Elites, Production and Poverty. A comparative study

project summary

Elites, production and poverty (EPP) is a collaborative research program launched in 2008. It brings together research institutions and universities in Bangladesh, Denmark, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda and is funded by the Danish Consultative Research Committee for Development Research. The program is coordinated by the Danish Institute for International Studies, Copenhagen, and runs until March 30 2012. The research program focuses on elites because these have power and because politics is an inherently centralized form of decision making. It involves mutual adjustments among elite factions, and coalition building and conflicts within and between elite groups. In contrast, the influence of civil society groups in poor countries is often overrated and indirect, and should be viewed through the lens of elite politics. Consequently, pro-poor growth policies are unlikely to succeed without elite support. The programme thus focuses on the roles of elites in formulating and implementing productive sector initiatives that promote economic growth and reduce poverty. Case studies cover initiatives in agriculture, agro-processing, fisheries, and manufacturing that feature prominently in the respective countries.