Relevance For The Post 2015 Mdgs Agenda - 1519 Words

CONFLICT AND DEVELOPMENT Relevance for the post-2015 MDGs agenda Conflict is a relatively new concept in development, and the relation between the two is complex and remains not entirely understood. However, and given that the correlation among insecurity and development is clear, there is a general consensus in arguing that development cannot happen without security. In 2015, end of the Millennium Development Goals cycle, fragile and conflict-affected countries are lagging far behind other developing countries in meeting these goals. Thus, the success of the MDGs is threatened and it depends, to a great extent, in the way conflict is addressed. We do believe that including a security-related target in the post-2015 agenda is essential†¦show more content†¦This new approach of understanding development, known as human development, gives its due to conflict in explaining development -or the lack of it. Although today related to negative outcomes, war has not always had the same impact. Indeed, many authors such as Tilly (1985) and Bates (2010) have analyzed how conflict led to the creation of States in Europe during the 14th and 15th century. According to them, the presence of wars and the need for protection raised because rural areas became wealthier as their population density decreased. This demographic change was mainly due to the progress of manufacturing and its consequent urbanization. To be successful at war, monarchs needed new sources of capital that were obtained through taxation, leading to the creation of a more complex bureaucratic system necessary to collect these taxes. Of course, individuals resisted to taxation, so monarchs had to bargain with citizens and concede some power in return for taxes. This way, monarchs gradually limited their own power, igniting the state building process, and laying the groundwork for future democracy and growth. However, Europeâ₠¬â„¢s conditions of state formation were not replicated in developing countries later, due to a radically different context. Amid the Cold War, rulers in less developed countries could obtain their resources through foreign aid,