Transcript Using Communications for Development - digital

Irrelevant inconvenience or inconvenient
necessity?: how development agencies/policymakers approach media within the governance
agenda
James Deane (Research and Policy Programme on Role of Media and
Communication in Development, BBC WS Trust
IAMCR, Stockholm
July 2008
Presentation Overview
• Why development agencies value – in
principle – the role of media and
communication in development:
• Challenging some assumptions among
development agencies of why media play this
role.
• The development framework within which
media and communication issues are
considered.
• How media sector is responding to these
challenges.
• Problems with the research base
The Problems the Development System expects
a Free Media to Help Solve
Informing citizens of
issues that shape
their lives
Holding Authority to
Account
(Governance)
Amplifying Voices
of Marginalised
Groups
(Democratic
Citizenship)
(Empowerment)
Market
transparency and
checks and
balances
Fostering dialogue,
preventing conflict
(Conflict)
(Economic
Development)
Changing
behaviours
Avoiding Famines
Building Public
Support for
Development
Action
(e.g. Health)
(Amartya Sen)
(Advocacy)
The problems media has in solving these problems
•
•
A group of increasingly private actors expected to address increasingly urgent
public interest problems
Why should the media play these public interest roles under new conditions;
– An exploding, liberalised, competitive media market;
– New technologies - new models of journalism and erosion of existing models.
•
•
New opportunities for solving these problems (e.g public debate/citizen
journalism etc) but..
Market failures becoming more intense
– Intense competition focusing media on advertising income;
– Incentives to hold authorities to account e.g. through investigative journalism)
declining, disincentives (attacks on journalists, political cooption) increasing.
– Questionable market incentiies in focusing on development issues.
– Urban/rural and rich/poor gaps widening
•
A paucity of research in this area:
– We know little about the incentives and disincentives at work
– Or about consequent effects of rapidly changing media and communication dynamics
on state-citizen relationships or on lives of people living in poverty.
Who is the policy audience?
Policy audiences:
Donors/Multilaterals/
Development Banks
Governments
Civil Society
Media organisations
Some Central Policy Questions
Why should media and
communication concerns and support
be a priority in development
strategies?
What action is needed?
What long term development
objectives can expect to be met as a
result?
What is the current Development Policy
Framework?
• Myriad government, donor, foundation, civil society and
other policy frameworks
• BUT more consensus underpinning development policy than
in the past founded on:
– The Millennium Development Goals;
– The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, rooted in principles of
national ownership and enhanced accountability of governments to
citizens;
– Budget support to governments;
– An increasing focus on governance, and a renewed focus on political
realities and contexts (principally in the context of “Development and
democracy” - and in economic debates).
Current Development Policy Framework: is there a
focus on media, information and communication?
• A focus on improving accountability of governments to
citizens;
• Recognition that “ownership” of development strategies by
governments of countries is insufficient – public
understanding and opportunity to debate is also necessary
(OECD);
• Beginnings of a recognition of critical role of media and
communication in shaping change (Drivers of Change
studies; Experiences in Kenya, Nepal, Ghana, Nigeria etc.)
• Alarm over lack of progress on MDGs (e.g. HIV)
• Beginnings of an understanding that rapid changes in
media and ICTs is not well tracked or understood (many UK
Parliamentary Questions)
• Beginnings of a recognition of what media and
communication programmes can achieve
Fairly catastrophic: The state of development policy
regarding media and communication
• Closure/downgrading of media/communication for development
departments
• Not on the “mainstream” development agenda (e.g Accra High
Level Forum)
• No champions/leadership within bilateral/multilateral agencies.
• Decentralisation leading to fragmentation in approaches
associated with rapid staff turnover
• Many actors, but little coherence or coordination, particularly at
country level;
• Perception that the media and communication sector is weak;
• Resources piecemeal, unstrategic and inefficient;
• Research base very limited, especially in academic institutions
Media and Communication in development:
Policymakers perspectives and responses
• It's fuzzy and unprofessional;
• An increasingly organised and
professional sector emerging;
• There's no evidence of
impact
• An increasingly compelling
evidence base;
• It's too political and messy;
• Increasing recognition that
development is political and
messy
• What does research we trust
tell us how it matters, what
to do and how to do it?
•?
Current Policy Research Challenges (non US)
Few acknowledged centres for policy research on media and
communication in context of development;
Research that does take place largely disconnected from
practise;
Research addressing peers (media and communication
researchers), rarely addressing policy (especially development
policy);
Research on related themes (e.g. democratic
citizenship/economic development) make assumptions without
addressing media and communication;
Very limited incorporation of media and communication
concerns into mainstream development policy research
agendas e.g drivers of change);
Primitive policy discourse on media and communication within
mainstream development policy (conflated with external
relations)
Some Research Questions that
development agencies need better answers
to
Under what conditions should
bilateral donors invest in
media/communication support
initiatives?;
 Defining parameters of when and
when not to invest;
 Sensitivities and risks;
 What aid instruments have best
worked in supporting media and
communication?;
Some currently unanswered (and possibly
unasked) Research Questions
What are the consequences of
information poverty (lack of access to
information on issues that affect lives)
on:
– livelihoods (economic engagement);
– claiming rights/empowerment
(political and social engagement);
– health outcomes; security; etc.
Some Research Questions
What are the consequences of
communication poverty (lack of
capacity to communicate perspectives
into public/community debate on:
livelihoods (economic engagement);
claiming rights/empowerment
(political
and social engagement);
health outcomes; security; etc.
Some Research Questions
Access to information and
communication opportunities among
marginalised groups as determinants
of empowerment and improved
livelihoods in urban, peri-urban and
rural settings: three case studies.
Some Research Questions
The consequences of media policy on
government accountability: a
longitudinal comparative study in
three countries (Zimbabwe, Uganda,
Nepal)
with conclusions explaining under
what conditions does media
liberalisation lead to positive
development outcomes?
Some Research Questions
The effects of media liberalisation in
crisis states: a comparative study
between Rwanda, Burundi and Nepal
Transformation of state broadcasters
into public service broadcasters: a
review of the evidence
Some Research Questions
Correlations between exposure of
people living in poverty to information
on issues that affect their lives and
citizen action: case studies from
Nepal, Colombia and Italy;