Govern Like Us

U.S. Expectations of Poor Countries

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Economic Policy, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Govern Like Us by M. A. Thomas, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: M. A. Thomas ISBN: 9780231539111
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: May 5, 2015
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: M. A. Thomas
ISBN: 9780231539111
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: May 5, 2015
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

In the poorest countries, such as Afghanistan, Haiti, and Mali, the United States has struggled to work with governments whose corruption and lack of capacity are increasingly seen to be the cause of instability and poverty. The development and security communities call for "good governance" to improve the rule of law, democratic accountability, and the delivery of public goods and services. The United States and other rich liberal democracies insist that this is the only legitimate model of governance. Yet poor governments cannot afford to govern according to these ideals and instead are compelled to rely more heavily on older, cheaper strategies of holding power, such as patronage and repression.

The unwillingness to admit that poor governments do and must govern differently has cost the United States and others inestimable blood and coin. Informed by years of fieldwork and drawing on practitioner work and academic scholarship in politics, economics, law, and history, this book explains the origins of poor governments in the formation of the modern state system and describes the way they govern. It argues that, surprisingly, the effort to stigmatize and criminalize the governance of the poor is both fruitless and destabilizing. The United States must pursue a more effective foreign policy to engage poor governments and acknowledge how they govern.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the poorest countries, such as Afghanistan, Haiti, and Mali, the United States has struggled to work with governments whose corruption and lack of capacity are increasingly seen to be the cause of instability and poverty. The development and security communities call for "good governance" to improve the rule of law, democratic accountability, and the delivery of public goods and services. The United States and other rich liberal democracies insist that this is the only legitimate model of governance. Yet poor governments cannot afford to govern according to these ideals and instead are compelled to rely more heavily on older, cheaper strategies of holding power, such as patronage and repression.

The unwillingness to admit that poor governments do and must govern differently has cost the United States and others inestimable blood and coin. Informed by years of fieldwork and drawing on practitioner work and academic scholarship in politics, economics, law, and history, this book explains the origins of poor governments in the formation of the modern state system and describes the way they govern. It argues that, surprisingly, the effort to stigmatize and criminalize the governance of the poor is both fruitless and destabilizing. The United States must pursue a more effective foreign policy to engage poor governments and acknowledge how they govern.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Sinning in the Hebrew Bible by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book Cataclysms by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book The Columbia Guide to Irish American History by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book The Fate of Ideas by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book Reform Cinema in Iran by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book Development Cooperation in Times of Crisis by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book The Politics of Medicaid by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book The Millennial Sovereign by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book The Politics and Poetics of Cinematic Realism by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book Counterinsurgency in Crisis by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book Disaster and the Politics of Intervention by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book The Subject of Torture by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book Socialism Unbound by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book Gang Life in Two Cities by M. A. Thomas
Cover of the book The Autonomy of Pleasure by M. A. Thomas
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy