There's a strain of Western liberalism, common to "international development," that fetishizes "institutions" and views knowledge transfer as a one-way North-South street.
I like to jokingly referring to it as the "Why Nations Fail syndrome," referring to that famous book.
I like to jokingly referring to it as the "Why Nations Fail syndrome," referring to that famous book.
This strain of thought struggles to challenge its most hallowed norms and beliefs, including the notion that "advanced" countries may not always have all the answers.
It also is incapable of grappling with the possibility that its own house might not be all that in order.
It also is incapable of grappling with the possibility that its own house might not be all that in order.
Buzzwords like "good governance," "capacity building," "pockets of change," among others, are concepts that flow only in one direction, from "experts" in the "Global North" to "unstable" countries in the tropics.
Those countries are at best mere labs for "global best practices."
Those countries are at best mere labs for "global best practices."
And even if there might be a grudging realization that their countries might not have it all figured out like they thought, they still externalize that to "those people."
Think the "THIS ISN'T HAPPENING IN [insert Black or brown country]" tweets during Trump's presidency.
Think the "THIS ISN'T HAPPENING IN [insert Black or brown country]" tweets during Trump's presidency.
The tweet by the OP is a different strain of the same impulse. It's one that sees the U.K. (and other Western countries) as the standard-bearers of "good governance," whose desire to build "good institutions" around the world is rooted in Western superiority and benevolence.
Anyway, this is getting a little long so I'll wrap it up.
I've spent the vast majority of my career working with many of those "governance advisers" referred to in that tweet, mostly in Africa but elsewhere. Most, I suspect, are decent folk. But they mostly don't have a clue.
I've spent the vast majority of my career working with many of those "governance advisers" referred to in that tweet, mostly in Africa but elsewhere. Most, I suspect, are decent folk. But they mostly don't have a clue.
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