21/05/2010CARE Institute for Faith and Culture1 Biblical Perspectives on Policy for Development and Poverty Reduction Colin Poulton [email protected].

21/05/2010 CARE Institute for Faith and Culture 1

Biblical Perspectives on Policy for Development and Poverty

Reduction

Colin Poulton

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Outline

• Prioritising development

• Development goals

• Causes of poverty

• Democracy and Governance

• The OT law as a model?

• Final reflections

21/05/2010 CARE Institute for Faith and Culture

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Prioritising Development

• God’s heart for the poor• Yet:

– c.1.4 billion people (20% of world population) live on less than US$1.25 (2005 PPP) per day

– 20% of world population do not have access to safe drinking water

– 40% of world population do not have access to basic sanitation facilities

– Millions lack access to basic health care or education services …

Trends in Chronic Income Poverty


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Numbers are Still Rising in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa


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The Number of Hungry People is Rising


Should development focus on the “bottom billion”?



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Prioritising Development (UK)• Aid levels

– Commitment to reach 0.7% of GNI by 2013 and to enshrine this commitment in law

– But aid increasingly criticised ...

• Reorienting other policies– Trade, export credits, immigration etc– Vested interests (including UK employment)– Foreign policy: repressive regimes, “war on

terror”– Climate change


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Aid by Country 2007-08

Source: OECD (2009), www.oecd.org/dataoecd/48/34/42459170.pdf

Adaptation to Climate Change

“The key distinction between ‘business-as-usual’ development and adaptation is not necessarily about the types of activities that will be undertaken (which are mostly in the development toolkit already), but about differences in problem definition, the selection of strategies and the setting of problems (WRI, 2007). ... A review of adaptation projects in 2007 found that activities on climate changeadaptation varied in nature, with some being oriented towards tackling thesources of vulnerability (for example, fairly ‘traditional’ development activities without much focus on climate change), others attempting to build response capacity and manage climate risk (greater consideration of climate change in activities), and others (a limited number) confronting climate change directly (for example, responding to glacial retreat) (ibid.).”

Source: Boyd et.al. (2009) in Development Policy Review 27(6)

Estimated cost for developing countries to adapt to cope with the consequences of climate change = US$60-80 billion p.a. (Stern 2009)


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Development Goals• Money-metric:

– increase income / consumption through economic growth

• Basic needs: health, education, water/sanitation• Sen: human potential

– capabilities, freedom• Rights-based• Well-being / good living• Schluter: relational well-being (shalom)• “transformational development”

– Holistic, including gospel/faith


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Millennium Development Goals1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger2. Achieve Universal Primary Education3. Promote Gender Equality and Empower

Women4. Reduce Child Mortality5. Improve Maternal Health6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other

Diseases7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development


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Means to Development Ends

• Growth vs social service provision

• Roles of different actors– State, private sector, NGOs, civil society– Emphasis on “developmental state” for

economic development– But same power can be used to oppress

minorities, Christians (Open Doors Worldwatch)

• Governance and democracy

Causes of Poverty

• Proverbs 6:9-11; 10:4

• Proverbs 21:5

• Deuteronomy 28:48

• Leviticus 25:35,39,47; Lamentations 3:38

• Psalm 82:2-4; Amos 5:7,10-12; James 5:1-6

• Proverbs 28:3, 29:4; Isaiah 10:2


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Democracy and Governance

• Dominant ideology: “the end of history”

• No famines, (wars?)

• No link to growth

• Corruption initially increases, then declines


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Democracy and Governance II

• Depth of democracy– Selection of leaders, breadth of political

participation, freedom of assembly and mass media, programmatic parties, judicial system, rotation of power (taken from Adelman 2006)

• Latin America vs Sub-Saharan Africa– Economy creates conditions for democracy?

• It is accountability, checks and balances that count


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The OT Law as a Model?• Land allocated to every tribe, clan and family

– Economic right: secure basis for livelihood!– Could not be permanently alienated: Jubilee (Lev 25)– Naboth’s vineyard illustration: 1 Kings 21

• Restrictions also on capital markets– Usury laws

• Some will fall into poverty– Provide for, but don’t exploit (e.g. no interest on loans)

• Care for the socially excluded commanded– “the alien, the fatherless and the widow” (Deut 24:19)

• Combination of market and welfare (“big society”?!)

The OT Law as a Model II• Separation of powers• King:

– Deuteronomy 17:14-20 – bound by (rule of) law– Samuel’s warnings about king: 1 Samuel 8:10-18

• Land in hand of elders (tribal chiefs)• Courts (see Deuteronomy 16:18-20, 17:8-13)• Priests in charge of Temple worship • Prophets as independent media!• Right relationship with God, as well as within

community– Trust and obedience (e.g. Sabbath year), blessing


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Final Reflections

• God is in control– He appoints and uproots rulers– James 2:5

• Growth of church transforms society

• Christians are called to be people of hope

21/05/2010CARE Institute for Faith and Culture1 Biblical Perspectives on Policy for Development and Poverty Reduction Colin Poulton [email protected].

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