Faith, equity and development

This theoretical paper, based on existing research, assesses the influence that religious movements have on the development process. The concept of identity politics is used to interpret the motivation for and principles of these movements.

The paper is presented in five parts. First, the report discusses how the rise of identity politics and the resurgence of religious movements in recent years have weakened support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Second, it focuses on the relationship between faith and equity and argues that the key to understanding this relationship lies in seeing religious resurgence as part of identity politics. Third, the report deals conceptually with the relationship between faith, poverty and development, showing the tensions and synergies in the interactions. The fourth part explores these conceptual arguments in the context of some specific faiths - Islam, Hinduism and Christianity, with a focus on the rise of Islamism in Egypt, Nigeria and Indonesia; Hindu nationalism in India; and the role of Catholicism in Chile and Philippines; and Liberation Theology and Protestantism in Latin America. The final section of the report contains conclusions.

The report finds that identity politics has driven a number of religious movements towards challenging the UDHR. The nature and extent of these challenges are influenced by:

• the level of domestic intra-religious competition: different factions competing to capture the imagination and support of the majority
• the effectiveness of governance: the absence of strong governing structures allows religious radicalisation to proceed unhindered, whereas effective institutions appear to negate this problem
• the focus or direction of the movement: religious movements that have argued that the West and the goal of development promoted by it is their primary opponent also appear to be more involved in radicalised competitive intra-religious politics.

Viewed via the lens of identity politics, it is clear that religious movements redraw the contours of the relationship between theology and universal ideas about equity, rights, and development. To strengthen the support for these universal ideas, negotiating with religious interpretations of identity politics is critical. [adapted from author]