Both State and Non State Actors Are Joined At The Hip: Are They Aware?

States are a starting point in putting in place mechanisms that define and enforce rights to development for all people including health rights, especially for women. Human capital development is one enduring target that sets countries apart.

However, an obsession with ideologies that espouse less government involvement in market affairs, i.e., social-welfare, deregulation and a more liberal atmosphere, i.e., corporates to make investments anywhere, repatriate profits, pay as little taxes and externalize expenses, have tended to dismiss a third way of setting in place demographic targets that promote human capital development. Human capital developments unleashes resources that act as appropriate and accessible means for self determination and self maturation.

Yet, research points toward the need to invest in the communities. Because weakened communities threaten liberal democracy or attempts at modernization according to Raghuram (2019).

States can juggle reducing government involvement in all affairs of citizens, liberalizing mechanisms and ensuring rights that catalyze human capital development are protected more affirmatively in order for standards of living to be improved. Human capital development should be achievable and accessible by all not because they are economically or politically powerful but because all people deserve it.

A state, is supposed to be a platform to address the issues of people within the borders, i.e., the countries or nations under which those states have jurisdiction. However, to effectively serve the people, a state should work with non states actors, e.g, cultural institutions, CSOs, NGOs, FBOs and International NGOs to address issues of say, Refugees, cataclysms, The Roma, Pygmies, Yazidi, Rohingya, Women, Conflicts, Hunger, Environment and Markets. Political power and technical skills at the disposal of states should be deployed as much as possible to improve human capital. Otherwise if this fails, it leads to states failing to accommodate important problem-posing/solving techniques, input or buy-in of dismissed and deprived demographies. This is what it takes for states to work with non state actors to pool efforts toward quality development of all people. Researchers into mechanisms of ethnic toleration or subversion, conflict, the role of state and non state actors, argue that exclusion from participating in affairs of the nation and blatant exclusion are a cause of conflict in many multi-ethnic countries. Gurr (2000) and Cederman (2019) pointed out that peaceful coexistence prevails and ethnic conflicts can be resolved if "inclusive policies and pragmatic compromises such as increasingly including ethnic groups in power-sharing deals" are upheld by states or non state actors. Cederman, warns that "those who toy with ethnic nationalism are playing with fire."

But, why is it easier to point out what states can or cannot do?

States are an example of the agency and currency derived from structured organization. Whereas organization is a catalysis for development, this does not mean states are the only organized entities, therefore they alone are not the sole drivers of development. According to Cederman, the "UN’s globe-spanning peacekeeping operations, are helping prevent the outbreak of new hostilities between old belligerents, and efforts to promote democracy are making governments more responsive to minorities and thus convincing such groups to settle their scores at the ballot box rather than on the battlefield."

Agency is an inherent and motive aspect drawn upon to make something happen or be known and currency is the channel through which an issue can be made known or apparent. These two are so important in ensuring progress is felt.

Organization has the following characteristics: reporting structure, name, location, physicality, durability, scalability, monitor-ability, reproducibility, manageability, traceable and track-ability.

Organization that drives development can be in form of people who identify under a given mission and objective; or it can be to address a problem faced by many on a large scale. The mission behind the organization is both problem-posing and solving. The objectives are the ways the people have come up with to address the self evident needs. Some of these needs are internally stimulated while others are external in nature. The external needs can be divided further into universal and local.

Needs are those claims or aspirations that once available make self preservation possible. The examples that come to mind: need to belong, family, food, education, employable skills, interpersonal skills, contribute to communities, interact with surroundings, security, life preservation, liberty and many others. These then lead to the next level of utilizing resources to survive and improve on oneself, ability to produce or be productive, as well as being able to improve one’s society.

So, at the individual level why should we be concerned?

Humans become aware that they have to address the needs not only for self preservation but for many other growth and development reasons such as: training for job opportunities or civil service in order to stand better chances for placement, position, power, privileges and entrepreneurship; and gaining high skilled status to be able to join quality level expertise in many fields e.g., medicine, engineering, politics, law, governance to name but a few. This is the backbone upon which people of all categories can enjoy life. According to research, this is what drives success. Uzzi (2019), a renowned leadership and management expert argues that, this is how networks which boost success are built. These networks become hubs for power, placement, privileges and placement of individuals in any given enterprise mechanisms.

Needs come in two forms: claims or aspirations. When they are perceived as claims, these can range from tools in form of resources, property (private or public) or are a manifestation of a missing entity that needs to be made available. In form of aspirations, needs become goals to meet.

States can play a guarantor role for permanence and socially uplifting institutionalization however when the state structure are used to persecute or fuel inter-ethnic rivalries, this can bring about displacement, insecurity and genocides. This makes states the bane of the life of people. Sometimes states do not have the structures to consolidate hegemony. Still others are overwhelmed by say, civil strife that some people who are marginalized suffer a lot by the hands of the uniformed. At other times states are simply not the only reliable platforms to provide means for meeting needs and securing enjoyment of life of people.

But, if states have been the default power centres what then makes them fail to address all the problems in their geographical areas?

One reason is that states evolved to address issues at formal and technical levels which tend to lock out voices of those deemed not organized or have credentials for representation at dialogue round tables. States fail in some cases to address all the needs of people under their jurisdiction.

But, this is more of an excuse and not an exception. There is more to addressing minority issues, hunger, famine, poverty and inequality than states have invested in. Two facts stand out like the tip of an iceberg. Not including the very beneficiaries in planning may be a hiccup. But, including them could be one way to turn under tapped skills or knowledge into transformative action.