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Engaging Africa in the IPE: Mauritius

activism and cooperation in the


WTO
POLSIS Graduate Colloquium 2010-11
9th March 2011
Collin Zhuawu
Focus of research
• My thesis traces the activism and co-operation of
Africa in the World trade Organization (WTO)
negotiating and decision-making process through
examining the activities of Mauritius.
• Demonstrate that Mauritius diplomats, political
elites and business representatives are ‘human
agents’ that contribute to the understanding of
Africa’s engagement in the IPE.
Research Question

• The thesis investigates the increased engagement of


Africa in the IPE beyond the political elite interests and
client-patronage relationships through establishing
that Mauritian activism and co-operation in the WTO
serves not only the elites but the welfare of
Mauritians.
I argue that because of the changing IPE and the ability
of Africa to adjust and adapt to these changes, coupled
by changing domestic political and socio-economic
conditions, African states have come to realise and
refocus on the need to increase their participation and
engagement in the IPE for the betterment of their
people.
Methodology
• Qualitative - Use of
a) WTO documentation
b) Mauritian government documents such as
budget statements , speeches, reports,
minutes etc.
c) Interviews .
d) News papers, magazines, bulletins.
e) National statistics.
Why Mauritius?
• Evidence of rapid economic growth.
• Evidence of improving the livelihoods of
Mauritians.
• Rapid economic development can be
attributed to trade growth. – reliance on trade
for further economic development.
• A history of Government private sector
partnership in policy formation and sound
domestic reforms.
Original Contribution
• Make a contribution to the examination of the
relationship between domestic policy changes and
global policy paradigm changes.
• Build on the engagement approach by examining the
activities of other actors besides the political elite.
• used the Strategic Relational Approach to explain
policy formulation and policy change at the domestic
level and the engagement of Mauritian agency at the
international level beyond the political elite interest
only. My case study confirms the Strategic Relational
Approach; the case study leaves the approach
“stronger than it was before.”
Existing approaches
• Marginalisation approach
-as propounded by African scholars (Adedeji 1993, Okibo 1993, Rasheed 1993,
Nabudere 2000) stems from the relationship of unequal partners with Africa being
the weaker partner.
• Engagement approach
(Clapham 1996, Thomson 2000, William and Taylor 2004, Gayama 1993) argue that
African states have survived in a world of domination especially in the post
independent era by the privatising or ‘de-stating’ of African relations in the
international system.
Changes in the IPE and Effects on
Africa
Changes in the IPE led to changes in
• the composition of the African elite (Tyalor 2001,
Taylor and Nel 2002 and Kotze` and Steyn 2003)
• in the composition of the client relationships i.e.
who is being served by the African elite?
• in domestic policy formulation especially foreign
policy – in the case for this study trade policy.
• in the way African countries engage in the IPE.
Critique of existing approaches
• Do little to account for the changes mentioned
above.
• See the international system as non
transformative.
• Do not give an adequate explanation on the
role of ideas.
• Engagement approaches focuses on the
political elite and marginalization on the state.
Alternative Approach
• Strategic Relational approach as developed by Hay (2002) to explain
-the centrality of human actors in exercising agency both at the domestic and international
level.
- Both the domestic and international contexts are characterised by uneven/ unequal
power structures and that structures ‘select for ‘ certain kinds of agency or agents over
others.
- that the domestic and international political systems are transformative, inter-subjective
and discursive (Hay, 2002; Penna, O`Brien and Hay, 1999; Giddens 1999).
• Approach allows the opportunity to ask questions about
a) trade policy formulation at the domestic level .
b) why African human agency acts the way it does in the WTO.
b)how African human agency shapes the context in which Africa states are situated .
c) how the behavior of African human agency is also shaped by the same context and
the action of other actors with which African human agency interact with.
• My approach allows me to explain a number of questions that have been given little
attention by other approaches in that it allows me to examine how Africa produces and
reproduces and redefine the constitutive principles and structures in which Africa is
situated.
Defining the Mauritian state
• Problems of defining or identifying states in Africa. (Clapham, 1996; Brdham, 1997,
Fukuyama, 2005)
- Juridical artefacts (Jackson 1987)
- Artificial states (Bardhan 1997)
- Collapsed states (Cristopher 1997)
- Patrimonial and neo-patrimonial states (Taylor 2005)
- Development states (Mkandawire 2001)
These descriptions of the African state contribute to the weakening of a critical
understanding of the different African states.
• Hay, (1996) offers an alternative that is useful to defining an African state.
-Move away from defining the state as a single, elusive, essence of ‘stateness’
-define a number of different moments of stateness – the state as a nation, state as a
territory and the state as an institution.
• Mauritius tends to embody all the three forms of stateness.
• However to understand the interests of Mauritius in the WTO there is need to
understand the Mauritian state in the structure – agency approach.
Mauritian state Structure
• provides the political, economic and social context in which political elites and
other stakeholders are situated.
• Discursive nature of Mauritian policy formulation: political elites and stake holders
discuss and formulate national policy (Joint Economic Council , National Economic
Council and Trade Policy Unit and Joint Public Private Sector Committee on
International Trade Issues).
• Political elites do not have an outright domination.
• Political elites rely on the survival of the state and not the other way round.
• Mauritian state seems to have the sovereignty and policy-making capacity at the
domestic level albeit acting under a constraining international structure.
Trade policy consultation in Mauritius
Extracted from Ancharaz (2006)
WTO Institutional Structure

• Emphasise the importance of human agency


instead of state agency.
• diplomats, political elites and business
representatives are human agents acting on
behalf of the state.
• The WTO in most instances is regarded
consciously and unconsciously as an
institution/organisation.
WTO Institutional Structure Cont
• As a result we fail to understand and explain
social relations.
• Structure – agency approach allows us to
explain the social, political and economic
dynamics in the WTO.
• Move away from the view of the WTO
determining the outcomes.
• It allows us to explain why there are coalitions
in the WTO.
Constraints on Human agency

• WTO is an uneven terrain.


• African diplomats and negotiators face
constraints from their states an the WTO that
affect their capacity to negotiate.
• As a result African countries have not been
able to sway their trading partners into a
direction that is favourable to African
countries.
State structure constraints
• Lack of capacity in capital.
• Inability to build their institutional capacity
• Inability to formulate domestic priorities
• Lack of competent negotiators.
• Most negotiators are not trade experts.
• Lack sufficient information about the
negotiating context which tend to constrain
their strategies.
WTO structural constraints
• Procedural unfairness and lack of
transparency.
• The power of equal vote has not been put to
test and remains theoretical.
• Too many meetings taking place at the same
time
• Penalties on subscription arrears.
Coalitions as social constructions
• Because of their weaknesses in the WTO,
African countries diplomats formed coalitions.
• Coalitions are social constructions aimed at
empowering African negotiators.
• However they remain weak due to human
capacity problems.
• Hence the need for diplomats to work hard to
strengthen coalitions.
Role of Mauritius in strengthening
Coalitions
• Was once the coordinator of the Africa Group
(1999-2000) and acting capacity during the
Cancun Ministerial
• Coordinator of the ACP
Activities include
-chairing meetings
-attending green room meetings
-Negotiating on behalf of the group
-coming up with proposals for the group
-assigns different people to different meetings
WTO ideas and Mauritius
• Link between trade and development not
conclusive.
• trade is a critical element for development
strategies and the WTO has a significant role
to play in making trade an effective tool for
poverty reducing growth.
WTO Lock in Effect
• There has been an overselling of the benefits of
trade Rodrik 2000, 2001 1999, Voituriez et al
2006, Rodriguze and Rodrik 1999).
• WTO notes that international trade can lead to
economic growth and development and the WTO
is at the forefront of the efforts to make this
happen for developing countries.
• Yet the WTO was never envisaged as a
developmental organization.
• Instead it restricts the policy space for African
countries.
Engagement with WTO trade
Liberalization ideas
• In the past Mauritius developed under conditions
of partial trade liberalization.
• This changed because Mauritius is locked into the
WTO. Trade Policy Review Mechanism effective in
this respect.
• Mauritius has got to live within the WTO rules
and its optimal trade policy which involves non-
discriminatory liberalization.
• Cannot alter its commitments.
• Influenced by ideas coming through technical
assistance.
Trade liberalization as a inevitable
process.
• Mauritius thinks there is no alternative to
trade liberalization for the country to continue
on its trade growth path.
• Both government and private sector aware
that trade liberalization ‘is the only viable
option’ for the country’s trade strategy
(Ancharaz 2006, Interviews with Sevansing
and Boodhoo 2010)
Mediation with WTO ideas
• Very little rhetoric about this because Mauritius has taken
measures to implement WTO measures and even going further.
• danger of political rhetoric and overselling of trade benefits is dealt
with by one distinctive feature of Mauritius’ domestic environment
were government and business work together to shape
international trade and investment decisions.
• Mechanisms not quite representative disadvantaged groups not
fully represented.
• WTO ideas fused together with Mauritian ideas from arising from
local participation in ideational contestation.
• Because of the ownership of ideas arising from local participation in
ideational contestation, it means that involvement of outside ideas
cannot replace the local ownership of ideas.
Conclusions - Generalizations
• All interviewed countries claim to take into account the improvement of
the livelihoods of their populations when negotiating. According to a
Zambian diplomat ‘trade for its sake is meaningless if it does not take on
board the concerns of the poor communities’ (Interviews 2010). However
to ascertain such a statement there is need for further examination of
Zambia trade policy formulations as has been the case with Mauritius.
• All interviewed countries have some mechanism / committee that is
involved with trade policy formulations. Various stake holders involved.
Might be a sign of the weakening of the political elite in policy making.
However the strategic relational approach might be useful to explain the
relationships in these mechanisms.
• All diplomats interviewed feel empowered by coalitions. A view
supported by policy communities such as UNCTAD, ECA, WTO, COMESA,
and ECDPM. However coalitions remain ‘loose and fragile.’
• All countries interviewed noted that they are involved in trying to balance
their activities in the coalitions and outside coalitions just like Mauritius.
Conclusions - Generalizations
• Even though they are not coordinators they contribute to the
strengthening of coalitions through ideas, acting as focal points,
consensus building, and feed back on positions initiated by the
coordinator.
• Most countries expressed the need for better integrated in the
world economy.
• Most countries interviewed feel pressured by the WTO in terms of
trade liberalization.
• The WTO has limited policy space for African countries.
• WTO ideas influence trade policies for all the countries interviewed.
• No mixed perception about the trade liberalization under the WTO
as inevitable – countries face the WTO constraints and mediate
with them.
• Different ways of mediating with WTO ideas. Up to members to
mediate with the WTO rules to their advantage.
Conclusions and generalizations
• I have used the Strategic Relational Approach
to explain policy formulation and policy
change at the domestic level and the
engagement of Mauritian human agency at
the international level beyond the political
elite interest . My case study confirms the
Strategic Relational Approach; the case study
leaves the approach “stronger than it was
before.”

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