development

The time is now
Centers of Regional Development
Dr. Frank ©2008

Global influence

The international community (IC) is faced with political failures in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as deteriorating regional stability around the globe. The rationalizations for declining stability are many. There is the blame game, “someone else is at fault”, and the solutions game, “do it our way--or else.” Both models fail to consider regional solutions for regional challenges. The IC’s power elite refuses to acknowledge that it is long past the time that they should be concerned with the aspirations and expectations of local cultures.

Western packaged solutions do not necessarily fit all western challenges, so why does the west demand that these theoretical solutions be accepted by foreign cultures?

As western populations age the majority of the developing world’s population is under 20 with the aspirations and expectations of youth. Young populations present local leadership with a myriad of challenges but also provides basic resources for future solutions. There are no western monopolies on brainpower, there are bright peoples in every culture. Many, however, are hampered by their past, poor educational system, colonialism followed by misguided local leadership. It is time to apply regional human resources to regional challenges for regional solutions.

Centers of regional development can bring together local social and physical scientist with public administrators to collect regional data, study real challenges and produce needed practical solutions. Such centers would not only be regional think tanks providing innovative leadership but also educational institutions for critically thinking new generations of regional problem solvers.
Baggage from the past influences future

The 19th century was the age of colonialism; powerful early nation state competition led to occupation and subjugation of vast territories and populations. The 20th century brought neo-colonial competition for resources into conflict with the emerging nationalism of colonized populations. Despite professed lofty idealism by the great powers during the 20th century their struggles for power forced nationalist to chose sides between foreign cultures. During the 19th and 20th centuries the powerful had little inclination to prepare the subjugated for sharing of the world’s wealth or power.

The turn of the 21st century found a world in transition. Ragged victory was claimed in the two centuries of great power struggles on the basis of last man standing. Human aspirations continue to fracture the old order while searching for alliances and new power blocks. The decaying old order offers the only model it knows, marketing a repackaged neo-colonialism of, ‘Become like us but still provide us your resources, it is best for you.” The old order provides lessons of value for aspirating populations. Many of those lessons however, are negative, what not to do. Any proposed western solutions require local cultural evaluation, modification, blending and filtration to fulfil the expectations and requirements of regional populations.
Genie out of the bottle

New measures of power are entering a technology world along an information highway that any can travel. That highway provides vast quantities of data but there are glaring cultural gaps in the existing research. Much of what passes for data in developing regions are little better than speculations based on western modeling, not real research. Assumptions are made on the basis of what is valid data for New York, London, or Paris must be valid for the world. Any broad conclusion based on these flawed assumptions fail to solve today’s challenges. New York, London, and Paris are distinct separate cultures. They display some metropolitan commonalties, the need to move, house, feed and protect great masses of people. Cities of smaller sizes exhibit some of the same commonalties on a lesser scale but they react with different priorities and resolve issues with great variety. Large and small metropolitan solutions however do not consider the needs of those that grow the food, drive the trucks or fight the fires.

Societal order requires strategic macro planning which in turn requires not only accurate data collection but also a high degree ethical evaluations. Attempting to turn macro research into operationalistic public management has limits. The collapse of the Soviet system of governance was due in part attempts to apply its central planning model to all state requirements. Central planning begins to feed upon itself producing biased data that supports the plan rather than honest research that identifies regional issues for regional solutions.

Western powers, international organizations and NGOs provides assistance to states under stress. Often however, the assistance provided reflects the biases of the providers. High tech solutions are pressed on low-tech cultures that are in need of simple and culturally sensitive solutions. Sophisticated equipment is donated when the requirements can often be better served with a bicycle response.

The problem is??

The first principle of scientific methodology to problem solving is to identify the problem. Scientists often must develop hypotheses based on limited data. Such hypotheses are neither the problem nor a solution but rather a starting point for further research and testing to discover the true problem and workable solutions.

Centers for regional development must have both legitimacy and political independence to earn respect as ethical sources of information. Such centers are strategic tools for good governance and regional stability. Regional leadership must plan for the future while studying the past and present data. Issues of human need, geographical opportunities and constraints as well as regional cooperation and interactions provide the input but it is the critical thinking skills of the human resources that provides solutions for today and basis of future growth.

Centers should be established with political independence but with a voice in the political processes. Funding may come from the international community but the organization should be regional in leadership with demonstrated integrity. Possibly linked to the regional higher education system where the best students may not only learn future skills but also apply themselves to solving real regional issues. Global stability depends of regional stability, regional stability can only come from application of regional solutions based on the culture aspirations and need of regional populations.