Lucia da Corta, "The Political Economy of Agrarian Change: Dinosaur or Phoenix?"

Lucia da Corta, The Political Economy of Agrarian Change: Dinosaur or Phoenix? "In The Comparative Political Economy of Development, Africa and South Asia, Edited by Barbara Harris - White and Judith Heyer. London, Routledge, 2010, pp. 18-46

Contributors: Noer Fauzi Rachman

Work da Corta is the text that is easily understood. He was able to dissect the critical approach to studies of chronic poverty (chronic poverty) are popular both in academia and in international development institutions for nearly two decades.

This script was originally published as one of the working paper series published by the Oxford Department of International (ODID), Oxford University in November 2008. Publicly recognize this as a working paper series QEH (Queen Elizabeth House) Working Paper Series refers to the name of an office building where ODID.

Well, writing this, da Corta show that the approach Political Economy of Agrarian Change (PEACH) capable of improving the quality of research around issues of transformation following chronic poverty in rural areas. According to the journey, the study of chronic poverty is itself actually originated from the concerns of the researchers on the length of the long process of creation and poverty - which is now done - is against the things that make people able to completely get out of poverty.

Indeed, in an attempt to understand chronic poverty, concern for the researchers met with concern the PEACH. The difference lies in the theory that is methodologically very individualistic. This theory was developed by researchers since the elimination of chronic poverty PEACH from the main arena of social science and policy of international development institutions in the 1990s.

Furthermore, this individualistic methodology into a separate debate. And even become mainstream in the study of poverty. Away from efforts to uncover the causes of chronic poverty are both structural and relational nature, researchers in the mainstream is prioritizing the investigation of processes of social exclusion and the characteristics and experiences of poor people live on from generation to generation.

Da Corta further indicate the limitations of the method of this individualism. According to him, the understanding of the poverty trap caused by the absence of the following assets is a business how to cope with an important and useful. However, "it's just a part of the whole story," he continued as well. He then indicated that "(t) anpa explanations include social relationships that's very unfair when poor people are bound, and the broad political economic situation, thus the analysis was superficial."

The contrast with the case itupula, "PEACH studies of vulnerability and ways to overcome poverty over the period of mass starvation and crisis associated with the seasons, showing how diverse groups of elites to take advantage, or even to engineer opportunities for wealth accumulation through expropriation of assets in the period of mass starvation and cumulation of food. This is done to stimulate price increases or exploit the opportunity to reinforce the bonds of long-term employment, which to all that makes the poor even more vulnerable in the face during the next mass starvation. " (Da Corta 2010:23)

Da Corta also shows how the next generation of studies about chronic poverty using a better perspective. This new generation began to consider how power works and what kinds of social relationships that militate-rintangi power to transform people into poverty. In addition, they also saw how the traps of poverty, low income and high vulnerability were formed by processes of political, social and cultural. Some researchers of this generation have written reports to chronic poverty research center (Chronic Poverty Research Centre / CPRC), which is managed by the University of Manchester, Manchester, England.

One of the key concepts proposed new generation of this chronic poverty studies such as the adverse social inclusion and exclusion (Francaise). According to the evaluation of da Corta, adverse to the concept of inclusion, researchers Francaise step forward because it advocated an approach that focused on social relationships and transformation. This is as told by its main proponent,

The concept of inclusion of this adverse ... capture the ways in which strategies may continue to live locally and inhibited by-hubugan relationship of economic, political and social continues to demonstrate its influence on various space and time, living in a long working period and in certain cycles, life in the local space to global. These relationships are driven by highly unequal power (Hickey and du Tois 2007, as cited by da Corta 2010:26)

Nevertheless, in this paper, da Corta indicate that users Francaise kekuarangna analytical tool to highlight the political economic processes that led to the binding of people into the market process that would make him trapped in chronic poverty, and re-establish their own explanation models. As a result, they are not able to fully (and avoid) describes the external causes of vulnerability and why poor people are trapped in poverty.

As a counter top methodological individualistic approach is critical realist approach that is open, holistic (micro and macro), composed of various social relations and other mutually binding and depend on each other (interdependencies), and it is plural and across the boundaries of the field science (post-disciplinary).

Da Corta promoting that,
"(K) eterbukaan of critical realist methodology is important for poverty analysis because of the open framework enables the analysis not only of how to study objects that escape the poverty trap, but also critically (open to) the empirical research that escape from the trap theory which simply equate poverty and social exclusion. Because penjelasnya framework is no longer closed, empirical research can investigate the possibility that poverty was the result of committed themselves to the processes of economic, social, political, meso and macro levels of "(da Corta 2010: 10).

Da Corta At this point shows the importance of the work of conceptual tools that have been developed previously by PEACH, such as: exploitation of patron-client relationships and decline, class differentiation, capital accumulation, state patronage, changes in ownership relations, and others. Moreover, da Corta also show that the character's perspective has made a caricature of PEACH adverse Incorporation proponents are shut down on the key concepts that have been developed by researchers on the basis of field research PEACH (village studies) and the depth and length academic debate that is open throughout the 1970s, peaked in the 1980s until their demise in the late 1990s.

At the end of this article, shows the importance for da Corta, no doubt, by combining PEACH Francaise, and left the methodological individualistic approach and replace it with a critical realist methodology. He concluded that,

Broadening the study of chronic poverty through the use of a plural PEACH approach allows a more in-depth causal analysis. And thus open the door more open in the range of choices and possible changes in policies that are more progressive and empowering. For example, when poverty theorized as a mere matter of risk and vulnerability, the solution offered is often a social security or social protection; when it was conceived as a bad result from tying themselves to the relationships and constraints of race, caste or gender, then the solution is action affirmative. However, if we understand poverty as a problem to bind themselves (Incorporation) in the normal workings of markets and capitalism (the normal workings of markets and of Capitalisms), then the policy will refer to the arrangement of the impoverishing effects of the capital, and empowerment through pro-labor policies and pro-poor rather than pro-capital development. That also means the inspection and review (and then followed by a re-negotiation) to companies nationally and globally with respect to their employment policies (da Corta 2010:40)

Phoenix dinosaurs or birds? Da Corta an interesting use of two reference symbols to provoke the reader in understanding the position of PEACH. In this case da Corta question: whether the match if PEACH described as a dinosaur extinct due to its failure to survive in the ecosystem has changed drastically due to a meteor fall to earth. Or, better suited described as a phoenix that has a life cycle prosper burn herself to death, and re-emerged from the ashes a new phoenix generation. Well, what do you think?

Note: Lucia da Corta is a freelance researcher who currently works for the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) in London and chaired the CPRC Comparative Life History Project. Da Corta intact manuscript can be downloaded here.