Power – the missing link in development policy analysis

Development policy analysis has long been the prerogative of economists. More recently, against the background of a poor implementation record, political analysis has been entered into equation. Why does policy lack political traction, especially in African countries? The search for an answer has led agencies like Sida and DFID in Britain to engage in political economy or power analysis. This brings new challenges to any effort to promote development. Policy is not enough; nor is governance. Power matters; so does context. But what is power? How is it conceived and how is it exercised? How can it be combined with more conventional policy analysis? These are the new issues that development analysts and practitioners are faced with today. The lecture will address them in the light of the 2005 Paris Declaration that Sida and other aid agencies are in the midst of implementing.

Göran Hydén is Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Political Science at the University of Florida, Gainesville and chairperson of the board of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation. His career has centered on the interface between politics and development and has included work on public administration, rural cooperatives, governance and other aspects of state-society relations, including human rights.

The lecture is co-organized by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and the Nordic Africa Institute, and will be chaired by Fantu Cheru, Research Director at the Nordic Africa Institute.