Economics of Politics in a Weak Nation

-Sajjad Zohir-

Reflecting on experiences around the world, this brief was prepared prior to making a presentation at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2007 and was shared with friends and colleagues back home. All mentions of time periods are with reference to 2007. ‘Global Governance’ was added to the title in 2021.

Drawing upon experiences in some of the less developed countries and the happenings around the globe over last two decades, I shall try to put together a number of propositions. We may like to discuss each of these propositions separately, broadly reach a consensus, and then attempt to build a broader perspective on the real world – both present and likely future. During the discussion, I shall try to elaborate on each of these propositions based on my limited knowledge. Some of the propositions may not hold for a specific country – and these should be changed accordingly. I will borrow the analytical categories mostly from economics. A note of caution: our conclusions are embedded in the assumptions we make, and the assumptions are often chosen with a purpose!

 

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