Less Poverty, More Precarity: squaring the circle of Southeast Asian development #LSESEADevelopment Professor Jonathan Rigg Professor and Chair in Human Geography, University of Bristol. Chair: Professor Hyun Bang Shin Professor of Geography and Urban Studies and Director of Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre, LSE. Hosted by the LSE Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre
Less Poverty, More Precarity: Squaring the Circle of Southeast Asian Development Jonathan Rigg School of Geographical Sciences University of Bristol
Northeast Thailand, 1982
The puzzle of poverty I Northeast Thailand, 1982 In 1966, the CIA , worried about the growth of the Communist Party of Thailand commissioned a study of living standards in the Northeastern region. The study found that 78% of rural Northeasterners had a cash income of just US$15 per year. But “most villagers rated themselves ‘reasonably well off’.” (This surprised the CIA.) (CIA 1967: 5).
Northeast Thailand, 2008
The puzzle of poverty II Northeast Thailand, 2008 In 2012-2013 we surveyed households in three villages in Khon Kaen province. We found that 46 per cent of household head respondents considered their households to be ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. (We were not altogether surprised.) (Le Mare et al. 2015: 293).
The puzzle of poverty I The puzzle of poverty II In 1966, the CIA , worried about the growth In 2012-2013 we surveyed households in of the Communist Party of Thailand three villages in Khon Kaen province. commissioned a study of living standards in the Northeastern region. We found that 46 per cent of household head respondents considered their The study found that 78% of rural households to be ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. Northeasterners had a cash income of just US$15 per year. (We were not altogether surprised.) But “most villagers rated themselves ‘reasonably well off’.” (This surprised the CIA.) (CIA 1967: 5). (Le Mare et al. 2015: 293).
The puzzle of poverty I The puzzle of poverty II In 1966, the CIA , worried about the growth In 2012-2013 we surveyed households in of the Communist Party of Thailand three villages in Khon Kaen province. commissioned a study of living standards in the Northeastern region. We found that 46 per cent of household head respondents considered their The study found that 78% of rural households to be ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. Northeasterners had a cash income of just US$15 per year. (We were not altogether surprised.) But “most villagers rated themselves ‘reasonably well off’.” (This surprised the CIA.) (CIA 1967: 5). (Le Mare et al. 2015: 293). Meagre living but not poor Material wealth but poor
The idea of poverty
The ‘poverty eradicators’ “Our generation can choose to end…extreme poverty by the year 2025” (Jeffrey Sachs in The End of poverty 2005: 1)
The ‘poverty eradicators’ “Our generation can choose to end…extreme poverty by the year 2025” (Jeffrey Sachs in The End of poverty 2005: 1)
The ‘poverty eradicators’ “Our generation can choose to end…extreme poverty by the year 2025” (Jeffrey Sachs in The End of poverty 2005: 1) The ‘poverty persistors ’ “By necessaries I understand not only the commodities which are indispensably necessary for the support of life, but what ever the customs of the country renders it indecent for creditable people, even the lowest order, to be without.” Adam Smith in The wealth of nations (1776)
The ‘poverty eradicators’ “Our generation can choose to end…extreme poverty by the year 2025” (Jeffrey Sachs in The End of poverty 2005: 1) The ‘poverty persistors ’ “By necessaries I understand not only the commodities which are indispensably necessary for the support of life, but what ever the customs of the country renders it indecent for creditable people, even the lowest order, to be without.” Adam Smith in The wealth of nations (1776) The ‘poverty transformers’ “…poverty cannot be eradicated … on the contrary poverty is continually being created and recreated under the institutions of capitalism” (Harriss -White 2006: 1241)
How do we make sense of ‘the’ poor? (Here, in northern Laos.) - As experiencing an inherited poverty, rooted in the past? - As forever having feelings of prosperity undermined, as luxuries become necessities? - As finding themselves caught in new articulations of poverty linked to capitalism?
Central Vietnam 1990 Jakarta 1991 Laos, 2017 Northeast Thailand, 1982 All poor… but differently poor
The experience of f poverty
One region , two villages, two households, thirty years
One region, two villages , two households, thirty years Ban Non Tae, 1983 Ban Lao, 2014
One region, two villages, two households , thirty years Nai Nit Khaman, 1983 Mae Thong, 2015
One region, two villages, two households, thirty years Poverty then Poverty now (1983) (2015)
Footprints of f poverty and prosperity
Co-residential household (propinquity) Functional household (resource transfers) Family (kinship) Planted to Resource transfers (cash or commodities) cassava; cash crop (10,000 baht) Production 1.9 ha rice land 1.6 ha of ( naa lum ) upland ( thii rai ) Buffalo (1, Planted to local Reproduction future sale) glutinous rice variety to Pig (1, future meet subsistence needs Redistribution sale) (300 tang ) Horses (2, future sale) Nai Nit Khaman Farmer Farmer and mat-maker (interview: 29 th January (42 yrs) (40 yrs) 1983 [BNT05]) School child School child Farmer Farmer Farmer (12 yrs) (10 yrs) (16 yrs) (18 yrs) (20 yrs)
Co-residential household (propinquity) Functional household (resource transfers) Family (kinship) Planted to Resource transfers (cash or commodities) cassava; cash crop (10,000 baht) Production 1.9 ha rice land 1.6 ha of ( naa lum ) upland ( thii rai ) Buffalo (1, Planted to local Reproduction future sale) glutinous rice variety to Pig (1, future meet subsistence needs Redistribution sale) (300 tang ) Horses (2, future sale) Nai Nit Khaman Farmer Farmer and mat-maker (interview: 29 th January (42 yrs) (40 yrs) 1983 [BNT05]) School child School child Farmer Farmer Farmer (12 yrs) (10 yrs) (16 yrs) (18 yrs) (20 yrs) Spatial parameters of the village
Ban Non Tae Ban Lao Co-residential household (propinquity) Household as co- Functional household (resource transfers) residential Family (kinship) Village as coherent Planted to Resource transfers (cash or commodities) containers of cassava; cash crop (10,000 social and baht) Production 1.9 ha rice land 1.6 ha of economic ( naa lum ) upland ( thii rai ) Buffalo (1, Planted to local Reproduction processes future sale) glutinous rice variety to Pig (1, future meet subsistence needs Redistribution Livelihood as sale) (300 tang ) multi-stranded but Horses (2, locally rooted future sale) Nai Nit Khaman Farmer Farmer and mat-maker (interview: 29 th January Household as (42 yrs) (40 yrs) subsistence 1983 [BNT05]) oriented Poverty as an inheritance of the past School child School child Farmer Farmer Farmer (12 yrs) (10 yrs) (16 yrs) (18 yrs) (20 yrs) Spatial parameters of the village
Ban Non Tae Ban Lao Co-residential household (propinquity) Household as co- Functional household (resource transfers) residential Family (kinship) Village as coherent Planted to Resource transfers (cash or commodities) containers of cassava; cash crop (10,000 social and baht) Production 1.9 ha rice land 1.6 ha of economic ( naa lum ) upland ( thii rai ) Buffalo (1, Planted to local Reproduction processes future sale) glutinous rice variety to Pig (1, future meet subsistence needs Redistribution Livelihood as sale) (300 tang ) multi-stranded but Horses (2, locally rooted future sale) Nai Nit Khaman Farmer Farmer and mat-maker (interview: 29 th January Household as (42 yrs) (40 yrs) subsistence 1983 [BNT05]) oriented Poverty as an inheritance of the past School child School child Farmer Farmer Farmer (12 yrs) (10 yrs) (16 yrs) (18 yrs) (20 yrs) Objectively poor; Spatial parameters experientially non- of the village poor
Co-residential household (propinquity) Functional household (resource transfers) Land Family (kinship) 3.8 ha of land (3 plots) Provides subsistence Resource transfers (cash or commodities) Production Farmer and pieceworker Sugar cane cutter Reproduction Village (58 yrs) Kanchanaburi Redistribution Regular remittances Rare remittances Mae Thong Occasional remittances (interview: 10 th February 2015 [BLKH#06]) Delivery driver NGO worker Nongbua Lamphu (37 yrs) Factory worker Udon Thani (26 yrs) Khon Kaen Regular remittances School child Bangkok (19 yrs) Village (7 yrs) Bangkok (17 yrs)
Spatial parameters Co-residential household (propinquity) of the village Functional household (resource transfers) Land Family (kinship) 3.8 ha of land (3 plots) Provides subsistence Resource transfers (cash or commodities) Production Farmer and pieceworker Sugar cane cutter Reproduction Village (58 yrs) Kanchanaburi Redistribution Regular remittances Rare remittances Mae Thong Occasional remittances (interview: 10 th February 2015 [BLKH#06]) Delivery driver NGO worker Nongbua Lamphu (37 yrs) Factory worker Udon Thani (26 yrs) Khon Kaen Regular remittances School child Bangkok (19 yrs) Village (7 yrs) Bangkok (17 yrs)
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