Albert A. Arhin

Can post-2015 sustainable development goals survive neoliberalism? A critical examination of the sustainable development–neoliberalism nexus in developing countries

Abstract The Rio+20 summit of the United Nations in Brazil in 2012 committed governments to formulate a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) that would be integrated into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) following its expiration in 2015. This decision has pushed sustainable development agenda into the limelight of development once again. Meanwhile, we note that the development agenda of many developing countries has been dominated by neoliberal orientation driven by market reforms, social inequality, and a move towards enhancing the economic competitiveness of the supply side of the economy. In this paper, we discuss the relationship between neoliberal economic agenda and sustainable development. We do so by examining how neoliberal policies of privatisation, trade liberalisation and reduction in governments spending stand to affect the attainment of sustainable development ideals and their implications on the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. The paper then suggests that relying solely on the mechanisms of the market in governing and allocating environmental resources is necessarily insufficient and problematic and therefore calls for a new approach—one which goes beyond just recognising the interdependency among social, environmental and economic goals and places issues of equity and addressing unfavourable power relations at the centre of interventions aimed at achieving the ideals of sustainable development.

Framing justice in REDD+ governance: centring transparency, equity and legitimacy in readiness implementation in West Africa

This paper investigates the dimensions of justice in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation plus enhancement of forest carbon stock (REDD+) in West Africa. By paying explicit attention to transparency, equity and legitimacy (TEL) in Nigeria and Ghana, the paper examines justice considerations in REDD+ implementation with a focus on tenure. We draw on analysis of policy documents and interviews with stakeholders in both countries. Our results show that commitment to the pursuit of justice in both cases is limited when examined through the elements of TEL. Efforts to recognize the tenure rights of indigenous peoples, effective representation in decision making and transparent disclosure of information to all stakeholders were limited in Ghana by the tacit evasion of tenure ambiguities, especially in the migrant-dominated REDD+ pilot areas. In Nigeria, such limits were shown in a similar evasion and in the strategic orchestration of tenure complexities evident in the changing local forest access under a protectionist regime. We argue that explicit attention to TEL as mediating dimensions of the normative elements of justice provides important insights into how environmental policy instruments such as REDD+ might both enable and disable justice for local people living around project sites.

Fighting Poverty from the Street: Perspectives of Some Female Informal Sector Workers on Gendered Poverty and Livelihood Portfolios in Southern Ghana

Over the last three decades or so, complex factors including the implementation of neoliberal economic reforms has led to a decline in formal sector employment in the Ghanaian economy. This together with increasing feminization of poverty has driven many, especially young women, to seek livelihoods in the informal sector mainly as hawkers and head porters. Drawing on qualitative interviews with approximately 40 urban poor women (aged 6-25 years), this paper reports the gendered aspects of poverty and the surviving strategies of young women on urban streets. The cameos presented herein highlight the experiences of poverty among street workers and how their livelihood portfolios contribute to overcoming the poor socio-economic conditions facing them. The paper shows that hawking and head portering significantly provides income for upkeep of young women and their families through meeting consumption and other needs. However, vulnerabilities manifested in unfavourable weather conditions, vehicular dangers, exploitation from employers and customers often due to lack of written work contracts are the major risks sturdily connected with these surviving strategies. The paper concludes by arguing for policy interventions such as subsidized credit schemes and organization of formal and informal forms of capacity building for the urban street workers to enhance their livelihoods.

Advancing post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals in a changing development landscape: Challenges of NGOs in Ghana

ABSTRACT In September 2015, the UN General Assembly formally adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim among other things, to end poverty and hunger, protect the planet, and promote prosperity by 2030. The SDGs were, however, adopted at a time when an increasing body of research is drawing attention to a series of game-changing trends in international development and funding landscapes. This article considers the ways in which the changing development landscape is affecting the ability of NGOs to perform their expected roles towards the attainment of the SDGs. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with NGOs in Ghana, the article contends that expectations of the roles of NGOs in advancing the cause of SDGs in Ghana are being affected by three main factors: (i) uncertainty of income generation and funding sources; (ii) changing operational capacity; and (iii) changing NGO identity.

Empowering and Shaping Gender relations?:Contesting the Microfinance-Gender Empowerment Discourse

This article critically examines the role of microfinance in shaping gender relations and empowerment outcomes for women. One aim of advancing credit to women is to empower them, thereby increasing their bargaining power and challenging existing gender subordination. We caution against this view and instead show that the mainstream argument is much more complex than what the popular rhetoric preaches. We argue that lack of a systematic strategy to incorporate men and the wider socio-cultural dynamics within which women are domiciled radically constrain the empowerment potential of microcredit programmes, and in some contexts may lead to unintended consequences for women.