2.23.09

I was thinking today about policy making. I one of my classes, my friend Elyssa brought up a very good point. In that class, we discuss education systems as a means of poverty reduction. We have studied extensively what works and what doesn't work, but, even despite the vast literature available to policy makers, decisions, even in the US, continue to reflect negative trends. Elyssa asked why policy makers keep making and enacting policies that are ineffective and how these trends could be changed. A very good question.

I think that policy makers, especially in the last 20-30 years, have been increasingly economically focused. Given the sizable growth the US has experienced, I can definitely see why politicians have had to become more literate in economic issues. And, to some extent, I believe this is a positive trend given that much on the US's agenda is geared toward economic growth and prosperity. Where it becomes a negative trend, however, is embodied in Elyssa's question.

I would argue that most policy makers are somewhat illiterate in issues dealing with human development, especially in terms of education and human resource development. This is not because they have openly rejected those issues as unimportant to their agendas; I think it is simply because, in many cases, globalization trends have steered policies toward very limited economic objectives. In many cases, it has been assumed that the "invisible hand" of the market system will equalize the distribution and exercising of civil and human rights. I argue that this is not the case because it shifts primary responsibilities from leadership to capital and mathematics. These global trends have been detrimental to developing societies and economies because they have often forgotten the people that comprise market systems. And, I would be so bold as to argue that these same trends are becoming detrimental to developed states and economies, but are not as readily dealt with because of the post-WWII momentum that most Western state and economies have gained and Cold War mentality that many leaders and policy makers of the Western world still share. In other words, the incredible momentum of the market system and the somewhat nervous approach to massive changes have led developed countries to somewhat ignore human development innovations such as successful education practices. I believe this is why policy makers continue to enact policies that are somewhat ineffective: they are misinformed about supposedly successful neoliberal policies and uninformed about essential human development innovations.

However, Elyssa's question has two parts. The second part asks how we can change those negative policy habits (which habits themselves are often naive to the fact that they are ineffective). This is a good question because it addresses a massive change that needs to occur in Western policy making. Luckily, there is no shortage of information and theory that would be of great use to policy makers: there are journals aplenty that endlessly discuss development innovations, criticize current habits, and suggest new ones. But my hope is not actually with a massive change to the current system; my hope is with a new generation of leaders. Leaders of my generation must be better rounded: they cannot continue to think inside the Marshall Plan/anti-Soviet box. We must be literate in the strengths and weaknesses of human development practices, not just the politics of market development. Our art must be that of international political economics with a human face. I believe this is the next step in the development of the global world: new leadership with the goal to shift responsibilities forward. Forward to ourselves as leaders to empower and forward to citizens to demand, exercise, and protect human rights.

The market system is wonderful, but it is and always needs to remain a means; not an end. The end is change. A change that is beautifully unknown and surprisingly possible to those who have the courage not to fear it. It is a blessing of our time to have such incredible development resources and I believe that most would not fear or avoid change if they were more literate in the human development literature. Notice that I use the word "literate" as opposed to simply "informed". Information is important, but does not imply responsibility. Literacy becomes a characteristic and attribute and must be accompanied with responsibility for change to occur. So, I think that is my answer to Elyssa's question: a rising generation of leaders literate in and dedicated to taking the next steps in human development.