First published in Republica Daily
Civil society and economy
It is believed that a society is largely driven by its political framework. But the history of human development hints at something different. It is often the economic status of a country that gives it a stable political framework.
Historically, Nepal’s civil society has been concerned, perhaps too much, about politics and political institutions. Its role in guarding politics and political institutions has been impressive throughout history. During every major political change, civil society has perhaps been more important than political actors themselves. But we never had a strong civil component to watch over economic institutions.
Theoretically, civil society need not be involved in the economic sphere at all, as all individuals are rational beings and can make decisions for their own betterment. But that need not be the case. Our government’s expenditure is large, and not transparent. To make government aware of its inefficiencies, we need a civil society focused on economic activities.
The civil society’s role is not limited to overseeing the management of tax money. It should also speak out against corporate giants. The recent attempts to bring Monsanto into the country, and Rajya Laxmi Golchha’s entry into the Constitution Assembly are extreme cases that call for a strong civil society on the economic front. Economic development is a collective effort of the private and public sector; the problem is that our private sector has become rather irresponsible.
Economic development is not a single incident. Prosperity is the result of many small and large scale activities and sound economic policies. But at the bottom of all these things, there should be an honest private sector and functional public sector.
The opening up of the economy in 1990 brought significant changes to people’s lives, but they were not enough to improve daily lives of people. The private sector in other countries has been able to create jobs and increase production even when the political situation is not favorable. Bangladesh is an example. In our case, private sector is always demanding one thing or the other. The umbrella organizations of the private sector, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Confederation of Nepalese Industry (CNI), both are inactive.
In our country, economic development is not synchronized with social and political development. Our social and political awareness are way ahead of our economic awareness. In theory, no economist, policymaker or businessperson would agree to have a civil society that is a hindrance to economic activities of the private sector. But in practice, it has been a necessity in a country where there are far more traders than real entrepreneurs, and there is a vast difference between the two. Making profit is neither bad nor dishonest, but it should be fairly gained and socially responsible.
Francis Fukuyama writes that economic activity represents a crucial part of social life and is knit together by a wide variety of norms, rules, moral obligations and other habits that together shape society. The idea of a civil society that looks after economic activities is to build a society where trust prevails.
The question here is whether media can be that civil society that safeguards the ethics of the economy, as it does in politics and governance. No media seems ready to speak against private sector ‘mafias’. Government and political dictators have repeatedly failed to manipulate the media. But corporate interest groups, unlike the government, can easily make a media house blind to their wrongdoings, and thus prevent them from being honest watchdogs of society.
The need for a civil society that carefully watches over economic and development activities that have a significant impact on people’s lives has been felt in many instances, including in Upper Trishuli 3A and the development of Melamchi Drinking Water Project. But we hardly get news of such activities because the media is run, directly or indirectly, by corporate giants that are involved in these activities. Most journalists have had their journalistic freedom compromised while covering issues related to private sector’s mischief.
The media should be able to play the role of civil society in any area. Journalism’s roots come from gossip-mongers. Historian Yuval Noah Harari from Hebrew University in Jerusalem writes, “Gossip usually focuses on wrongdoings. Rumor-mongers are the original fourth estate.” This historical background of journalism should enable it to warn society about cheats and freeloaders in the private sector. But it has failed to do so in many cases.
A strong civil society in the economic sphere has become necessary as the country’s political situation seems more and more uncertain. Therefore, it is time to call for an effective civil society that monitors the economy. We need an independent civil society that works to make economic institutions accountable and urges public offices to perform better.
It is believed that a society is largely driven by its political framework. But the history of human development hints at something different. It is often the economic status of a country that gives it a stable political framework.
Historically, Nepal’s civil society has been concerned, perhaps too much, about politics and political institutions. Its role in guarding politics and political institutions has been impressive throughout history. During every major political change, civil society has perhaps been more important than political actors themselves. But we never had a strong civil component to watch over economic institutions.
Theoretically, civil society need not be involved in the economic sphere at all, as all individuals are rational beings and can make decisions for their own betterment. But that need not be the case. Our government’s expenditure is large, and not transparent. To make government aware of its inefficiencies, we need a civil society focused on economic activities.
The civil society’s role is not limited to overseeing the management of tax money. It should also speak out against corporate giants. The recent attempts to bring Monsanto into the country, and Rajya Laxmi Golchha’s entry into the Constitution Assembly are extreme cases that call for a strong civil society on the economic front. Economic development is a collective effort of the private and public sector; the problem is that our private sector has become rather irresponsible.
Economic development is not a single incident. Prosperity is the result of many small and large scale activities and sound economic policies. But at the bottom of all these things, there should be an honest private sector and functional public sector.
The opening up of the economy in 1990 brought significant changes to people’s lives, but they were not enough to improve daily lives of people. The private sector in other countries has been able to create jobs and increase production even when the political situation is not favorable. Bangladesh is an example. In our case, private sector is always demanding one thing or the other. The umbrella organizations of the private sector, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Confederation of Nepalese Industry (CNI), both are inactive.
In our country, economic development is not synchronized with social and political development. Our social and political awareness are way ahead of our economic awareness. In theory, no economist, policymaker or businessperson would agree to have a civil society that is a hindrance to economic activities of the private sector. But in practice, it has been a necessity in a country where there are far more traders than real entrepreneurs, and there is a vast difference between the two. Making profit is neither bad nor dishonest, but it should be fairly gained and socially responsible.
Francis Fukuyama writes that economic activity represents a crucial part of social life and is knit together by a wide variety of norms, rules, moral obligations and other habits that together shape society. The idea of a civil society that looks after economic activities is to build a society where trust prevails.
The question here is whether media can be that civil society that safeguards the ethics of the economy, as it does in politics and governance. No media seems ready to speak against private sector ‘mafias’. Government and political dictators have repeatedly failed to manipulate the media. But corporate interest groups, unlike the government, can easily make a media house blind to their wrongdoings, and thus prevent them from being honest watchdogs of society.
The need for a civil society that carefully watches over economic and development activities that have a significant impact on people’s lives has been felt in many instances, including in Upper Trishuli 3A and the development of Melamchi Drinking Water Project. But we hardly get news of such activities because the media is run, directly or indirectly, by corporate giants that are involved in these activities. Most journalists have had their journalistic freedom compromised while covering issues related to private sector’s mischief.
The media should be able to play the role of civil society in any area. Journalism’s roots come from gossip-mongers. Historian Yuval Noah Harari from Hebrew University in Jerusalem writes, “Gossip usually focuses on wrongdoings. Rumor-mongers are the original fourth estate.” This historical background of journalism should enable it to warn society about cheats and freeloaders in the private sector. But it has failed to do so in many cases.
A strong civil society in the economic sphere has become necessary as the country’s political situation seems more and more uncertain. Therefore, it is time to call for an effective civil society that monitors the economy. We need an independent civil society that works to make economic institutions accountable and urges public offices to perform better.
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