State-building agenda and health
States in development: understanding state-building
Applying a state building lens will improve the impact of aid
Authors:
A. Whaites
Publisher:
Department for International Development, UK, 2008
States are central to development, and there is potential for donors to both help and hinder their improvement. This paper suggests that looking more closely at state-building allows international actors to consider underlying realities, putting social, economic and political analysis into a historical context. They highlight the importance of accepting that some states may never look similar to Western democratic states. This paper suggests that applying a state-building lens has potential to improve the impact of aid, while failure to consider these issues will reduce the net overall benefit brought by aid programmes. The document provides a way for readers to understand states, and the processes that drive their development. Language and key concepts for state-building are outlined which draw on political-science, governance and economic literature to set out definitions that can underpin models of how these processes work.
The authors put forward two conceptual frameworks, or models, for state-building dynamics. The first is a model of how state-building can work to produce capable, accountable and responsive states, this is described as responsive state building. The second is a model of unresponsive state-building, a set of dynamics likely to lead to states affected by problems such as endemic rent-seeking or political repression. The document then looks at the factors that are likely to influence the direction of state-building, including issues that are shaped by policy decisions. The paper concludes with 5 ‘do’s and don’ts’. The authors highlight the need to look at political economy analysis through a state-building lens. Analysis to construct a state-building view should form part of country planning processes. They then warn not to forget that state-building is not just about the state. States matter, but understanding state-building also entails considering the dynamic relationships involved, particularly the importance of state society relations.
