The Politics of Domestic Resource Mobilization for Social Development

Reviews countries' mobilization of fiscal revenues as relevant in light of the SDGs
Examines specific country contexts in the Global South
Considers how domestic resources and politics connect with the delivery of social services for development

At a time when the development community is grappling with the challenge of raising the required investment—estimated in the trillions of dollars—for attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), countries’ mobilization of their own fiscal revenues is receiving increasing attention. This edited volume discusses the political and institutional contexts that enable poor countries to mobilize domestic resources for global commitments and national development priorities. It examines the processes and mechanisms that connect the politics of resource mobilization and demands for social provision; changes in state-citizen, state-business and donor-recipient relations associated with resource mobilization and allocation; and governance reforms that can lead to improved and sustainable public revenues and services.

The volume is unique in putting a spotlight on the political drivers of domestic resource mobilization in a rapidly changing global environment and in different country contexts in Latin America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It will appeal to a broad academic audience in the fields of economics, development studies and social policy, as well as practitioners, activists and policy makers.

Table of contents

1. The Politics of Domestic Resource Mobilization for Social Development: An Introduction
   Pages 1-37 | , Katja Hujo and Yusuf Bangura
2. Fiscal Capacity and Aid Allocation: Domestic Resource Mobilization and Foreign Aid in Developing Countries
   Pages 41-74 | Aniket Bhushan and Yiagadeesen Samy
3. Domestic Resource Mobilization for Social Transfers in Sub-Saharan Africa: Can Foreign Aid Act as a Catalyst?
   Pages 75-108 | Cécile Cherrier
4. How Can Governments of Low-Income Countries Collect More Tax Revenue?
   Pages 109-138 | Mick Moore and Wilson Prichard
5. Colonial Legacies and Social Welfare Regimes in Africa: An Empirical Exercise
   Pages 139-172 | Thandika Mkandawire
6. Democratic Deepening and State Capacity: Taxation in Brazil and India
   Pages 173-206 | Aaron Schneider
7. Power and Politics: Taxation, Social and Labour Market Policies in Argentina and Chile, 1990–2010
   Pages 207-236 | Enrique Delamonica, Jamee K. Moudud and Esteban Pérez Caldentey
8. Sharing the Wealth: The Politics of Subnational Distribution of Natural Resource Revenues
   Pages 237-266 | Javier Arellano-Yanguas and Andrés Mejía-Acosta
9. Domestic Resource Mobilization for Social Development in Bolivia (1985–2014): Protests, Hydrocarbons and a New State Project
   Pages 269-303 | Verónica Paz Arauco
10. The Political Economy of Domestic Resource Mobilization in Nicaragua: Changing State-Citizen Relations and Social Development
    Pages 305-338 | Gloria Carrión
11. The Political Economy of Resource Mobilization for Social Development in Uganda
    Pages 339-370 | Anne Mette Kjær and Marianne S. Ulriksen
12. The Politics of Resource Bargaining, Social Relations and Institutional Development in Zimbabwe Since Independence
    Pages 371-403 | Richard Saunders
13. The Politics of Domestic Resource Mobilization for Social Development: Conclusions
    Pages 405-422 | Katja Hujo

Access the book and preview chapters on Plagrave Macmillan.

Reviews

"This book will be a cornerstone resource in global efforts to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Its rich country case studies and examples elucidate the social, political and economic challenges of domestic resource mobilization. The state-of-the-art analysis will provide policymakers and practitioners with new tools to design and implement fiscal policies that leave no one behind."
—Navid Hanif, Director, Financing for Sustainable Development Office, UNDESA

“This important book explores ways in which the mobilization of additional domestic resources in developing countries can reduce aid dependence, help achieve the SDG targets, and generate closer democratic contacts between state actors and the electorate.”
—Giovanni Andrea Cornia, University of Florence

“This is a major contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of domestic resource mobilization for financing social development objectives. Mobilizing sufficient domestic resources is important for policy sovereignty and achieving sustainable social development.”
—Jimi Adesina, South African Research Chair in Social Policy, University of South Africa, South Africa

“A must-read for scholars and policymakers interested in understanding the political economy of domestic resource mobilization and (re)distribution. The book delivers a savvy dialogue with the literature and a rich empirical analysis of African and Latin American countries. Policy lessons are grounded in country-specific interplay between multilevel politics and legacies.”
—Juliana Franzoni Martinez, University of Costa Rica

Learn more about the The Politics of Domestic Resource Mobilization for Social Development (PDRM) project.

About the editor

Katja Hujo is a Senior Research Coordinator at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), Switzerland.