[State at Wits] Two upcoming seminars on political settlements theory

[Crispian]

We are excited to announce two upcoming seminars on political settlements
theory, which seeks to explain development outcomes according to the
distribution of organisational power, institutions and resources in society.
Drawing on various traditions (new institutionalism, public choice,
Marxism), it has steadily moved into the mainstream of development
discourse, and has informed a wide range of bilateral and multilateral
programmes around fragile and developing states. As a comparatively young
discipline, there are active and ongoing debates around definitions, gaps
and dependencies in the model. These include how narrow or inclusive a
settlement has to be, whether the settlement is a reproducible distribution
of power or an agreement between elites to end violence, and the importance
of the distribution of economic benefits as a variable. We are privileged to
be joined by three speakers who have been at the cutting edge of these
debates, and who will engage with us over the course of two sessions. 
Session 1: Wednesday 7th October 2020 16h00 – 17h30
Tim Kelsall and Matthias vom Hau from the Effective States and Inclusive
Development Research Centre, University of Manchester, will present a paper
reflecting on the current debates in political settlements theory, in
particular what constitutes a political settlement, the critical variables
that determine outcomes and the typologies that flow from this. The themes
they will cover also form part of a forthcoming book to be published early
in 2021.
Tim Kelsall is a Senior Research Fellow at the Overseas Development
Institute in London and Co-Director of Research at the Effective States and
Inclusive Development Research Centre, University of Manchester. Tim
specialises in political economy analysis and political anthropology, with
interests in governance, democracy, transitional justice, economic growth,
education, and health. He has worked in several developing countries,
including Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Cambodia. He holds a BA from the
University of Oxford and an MA and PhD from the School of Oriental and
African Studies. Prior to joining ODI he taught politics and development
studies at Oxford and Newcastle Universities, edited the journal African
Affairs, and worked freelance for a variety of research and development
organisations. His latest book is Business, Politics, and the State in
Africa: Rethinking the orthodoxies on growth and transformation (London: Zed
Books, 2013).
Matthias vom Hau is an Associate Professor and Ramón y Cajal Researcher at
the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). A sociologist by
training, he has a PhD (2007) from Brown University and previously held a
postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Manchester. Matthias’ research
is centrally concerned with the relationship between identity politics,
institutions, and development, with a comparative-historical focus on Latin
America. He has published widely on how states construct a sense of national
belonging, how civil society actors negotiate and contest official
nationalisms, and the extent to which ordinary citizens subscribe to
official and counter-state identity projects. A second line of research
explores the rise and consequences of indigenous movements in Latin America
and beyond, while his third line of work corrects for the fundamentally
ahistorical approach that underpins the supposedly negative relationship
between ethnic diversity and public goods provision.
You can register for the seminar (Oct 7) here
https://wits-za.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqceGopjgiGdbW1BZJB_WKojK9DBxfjK-
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Session 2: Wednesday 14th October 2020 16h00 – 17h30
Brian Levy from Johns Hopkins University and UCT will build on the empirical
methodology laid out in his earlier book Working with the Grain (Levy 2014)
and present a draft of an application to South Africa. This work addresses
an important gap in political settlements theory, exploring the implications
for public sector capability.
Brian Levy is  Professor of the Practice of International Development,
School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University; and
(from 2012-2019)  Academic Director Nelson Mandela School of Public
Governance, University of Cape Town. He worked at the World Bank from 1989
to 2012, including as head of the secretariat responsible for the design and
implementation of the World Bank Group's governance and anti-corruption
strategy. He has published widely on the interactions among institutions,
political economy and development policy, including  Working with the Grain:
Integrating Governance and Growth in Development Strategies (Oxford U Press,
2014; info at www.workingwiththegrain.com
<http://www.workingwiththegrain.com> )  and, as lead editor and author,  The
Governance and Politics of Basic Education: A Tale of Two South African
Provinces (Oxford U Press, 2018). He  completed his Ph.D in economics at
Harvard University in 1983.
You can register for the seminar (Oct 14) here
https://wits-za.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvcOytqjgqH9HyBQnTvGC3fYaEPiZQQMh
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Please check the website for copies of the papers to be delivered, which
will be posted in the next few weeks
https://wiser.wits.ac.za/event/wipes-political-settlements-theory-0.
Regards

CRISPIAN OLVER
Postnet Suite 118, Private Bag X7 Parkview 2122 
c. +27825680415 w. +27 11 646 5553 skype: crispian.olver
colver at iafrica.com <mailto:colver at iafrica.com> 


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