Presentation by Sakiko Fukuda-Parr (The New School) during the High Level Policy Forum - After 2015: Promoting Pro-poor Policy after the MDGs - Brussels, 23 June 2009 - http://www.bit.ly/after2015

1. MDGs and the international
development agenda
Sakiko Fukuda-Parr
The New School
After 2015: Promoting Pro-poor policy after the MDGs
Brussels 23 June 2009

2. Impact of the MDG paradigm on
poverty reduction
“MDG paradigm” as paradigm of what?:
• Policy & planning
• Development
• Partnership
• Norms of global citizenship

3. Origins of the MDGs
• Millennium Declaration 2000
• We the Peoples 1999
• OECD DAC Shaping the 21st Century: the Contribution of
Development Cooperation 1996
• Copenhagen Summitt 1994
• UN Conferences of the 1990s
Driving ideas: ending poverty as a global norm; human
condition as an ethical concern (basic needs, human
development, human rights); 1990’s research on poverty as
a lived experience and agenda of empowerment (WDR
2000)
Driving policy motivation: reaction against the Washington
Consensus (WC) – ‘inclusive globalization’ alternative

4. UN conferences Policy Agenda
• Core purpose: Inclusive globalization
- Alternative to WC led globalisation
• Over-riding principles:
– Equity
– Partnership
– Human well being, dignity and rights

5. Mainstream 1990s UN conference agenda
Policy priorities WC/macroeconomic Inclusive globalisation;
stability; social social investments; econ
investments; econ governance; pro-poor
governance growth; democratic
governance
Development paradigm Neoliberalism Basic needs, human
(WC/globalization) development/capabilities;
human rights;
developmentalism
Partnership paradigm Ownership & mutual Ownership & mutual
accountability; MDGs; accountability; MDGs
PRSPs; PRGF/HIPC
International Norms Free market competition End poverty; level playing
field; equitable
globalization

6. Policy priorities:MDGs in PRSPs
Content analysis for MDGs as policy priorities
in
• 22 PRSPs (all 2 generation; 14 SSA, 2 LA, 2 CIS, 3Asia, 1 Arab
nd
States; 34% of low and middle income countries)
• 21 bilateral donor policy frameworks
Reference:
Fukuda-Parr (2008) “Are MDGs PRSP Policy Priorities? Only a few are!”
http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCWorkingPaper48.pdf

7. MDGs in PRSPs incled as priority objective, with action plan and targets:
Income poverty, education, health, global diseases, water & sanitation,
MDG Priority Action plan Targets defined
(pillar) defined
Income poverty (MDG1) 18 (15) 18 21
Hunger (MDG1) 17 (2) 14 1
Employment (MDG1) 21 (9) 14 7
-decent work 7 (0) 4 0
Education -primary schooling (MDG2) 22 (20) 21 21
Gender equality in schooling 17 (1) 6 18
Women’s empowerment (MDG3) 20 (4) 16 8
-political representation 10 (0) 2 7
-violence against women 12 (1) 0 2
Health general (MDG4-6) 21 (19) 20 20
-maternal health & reproductive rights 18 (1) 6 22
-child survival 17 (1) 9 21
-HIV/AIDS & other diseases 19 (7) 15 17
-HIV/AIDS orphans 8 (0) 2 2
-access to treatment 9 (10) 4 8
Natural resources protection & conservation (MDG7) 17 (4) 2 7
-water & sanitation 20 (6) 18 21

8. Neglected MDGs: decent work, women’s political empowerment, gender violence, natural
resource protection and conservation
Neglected Millennium Declaration objectives: democracy, human rights,
MDG/IADG Priority Action plan Targets defined
(pillar) defined
Income poverty (MDG1) 18 (15) 18 21
Hunger (MDG1) 17 (2) 14 1
Employment (MDG1) 21 (9) 14 7
-decent work 7 (0) 4 0
Education -primary schooling (MDG2) 22 (20) 21 21
Gender equality in schooling 17 (1) 6 18
Women’s empowerment (MDG3) 20 (4) 16 8
-political representation 10 (0) 2 7
-violence against women 12 (1) 0 2
Health general (MDG4-6) 21 (19) 20 20
-maternal health & reproductive rights 18 (1) 6 22
-child survival 17 (1) 9 21
-HIV/AIDS & other diseases 19 (7) 15 17
-HIV/AIDS orphans 8 (0) 2 2
-access to treatment 9 (10) 4 8
Natural resources protection & conservation (MDG7) 17 (4) 2 7
-water & sanitation 20 (6) 18 21

9. Neglected Millennium Declaration Objectives: Democratic governance
Democracy, good governance & human rights (MD chapter 5)
-governance (rule of law, corruption) 21 (11) 18 3
-democracy 15 (0) 7 0
-free media 6 (0) 7 1
-human rights protection & promotion, UDHR 15 (0) 6 5
-minority rights 4 (0) 2 0
social integration & vulnerable groups (MD chapter 6) 19 (6) 13 0
-cultural diversity 6 (2) 3 3
-migrants 5 (0) 1 0
Science and Technology (MDG8) 17 (2) 9 9
-access to medicines 9 (0) 1 4

10. 21 bilateral donor policy frameworks: Most commonly
selected priorities (number of donor programmes)
Core Important but
prioritity not core
priority
Environment-general 19
Human rights 17
Education –general 15
Governance 15 1
Peace and Security 15 4
Health-general 14
Democracy 14
Income poverty 13 1
HIV/AIDS & global diseases 12 1
Water & sanitation 10 1

12. ODA shifts towards social
infrastructure (global)

13. Shifts in policy priorities?
• Priorities: growth and income poverty + social sector investments (education,
health and water) + ‘governance ‘ (rule of law and corruption).
• Weaker priority to: employment, hunger and nutrition, gender equality,
environment
• Neglected priorities: democratic governance, global technology, pro-poor growth
policies
• Absent details: primary education with gender equality, employment for decent
work, gender empowerment against gender violence, social integration including
minority rights, cultural diversity……
Strategy:
• WC + social investments + econ governance
• Agenda undercuts core motivation of ‘inclusive globalization’ based on human
rights/human development principles of equality, participation, accountability,
social justice, democratic values
• Agenda undercuts new strategies for poverty reduction based on empowerment
• Agenda undercuts old developmentalist strategies

14. Development paradigm: no change
MDGs policy agenda undercut:
• Developmentalism/growth approach – ‘Faustian Bargain (Charles
Gore)
• Human development/capabilities approach – Major Disracting
Gimmick (Peggy Atrobus)
• Human rights approach – ‘Lost in translation’ (Ashwani Saith)
Back to:
• Basic needs
• Washington Consensus and neoliberalism

15. MDGs as a Faustian Bargain
To put it bluntly, the new international development
consensus has been achieved through the elimination of the
old idea of promoting national economic development. The
MDGs are universally called Millennium Development goals.
But there is nothing developmental about the MDGs apart
from the fact that the poverty and human development
outcomes should be achieved in ‘developing countries’.
The concern for processes of evolution and transformation
has been replaced with standards of evaluation and
performance.
(Charles Gore, 2008)

16. Partnership paradigm: a deal between
national governments and donors
• ownership/mutual accountability as basic
principles governing donor-recipient relationship
• MDG as objectives (‘ends’) commanding
consensus of govt and international community
• PRSPs as instrument setting out purpose, ‘owned’
by government with broad participation and
accepted by donors
• PRGF/HIPC as leading financing mechanisms

17. Norms: poverty norm a new
international norm
• MDGs embody global poverty eradication as an ethical,
moral imperative
• International norm emerged, ‘cascaded’ and became
internalized
• Norm internalized but not acted upon
• What was the nature of normative shifts?
• What and who drove them and how did they evolve?
Ref: Fukuda-Parr and Hulme, “International Norm Dynamics and ‘the End of
Poverty’: Understanding the MDGS”
http://www.bwpi.manchester.ac.uk/resources/Working-Papers/index.html

18. The Life Cycle of an International Norm:
Finnemore and Sikkink 1998.
Stage 1: Norm Stage 2: Norm Stage 3: Norm
emergence cascade Internalization
Actors Norm States, Law,
entrepreneurs international professions,
with organizations, bureaucracy
organizational networks
platforms
Motives Altruism, Legitimacy, Conformity
empathy, reputation,
ideational esteem
commitment
Dominant Persuasion Socialization, Habit,
Mechanisms institutionaliza institutionaliza
tion, tion
demonstration

19. MDGs reached stage 3
1. Emergence 1990s: Poverty norm propelled by
‘norm entrepreneurs’, motivated by ideational
commitments
2. Cascade: Norm morphes into MDGs as message,
propelled by ‘message entrepreneurs’
motivated by search for consensus over a
fractious devt community
3. Internalized: Widespread adoption by
bureaucracy, used by habit, institutionalized in
development talk

20. State 1 Norm emergency: norm
entrepreneurs
• 1970s – McNamara, Mahbub ul Haq,
• 1980s – civil society (women’s movement,
environment and sustainable development,
anti-globalization movement)
• 1990s – Mahbub ul Haq, Jim Grant, Nafis
Sadiq, Clare Short, etc.
• 2000’s – MDGs as poverty norm - Tony Blair
(proMDG), Jeff Sachs, etc.

21. State 2: message entrepreneurs
• DAC aid agency reps
• Uttstein Group ministers
• John Ruggie
• Michael Doyle
• Mark Malloch Brown
• DAC led indicators group

22. Nature of normative shift
• ‘Consensus on MDGs’ redefined ‘poverty’ in
neoliberal paradigm
• Consensus over ending poverty as purpose of
development leaving disagreement about:
– Development paradigm
– Definition of poverty and development
– Strategic means and policy priorities
– Universal Values ‘Lost in Translation’

23. Conclusions
Mainstream 2009 UN conference/MD
agenda
Policy priorities WC/macroecon stability; Inclusive globalisation;
social investments; econ social investments; econ
governance; social governance; pro-poor
investments growth; democratic
governance
Development paradigm Neoliberalism Basic needs, human
(WC/globalization) development/capabilities;
Basic needs human rights;
developmentalism
Partnership paradigm Ownership & mutual Ownership & mutual
accountability; MDGs; accountability; MDGs
PRSPs; PRGF/HIPC
International Norms Free market competition End poverty; level playing
End poverty field; equitable
globalization

24. After 2015: Recasting MDGs for
human development agenda
• MDGs internalized as international norms – reclaim and redefine:
- Inclusion and equity
- Human rights
- Inclusive globalization
ADD GOAL to REDUCE INEQUALITY within and between countries
• Policy agenda:
- pro-poor growth
- Democratic governance
- Systemic reforms in global governance and policies
NEGOTIATE A POLICY AGENDA FOR PRO-POOR GROWTH & MACROECONOMIC POLICY FRAMEWORK
• Mechanisms
- Strengthen ownership
- Strengthen mutual accountability
LOCAL OWNERSHIP – ADAPT TARGETS AND PROCESSES

25. Thank you

26. Contestation
• ‘The end of extreme poverty is at hand – within our generation…the
Millennium Development Goals…are bold but achievable…[t]hey
represent a crucial midstation on the path to ending extreme
poverty by the year 2025’ (Sachs 2005)
• ‘The setting of utopian goals means aid workers will focus efforts
on infeasible tasks, instead of the feasible tasks that will do some
good’ (Easterly 2006)
• ‘I do not believe in the MDGs. I think of them as a Major Distracting
Gimmick…’ (Antrobus 2003).
• ‘The MDGs are European social policy. We [IMF] don’t do European
social policy’ (Senior Economist, IMF, 2006)