TODAY, THERE is a lot of negative sentiment not just over political developments, but also for economics and societal issues. Just pick up a newspaper and what strikes the reader are headlines relating to fundamentalism, xenophobia, crime, inequality, corruption, etc. This gives the sinking feeling that we have not really gotten very far. But Jonathan Tepperman has a different take, and argues that all is not lost, in his extremely engaging book titled The Fix.
At first sight, countries like the US, Botswana, Rwanda and Brazil might not have too much in common—being in various stages of growth, with the distance being immense between the US and the rest—but, as Tepperman argues, there are some amazing examples of how these countries have shown resolution of deep-rooted and seemingly unsolvable problems with cogent and concerted policy. All of us are aware of the problems in our country and like to extol what needs to be done. Editorials are written to say what is wrong and how things can be corrected, but the trick is really to get down to doing it and ensuring that the objective is achieved.
The author has written the book with three questions in mind. First, why is it that despite all the turmoil that we read about, there are lesser-known countries that are still flourishing? Second, are there any secrets that might be exported to others based on these experiences? And third, are there any lessons for us? In this process, he finds some commonality in the pursuance of tenets like the power of ‘promiscuous thinking centres’, ‘pragmatism’, ‘embracing extremity’, ‘making people happy’ and ‘revolution by evolution’.
Tepperman talks of 10 issues or afflictions that have clouded our vision over the years. These are inequality, immigration, corruption, civil war, Islamic extremism, resource curse, energy, middle-income trap and two layers of political gridlock. These issues look prima facie insurmountable, given that they have been ingrained in our societies—and it is hard to break free. Inequalities only keep increasing and rapid growth has not helped to lower this gap. On the other side, countries are turning inward and discouraging immigration, as it means job losses internally. Corruption is endemic in most countries and Islamic extremism has become so pervasive that rarely does a month go by when we do not hear of a terrorist attack involving the community. Resources are drying up and given the kind of growth we are talking of in the future, we are bound to run into a barrier, with oil being the biggest potential distortion. Countries are finding it hard to get things done internally, with political parties coming in the way most of the time. India’s example is provided here by the author, where it is mentioned that the NDA government is unable to do much because the opposition is blocking discussion. When we look at these problems everywhere, it could lead to the growth of pessimism.
The author narrates 10 stories from 10 different parts of the world, where leaders have shown character and elevated the lives of people, bringing about harmony amidst this discord. Brazil is an example of how the government got in the cash compensation programme, eliminating the state, which, in turn, cut leakages and made things automatic. Such cash support was conditional and parents had to send their children to school and ensure that they were healthy to draw these benefits. This has been a stellar success.
Botswana is not a country we would think of except for the droughts and famines that plague the land-locked country, but good leadership has made the government there work with consensus after getting freedom from the British. And the country has leveraged on its diamond wealth to transform the economy, whereby per capita income has also increased. Rwanda, which is known for the ignominious slaughter of people in an inter-tribal warfare, was able to transform itself into being modern and also meted out justice to the killers. It was done in a balanced manner, with less display of hatred while dispensing justice.
When we talk of fighting against corruption, Singapore’s story is the role model, where severe punishment is meted out for both major kickbacks, as well as bribes taken by the police or government servants. Here, the author admits that this transformation was possible because the country is small. He points out that while Narendra Modi was successful in Gujarat in controlling corruption, it’s difficult at the national level. Korea was able to get out of what Tepperman calls the middle-income trap, which several countries find themselves in as they ascend the scale of development, but get stuck.
Canada has been described as being the epitome of immigration and the country has welcomed such people to add to their human resources. Indonesia has, on the other hand, managed to control the rise of Islamic fundamentalism by assimilating these extremist parties in the government, ensuring that the country remains open to all religions while being Islamic in spirit.
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For resolving tangled gridlocks, he talks of Mexico getting along with other parties to bring about a transformation. The basic message here is that nothing is impossible and such radical transformations are possible when leaders are determined and have strong character. Some of the more unassuming leaders become effective statesmen. The important thing is that all this takes time. Leaders require longer tenures and normally get them when they are able to demonstrate to the people that they are earnest in their efforts.
Tepperman has written an extremely interesting book, narrating it in the form of 10 different stories and giving the reader a background of each country and its endeavours to bring about change. There are negative outcomes too at the personal level for some leaders, but these could be skipped and forgiven. Countries should identify problems and persevere in bringing the much needed change in their own worlds. They need to ‘fix’ them in a relentless manner.
Madan Sabnavis is chief economist, CARE Ratings