Report from the launch of ‘Beyond Economics’ in Tanzania

‘Beyond Economics: An East African Conversation’, the East African launch of the journal Development 52.3 ‘Beyond Economics’, took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on 2-3 February 2010.

Read the whole report of the launch ‘Beyond Economics: An East African Conversation’.

The meeting brought together some 100 participants from the business sector, government, journalism, civil society and academe from around East Africa. The four sessions explored the East African community’s response to the financial crisis focusing on the role of the state in the economy, regulation and finance, informal economies and citizenship engagement. As well as the panels and open discussion three short videos were played to bring into the conversation diverse views of the impact of the economic crisis on Africa along with graphic pictures of peoples’ lives among urban slums.

Continuing on from the launches of the journal in The Hague and New York the Dar meeting looked at the implications of the financial crisis and what types of economic institutions are needed in the region to cope with the various systemic crises and to ensure people’s long term well-being. There was a notable shift from the global overviews of the earlier launches in New York and The Hague which looked at systemic crisis writ large. The focus in those events was to understand how to solve social, economic and ecological crises at an international policy and academic level. The conversation took mapped out the big picture somewhat removed from the every day issues of governance, livelihoods and political integrity. The conversation in Dar es Salaam discussion instead, was embedded within the concerns of national economies and politics particularly in view of the reality of regional integration.
The conversation was built up around how to have growth with equity, respect for human rights and to ensure governments take up their responsibility while encouraging local business given the political insecurity of the region and uncertainty of global aid in the current financial climate.

Read the article ‘Africa Must Wake Up From Daydreaming ‘ by participant James Magode Ikuya in allAfrica.com, who gave an excellent presentation at the launch on the unmeasured economy.

In the photo above (from left to right): Hon Eriya Kategaya, First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda; Wendy Harcourt, Editor, Development; Amb. Juma Mwapachu, Secretary General , East African Community; Stefano Prato, Managing Director, SID.

In the photo below: discussion from the floor

Written by: Laura

Filed Under: Development, Events

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About Laura

Laura Fano Morrissey is External Relations Officer at the SID Secretariat in Rome. She is also working on the journal Development as Assistant Editor. Laura graduated in Political Science and holds a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies from the University of London. She has worked extensively in the NGO sector, mainly with a focus on Latin America.

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