Addressing the Development Implications of Illicit Economies
Published: 27 April 2018
Researchers, policymakers, civil society leaders and NGO practitioners from around the world met to discuss the relationship between illicit economies and development in the Global South.
Researchers, policymakers, civil society leaders and NGO practitioners from around the world met last week at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) for the Colloquium, Addressing the Development Implications of Illicit Economies, writes Dr Allan Gillies, Postdoctoral Fellow (Politics).
The event – held in collaboration between the University of Glasgow’s School of Social and Political Sciences, Christian Aid, the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD), SOAS and Open Society Foundations – aimed to improve our understanding of the complex relationship between illicit economies and development in the Global South.
Law enforcement and securitised frameworks have long-dominated policy responses in this area. Illicit economies, for example, frequently drive violence, corruption, exploitation and failures in governance. However, for many communities living in poverty and conflict-affected areas across the globe, involvement in illicit economic activity can also be a ‘solution’ to the real problems of survival they face. The Colloquium thus posed the question: how can the international community more effectively tackle the obvious threats posed by illicit economies, while avoiding further harms to already marginalised communities?
The Colloquium had an outstanding range of presentations, all grappling with this very question. This included keynotes from Melissa Tullis of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on the effects of global illicit financial flows on development, and Professor Alfred McCoy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who provided a historical overview of the ‘covert netherworld’.
Panels spanned a wide-range of topics, from opium-poppy farming in Myanmar and illegal gold mining in Chocó, Colombia, to the refugee camps of Lebanon and the trade in counterfeit medicines in West Africa (full programme).
Over the course of two days of discussion, delegates shared different views and experiences of illicit economies and development; discussed the dimensions of the problem and evidence needs; and explored development-focused policy responses.
To share knowledge of this important emerging policy agenda, two main outputs from the Colloquium are planned: short impact videos with presenters, and a conference publication. Further details of these outputs will be shared via the colloquium Twitter account.
For more information on the Colloquium, please contact Dr Allan Gillies
First published: 27 April 2018
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