CfP for Panels on 'Securitization / Development' and 'Donor Perspectives'

Daniel Lambach and Tobias Debiel are planning for two Panels at the ISA 2008 Convention:
1.) Securitization of Development or Developmentalization of Security?
2.) Donor Perspectives on State Fragility
'Securitization of Development or Developmentalization of Security?'

Daniel Lambach and Tobias Debiel are planning for two Panels at the ISA 2008 Convention:
1.) Securitization of Development or Developmentalization of Security?
2.) Donor Perspectives on State Fragility
'Securitization of Development or Developmentalization of Security?'
That the fields of security and development are merging has become a truism these days. Much of the research on the 'security-development nexus' has focused on how the 'new security agenda' is affecting development policy and discourse and how it has contributed to a securitization of issues like migration, AIDS/HIV, failed states and others. According to this perspective, development policy is being appropriated by security interests (although it could be argued that this is simply a recreation of the realities of the Cold War) just as security discourse is influencing development discourse. However, this research agenda has two blind spots: First, it does not take into account endogenous changes of development discourse independent from security interests, e.g. the development community\'s 're-discovery' of the state several years prior to the security community. Second, by focusing on a particular direction of causality, it ignores potential effects going the other way. Besides the securitization of development, can we also speak of a developmentalization of security? For example, current approaches to state-building borrow heavily from development actors\' experiences with capacity-building programs.
Contributions to this panel could analyze development discourse on state fragility, the evolving character of counterinsurgency doctrines, or the influence of development policy on shaping the 'state-building' agenda. Other possibilities include more actor-specific approaches, for example by analyzing national debates about the relationship of security and development or by discussing the role of epistemic communities.
'Donor Perspectives on State Fragility'
Over the last few years, fragile states have gained a lot of recognition in development discourse and policy. The OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) has tried to come up with policies to deal with 'difficult partners' and has convened a working group on fragile states to examine strategies of state-building. Meanwhile, the World Bank\'s task force on Low Income Countries Under Stress has addressed deficiencies in current lending practices by the Bank. Beyond these intergovernmental initiatives, national actors have responded to the challenge in different ways. Some countries have tried to develop \'Whole-of-government\' approaches to fragile states and have placed a high priority on the issue. Some treat fragile states as a security issue first and foremost. Others have attempted to reconcile security and development interests, with mixed results.
This panel aims to bring together research on various national strategies for dealing with fragile states. Questions that papers can address include: What is the specific national approach? Who are the driving actors, who are relevant veto players in this process? What is the level of integration and cooperation between actors from different departments? Has the strategy led to a real change in policies or is it merely rhetorical? Papers focusing on donor countries outside the DAC (e.g. China) are particularly welcome.
Deadline for the submission of short abstracts (max. 500 words) is Mai 25th, 2007. Please send the abstract, your name, a contact address and the details of your institution to daniel.lambach@gmx.de and tobias.debiel@inef.uni-duisburg.de.
Daniel Lambach / Senior Researcher
Institute of African Affairs
GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies/
Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien
Neuer Jungfernstieg 21 / 20354 Hamburg
Tel. +49-40-42825-523 / Fax +49-40-42825-511
E-Mail: lambach@giga-hamburg.de
Internet: http://staff.giga-hamburg.de/lambach; www.giga-hamburg.de