Instruments And Catalysts Of Development And Change: Political Parties, Civil Society Organizations, And Multinational Corporations

Instruments and Catalysts of Development and Change: Political Parties, Civil Society Organizations, and Multinational Corporations Pat Ray M Dagapioso

Political Parties • Palmer defines a political party as ‘a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. Parties often espouse an expressed ideology or vision bolstered by a written platform with specific goals, forming a coalition among disparate interests.’

Political parties perform these acts in developed and developing areas

• Promotes the control, mobilization, and change adaptation requirements of political development in a variety of ways. • They are important agents of socialization. • They provide a vital two-way communication link between elites and masses. • They can act as opinion brokers by interpreting elite’s goals to the masses. • They aggregate the specific demands of individuals and specific interests into broader more general demands.

Political parties perform these acts in developed and developing areas • In democratic societies, they define and • • •

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sharpen issues and critically evaluate opposition candidates. They may serve as a source of legitimacy for the other political institutions of the states. Political parties also offer potential for both restricting and transcending the importance of a single individual leader. Socialising and educating voters and citizens in the functioning of the political and electoral system and the generation of general political values. Recruiting and training candidates for public office.

How can political parties facilitate political development? • • • • •

Stable foundation of mass support. A vehicle for national integration and resource mobilization. A mechanism for restraining the idiosyncratic behavior of political leaders. A source of continuity transcending the political life of particular individuals or regimes. And perform various ‘maintenance’ functions essential to the perpetuation of any political system.

Political parties and citizens need some rights or law. • • • • • • • •

Freedom of organisation Freedom to stand for election Freedom of speech and assembly Provision of a fair and peaceful competition Mechanisms of plurality A level playing field and freedom from discrimination Media access and fair reporting Transparent and accountable political finance

Civil Society Organizations • United Nations Development Programme defines Civil Society as ‘UNDP’: defines civil society as a third sector existing alongside and interacting with the state and private industry. UNDP takes a broad view of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) of which non-governmental organizations are an important part, and recognizes that in practice civil society is an arena of both collaboration and contention.’

Types • There are different types of civil society organizations. Asian Development Bank details these distinctions as: CommunityBased Organizations, Development NGOs (or CSOs), Faith-Based Organizations, Foundations, International NGOs (INGOs), Labor Unions, Nongovernment Organizations (NGOs), People’s Organizations (POs), Professional Associations, Research Institutes, and Social Movements.

How can CSOs contribute to development? • 1. Mobilizing resources in ways that the state alone cannot; • 2. Educating and motivating people to address social andenvironmental challenges; • 3. Facilitating citizen participation in development initiatives; • 4. Promoting effective, honest, legitimate, and responsive government through public scrutiny and advocacy-based activities; • 5. Strengthening government’s links with the overall • population;

How can CSOs contribute to development? • 6. Giving voice and assistance to underprivileged and marginalized populations, and responding to local needs; • 7. Serving as a partner in cases in which countries are suffering from armed conflict or civil strife; • 8. Providing frank perspectives on the potential effects of policies and projects, as well as possible measures for improvement; • 9. Training leaders, disseminating information, and conducting research relating to public policy challenges; introducing new development approaches and models; • 10. Generating a sense of local ownership and commitment to development initiatives; and • 11. Flexibly responding to shifts in local conditions that necessitate mid-course shifts in project implementation.

CSOs and Constraints • 1. They lack a resource base and have weak administrative, financial, organizational, and technical capacity; • 2. Have limited strategic perspectives and weak linkages with other stakeholders; • 3. Create only small-scale impacts; • 4. Focus on idealistic aims rather than on measurable results; • 5. Depend excessively on one or a small number of leaders, and be susceptible to capture by elites; • coordinate poorly with other CSOs; • 6. Be prone to politicization, and suffer strained relationshipswith governments; and • 7. Be donor driven, pursuing grant opportunities rather seeking engagement in those areas in which they possess the greatest comparative advantage or expertise.

Multinational Corporations • Microsoft Encarta defines Multinational Corporations as ‘Multinational Corporation (MNC), sometimes called transnational corporation or international corporation, business that produces or distributes products or services in one or more foreign countries by establishing a branch or affiliate there. A branch is a part of a company that is located in another country. An affiliate is a company partially or entirely owned by another company. MNCs engage in foreign direct investment (FDI)—that is, investment in one country by citizens of another country. Sometimes such investment involves acquiring an existing company. In other cases MNCs undertake what is known as greenfieldinvestment by creating new facilities or activities.

MNCs and FDIs • Foreign direct investment ~FDI! is a key element of the global economy. FDI is an engine of employment, technological progress, productivity improvements, and ultimately economic growth+ FDI provides both physical capital and employment possibilities that may not be available in the host market.

MNCs and Its Importance to the World • Multinational corporations operate at the crossing point between production, international trade and foreign investments. These companies are in the middle of the debates about economic globalization. They are known as transnational corporations or as multinational firms too. UNCTAD consider that the number of multinational corporations is about 63000. They have 700000 branches in other countries. These multinational corporations and their branches have 25% from world output and 86 millions of labour.

Importance of MNCs • 1. Creation of new jobs • 2. Infrastructure Development and • 3. Stimulate economic growth.

Effects of MNCs to Development and the World. • 1. Corporations have no commitment to community or place. • 2. Corporations have no commitment to future generations. • 3. Corporations have no commitment to democracy. • 4. Corporations have no commitment to equity • 5. Corporations have no commitment to alleviating poverty. • 6. Corporations seek to create greater wants, focusing on "excessities" more than necessities.

Rogers’ Criticism •

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Companies interested in profit at the expense of the consumer. Multinational companies often have monopoly power which enables them to make excess profit. Their market dominance makes it difficult for local small firms to thrive. For example, it is argued that big supermarkets are squeezing the margins of local corner shops leading to less diversity. In the pursuit of profit, Multinational companies often contribute to pollution and use of non renewable resources which is putting the environment under threat. MNCs have been criticised for using ’slave labour’ workers who are paid a pittance by Western standards.

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