Transmission Belt for Transnational Capital or Facilitator for Development? Problematising the Role of the State in the Maputo Development Corridor

In: The journal of modern African studies: a quarterly survey of politics, economics & related topics in contemporary Africa, Band 39, Heft 4, S. 675-695

Abstract

This article problematizes the role of the state in what is claimed to be the "flagship" of the South African Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) program, the Maputo Development Corridor (MDC). The purpose is to assess to what extent the state is best understood as a "transmission belt" for transnational capital or as a "facilitator" for development. The study reveals several flaws in the MDC which reinforce the role of the state as a transmission belt for transnational capital, rather than as a facilitator for development. For instance, the neo-liberal market fundamentalism & big-bang approach inherent in the MDC spells "jobless growth." Similarly, the notion that "good governance is less government," implies that the state is to a large extent reduced to an "investment promotion agency." Having said this, the MDC does contain several novel & positive features, & its problematic aspects can be overcome through some strategic changes in the MDC approach. These may be summarized as a heavier focus on "development," a more pro-active state, & more comprehensive & inclusive governance structures. 1 Map, 43 References. Adapted from the source document.