be – because Africans have fought injustices and subjugation successfully for centuries. It is this sense of triumph and "can do" that my blog intends to amplify.
From now onwards I should try my best to write without jargon, to explain simply when jargon cannot be avoided and be forthright and bold when needed. CharlesAbugre.com is Abugre thinking aloud to himself but if overhead, I am happy to engage. - Visit Charles Abugre BLOG
GhanaMirror.com - You are welcome to have your own FREE news-blog with us! (Update at your own time).
What is included: Unlimited pages, use your own log-in and password. Please Contact Us, with a short info of the purpose of your blog, for acceptance. Please note, that only newspapers and writers may apply.
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