Governmentality and Risk in Nicaragua
15
Normalizing Poverty and other Risk Mitigation Strategies A New Understanding of Nicaraguan Governmentality
Transcript of Governmentality and Risk in Nicaragua
Normalizing Poverty and other Risk Mitigation
StrategiesA New Understanding of Nicaraguan Governmentality
Research SiteFarming Community
15 kilometers Outside Condega
125 households
Frequent bus transportation
Gravity Fed Spring Water
Sandinista
MethodologyParticipant observation
Semi-structured interviews
Informal interviews
House visits
Survey
Self-monitoring of daily household expenses
Risk Versus Uncertainty
Uncertainty
Probability Risk
Risk in the Social Sciences
Cultural/SymbolicServes a particular function in society
Risk SocietyFocus on Macro-structural factorsRisk is within our control
GovernmentalityGovernmental strategy of disciplinary power to monitor and control populations
Governmentality
Elimination
Identification
Normalization
Prudentialism
Eliminate Social Programs
Privatize Alternatives
Personal Responsibili
ty
Traditional Risk Reduction Strategies
Loans
Gifts
Remittances
Personal AssetsMigration
Wage Labor
Redistribution
Rural Risk Mitigation
Livelihood Diversificatio
nLoans/Credit
Community Resources
Households with (and without)Debt
One LoanMultiple LoansNeverNo Current
Community-Level Risk Mitigation
• Community Based• Woman's work
• Day labor• Apuntando• Planting a-media
Third Line of
Defense: Internal
• Loans• Microcredit• Microfinance
• Projects
Second Line of
Defense: External
• Diverification• Farming• Migration• Wage Labor • Employment
First Line of
Defense: External
In order for prudentialism to be effective, citizens must be viewed as :
“rational, responsible, knowledgeable and
calculative, and in control of key aspects of their
lives.”-O’Malley
In situations of political and economic instability it becomes even more important for
the government to be able to reduce risk to the
populations’ livelihood, but how?
STRATEGY: NORMALIZATION OF POVERTY
Tools used to reduce risk
Small, targeted Government Poverty alleviation Programs
Programs by NGOs and the
Private Sector
Social Control via the Citizens Power
Council
Nicaraguan Governmentality
