Governance by ‘working with the grain’ is the solution for Kenya? are delvoved structures the solutuin to provision of goods and services? This blog takes a critical outlook

 

Kenya - Institutions, power, politics and poverty

we should be dedicated to "discovering institutions that work for poor people". That means exploring the kinds of political, economic and social arrangements that, if adopted, would enable Kenya to make faster progress towards development and the elimination of extreme poverty. This should aim to identify ways of ordering politics and regulating power and authority that might work better than those now in place. Examples and models that have worked in toher countries can be adapted tot the kenyan context, adapted tweeked and improved. This can be done on the basis of a careful and critical look at what has worked well in Africa itself in the recent and not-so-recent past. What has worked in other countries outside africa in similar socio-economic contexts and models and stages of development of the developed countries.

This can combine research with research-training, organisational capacity strengthening and policy development. Research can be done in ways that recognise the substantial, if often underrated, resources for collective problem-solving that are to be found in African societies. In this way, societies can contribute positive examples to shape a new vision of progress on the continent which will be attractive to emerging constituencies for change. In my opinion this would develop an african model of development to complement various development theories of modernisation, liberalisation, globalisation and sociolism.