MEMORIES OF strongUNDERDEVELOPMENTstrong A PERSONAL INTERPRETATION.pdf

MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT: A PERSONAL INTERPRETATION 1 OF ZIMBABWE’S ECONOMIC DECLINE Rob Davies Many of the people I criticize will say that I have gotten it wrong: they may even produce evidence that contradicts my views of what happened. I can only offer my interpretation of what I saw . (Stiglitz 2002:xv) Introduction This essay is a personal interpretation of aspects of Zimbabwe’s crisis, based on impression rather than on detailed research. I have adopted this approach for two reasons. First, space and time do not permit a longer-term research project. Secondly, much of the argument is inherently difficult to justify by systematic references to evidence. Details of corruption or abuse are inherently difficult to provide. That does not mean we should not talk about them, but when we do so, we should acknowledge that the anecdotes and personal information that shape our individual interpretations might not be representative. I acknowledge this; those who dislike the approach should regard this essay as putting forward hypotheses that may or may not be sustained by further research. I begin the essay with a crude estimate of the costs of the current decline, as a backdrop for the paper. I then sketch a possible framework for understanding the evolution of Zimbabwe’s political economy since independence. In the third section I try to use this framework to draw lessons about methodology, and about economic justice in transitional societies. 1 Apologies to Edmundo Desnoes for misappropriating the title of his book. Thanks to Brian Raftopolous, Brian Kagoro, Tyrone Savage and others on the Project for comments and suggestions. The costs of economic decline Although this essay is not intended to provide a detailed, data-intensive analysis of the recent performance of the Zimbabwean economy, it is useful to have some idea of the magnitude of the economic dec