When political leaders identify a global challenge such as the eradication of poverty or hunger and promise hope, they also signal that they are in the market for ideas and programs that will go some way to fulfilling that hope. The suppliers of models of hope signal back with their messages of hope.
Aderemi Medupin
Essence and Significance of Hope
In the January 14, 2024 edition of The Economic Times (of India), there appeared a piece, “Infinite Hope”, penned by Sumit Paul in which the legendary Martin Luther King Jr's quote was invoked, which reads: “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree”
Of course, this level of optimism may sound extreme to some of us. Indeed, Sumit Paul reminds us of the fact that Luther King called it 'audacious hope', noting that it was this audacious hope and immeasurable faith that enabled him to go ahead in life with the conviction that tomorrow will be better than today. He would always say, we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope, recalling how once, the Buddha's disciple Ananda asked him, 'Master, what's the key to a contented life?' 'Hope,' said the Buddha, adding, 'Contentment is a state of mind. It's an individual's perception of fulfilment. Since man never feels fulfilled at any given point of time and aspires to have more, it is hoped that helps him reach that state of existence gradually’.
As proposed by Elaine Houston in a piece, “What is Hope in Psychology + 7 Exercises & Worksheets” shared online on August 27, 2019:
While hope is undoubtedly a personal experience and one that can be challenging to define, the value and positive impact hope can have on human life is widely recognized and difficult to ignore. People often speak about hope strengthening their resolve and accompanying them even in their darkest hour; guiding them through seemingly desperate circumstances. Hope helps us remain committed to our goals and motivated to take action towards achieving them. Hope gives people a reason to continue fighting and believing that their current circumstances will improve, despite the unpredictable nature of human existence.
In the cited article, Houston took pains to explain how hope does not necessarily fade in the face of adversity; in fact, hope often endures despite poverty, war and famine. While no one is exempt from experiencing challenging life events, hope fosters a life orientation that allows a grounded and optimistic outlook even in the most challenging of circumstances. In essence, therefore, hope is an energizing and sustaining force, something that is valuable to individuals in dealing with the future. According to research, hope can fit into one or two of the following categories, depending on its perceived essence:
(i) Realistic Which is hope for an outcome that is reasonable or probable;
(ii) Utopian Hope-a collectively oriented hope that combined action can lead to a better future for everyone. Note that ‘utopia’ is now generally used to mean 'a place of ideal perfection’;
(iii) Chosen Hope-hope that helps us live with a problematic present in an uncertain future; and
(iv) Transcendent Hope-which is also referred to as existential hope-refers to a stance of general hopefulness not tied to a specific outcome or goal but the hope that something good can happen.
Relating these hope categories to Nigeria at the political level, would it not be correct to tag the PBAT administration with a combination of (ii) and (iii) while that of PMB would carry label (iv)?.Controversial verdict, no doubt-and I digress. What comes through from all the above is the essential status of hope in human affairs and our derived task here is to explore what becomes of it at the collective level, through political leadership and intervention.
Hope Viewed through Political Prism
According to Peter Drahos-in the article, “Trading in Public Hope”, published in The Annals of the American Academy-March 2004, public hope is hope that is invoked by political actors in relation to a societal goal of some kind, and it is different from both private hope and collective hope. As he explained, private hope simply refers to the hopes that an individual holds which in some instances may be held in common with others, and under certain conditions, these common hopes can be said to be the collective hopes of a society. His words:
When political leaders identify a global challenge such as the eradication of poverty or hunger and promise hope, they also signal that they are in the market for ideas and programs that will go some way to fulfilling that hope. The suppliers of models of hope signal back with their messages of hope.
A legitimate question is: can hope in a political environment be divorced from its ideological context? A premise for exploring this issue is provided by the trio Claudia Bloser, Jakob Huber and Darrel Moellendorf in their April 17, 2020 article shared at onlinelibrary.com titled, “Hope in Political Philosophy”; hear them:
The language of hope is a ubiquitous part of political life, but its value is increasingly contested. Citizens hope for their cause or candidate to prevail, activists describe their fight against oppression and injustice as bolstered by shared hopes, politicians invoke hope to galvanise support. Yet, even in political discourse the value of hope no longer remains undisputed. Politicians who take on the growing disaffection by invoking hope are readily accused of leading people down the primrose path with empty rhetoric. Citizens wonder which hopes can still be shared in societies characterised by deep disagreement about values and worldviews.
The very last sentence of the cited post points directly to the issue at hand: ideology. To start with, it must be appreciated that political hope is not innocent as some could be ideological. On this, T. Stahl of the University of Groningen, Netherlands, in his July 22, 2022 speech delivered on “Ideological Hope” argues that: “Political hopes can be ideological in two ways: Political hopes can be derivatively ideological, if they derive from underlying ideological beliefs, desires, and/or judgments about practical rationality. Political hopes can also be structurally ideological if they reflect an ideologically distorted conception of the nature of the political agent in question”. One effective route to viewing this rendition is to ask about the sincerity of those declaring hope on one hand and on the other the realism of those critical of the declaration. Again, here’s a subject of far-reaching intellectual challenges; the good news is that individuals and groups can relate to this subject privately awaiting the public verdict of history.
In his first State of the Union address in January 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson told the American Congress that “many Americans live on the outskirts of hope—some because of their poverty, and some because of their colour, and all too many because of both.” He thereafter went ahead to declare “unconditional war on poverty in America” and challenged Congress to act on income, jobs, health, education, and housing. That address is cited here principally to bring out the linkage between the orientation of political gladiators and the pursuit of collective hope- a linkage with automatic connection to and implication for societal development.
Hope and Development
In the Centre for Effective Global Action (CEGA) Working Paper Series No 211 published on July 22, 2022, authored by Travis J. Lybbert and Bruce Wydick, their study on: “Hope and Poverty in Development Economics: Emerging Insights and Frontiers”, we have as part of its introduction the note, that:
The rise of behavioural economics has prompted development economists to investigate the role hope plays – or could play – in poverty alleviation and economic growth. For rich and poor alike, hope mediates perceptions of the future and motivates behaviour in the present. It guides our understanding of the relationship between action and outcomes. It is an emotional and spiritual cornerstone of the human experience, but also shapes material progress through investments that create opportunities and enhance productivity.
The duo researchers invoked the works of the Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen (with a focus on human capability) and Snyder’s theory of hope (named after the positive psychologist, Charles Richard Snyder) whose core thesis is that, in life, hopeful thinkers achieve more, and are physically and psychologically healthier than less hopeful people. These invoked efforts were, of course, conceived to operate at the personal level of an individual, based, as explained by the American journalist, Norman Cousins, on the belief that the capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life, as it provides human beings with a sense of destination and the energy to get started. Here, however, we are focusing on hope at a more aggregative level of a nation, hence the adjective, collective, further informed by its categorization respectively under private, public and collective as highlighted earlier. This is why the Renewed Hope mantra of the Nigerian PBAT administration rightly fits for examination as will be done shortly, but first, a peep at the continental scene and the challenges thrown up as well as the prospects of hope.
Africa in focus
In September 2020, The Club of Rome-comprising 250 partners and other global institutions- published a document authored by Rika Preiser, Mark Swilling, Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, and Mamphela Ramphele, titled: “Towards New Narratives of Hope for Fostering Transformative African Futures”, which conveyed several salient observations, including the following:
i) Seen through the epistemic lens of ‘Western culture’, the challenges facing post-colonial Africa have always seemed insurmountable – even to those charged with governing the post-colonial African nations.
ii) While Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a global consensus on what futures we all might want, questions arise about the kind of sustainable well-being we want and the timelines in which these can realistically be achieved. Pragmatically seen, these need to be addressed within each geographical context, aligning with the mantra: Think Global, Act Local.
iii) Our post-colonial history has forced us to learn the hard way that too often, initiatives that promise change actually reinforce current inequities and unsustainable trajectories that are based on borrowed narratives that have been inherited from colonial, imperial and neoclassical discourses developed for very different contexts.
iv) For us Africans, using our ‘decolonial’ lens, re-imagining new narratives to inform alternative futures, invariably leads us to Agenda 2063 of the African Union, tagged ‘the Africa we want’, with the following well-articulated goals:
A prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development
An Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law
An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics
An Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children
From the continental level, our focus understandably takes country-specific attention, with Nigeria as a case study.
PBAT’s Renewed Hope Agenda
It may have correctly occurred to the reader that the initial inspiration for this piece must have been the Renewed Hope mantra of the Nigerian government that assumed power in 2023. It is therefore pertinent to take a brief, critical view of the guiding document, “Renewed Hope 2023-Acrtion Plan for a Better Nigeria”, with a focus on the section dealing with the economy. The opening paragraph to the section makes an insightful, basically incontestable point, that:
The structural model upon which our national economy has always been based needs major reform. Our economy is unhelpfully designed to export raw materials and import increasingly expensive finished products. Crude oil still provides most of our foreign exchange and represents the primary source of Federal Government revenues. Over the long term, the revenues from these natural resource exports will prove insufficient to meet the rising costs of imports let alone support the fiscal obligations demanded by modern democratic governance.
This is followed later with a promise that: “We will build an economy that produces more of the everyday items, both agricultural and manufactured goods, that define an individual’s and a nation’s standard of living”, which sounds logical, including a rationalized budgetary reform that would place reduced emphasis on the role of the dollar in the local economy derived from its unhealthy reliance on oil revenue. In this vein, it made sense to declare that: “We must curb our reliance on imported goods. Importation of non-essential products will be discouraged through policy measures including luxury taxes, higher tariffs, and higher processing fees”. So also is the promise that: “Our administration will adhere strictly to the principle that public funds are only to be spent on the public good and we shall strive earnestly to reduce the overall cost of the Federal Government . . . Our economic policies shall be guided by our desire for a stronger, more stable Naira founded upon a vibrant and productive real economy.”
Indeed, there’s in place now in the villa what is called Renewed Hope Initiative-which presumably articulates in full the gaze of the PBAT administration. Its main entry is boldly captioned: Economic Empowerment is a Complex and Challenging Issue, but it is one of the Most Important Ways to Improve the Lives of People around the World.
It provides a clear picture of the focus of the government and the various policies conceived and elaborated with justifications-here duly reproduced -as being the following:
Investment in infrastructure: Infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and airports, is essential for economic growth. It allows businesses to transport goods and services more easily, and it makes it easier for people to get to work and school.
Support for small businesses: Small businesses are often the engine of economic growth. They create jobs and innovation, and they help to diversify the economy. Governments can support small businesses by providing tax breaks, loans, and other forms of assistance.
Education and training: A skilled workforce is essential for economic growth. Governments can invest in education and training to ensure that their citizens have the skills they need to succeed in the workforce.
Research and development: Research and development (R&D) is essential for technological innovation, which is a major driver of economic growth. Governments can support R&D by providing grants and tax breaks to businesses and universities.
Trade liberalization: Trade liberalization allows countries to specialize in the production of goods and services that they are good at, and it allows them to export those goods and services to other countries. This can lead to increased economic growth.
Foreign direct investment (FDI): FDI is when a company from one country invests in a company in another country. FDI can bring new technology, jobs, and skills to a country, which can lead to economic growth.
Sound macroeconomic policies: Sound macroeconomic policies, such as low inflation and a balanced budget, can create a stable environment for economic growth. It is important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to economic growth. The best approach will vary depending on the specific circumstances of each country. However, the methods listed above are some of the most common and effective ways to implement economic growth.
Going through the entire document beyond the valid and logical analyses and remedial measures conceived, one searched in vain for a direct reference to the extremely skewed wealth distribution in the economy, talking less of remedial measures. This is without prejudice to the promises in the area of social programmes, as being designed to achieve “a more compassionate society”. The missing link lies elsewhere, the very structure of the economy, which calls for immediate mention.
In assessing the structure and orientation of the economy that underpins any society/country, three critical questions must be posed, answers to which will serve as the objective definition of the status of such economy and society; the questions are: (i) who owns what? (ii) who does what? and (iii) who gets what? The answers to these questions define and set the boundaries of hope- potential and actual- for the citizens of a country. In essence, it is the structure of the economy viewed through these basic questions that we acquire a good understanding of the society in focus.
Ultimate Determinant of the Fate of Collective Hope
I consider it tidy to conclude this piece with a note on two embracing points. The first one is that, it is historically established in theory and practice that the different kinds of social relations which we experience are generated principally by our economic activities as human beings of a particular society which shape our entire lives, including beliefs and hopes. Put nakedly, the role of the economy in influencing what transpires at the political, social and cultural spheres of our lives is primary, without ignoring the reversed influence of these latter spheres on our economic status and fortunes. A careful reading of reality reveals that, fundamentally, the production and distribution of goods and services in society are determined by the three basic questions highlighted earlier: Unless and until these questions are addressed, directly or indirectly, it remains doubtful if the public sector managers-typified at the apex by political gladiators- can come to full grasp, as they should, with the essence and determinants of collective hope.
The second point touches on the sincerity of the advertisers of collective hope and the promise of its fulfilment as the basis of their contract with the people, the collective expectant of the fruits of the promised hope. When a political leadership lives up to the contract by discharging its promises and thus raising the conditions of the electorate quantitatively and qualitatively, there’s a noticeable spread of happiness and a good approval rating. If, contrarily, political leaders abort the promised hope of enhanced living for their constituents, such a negative outcome amounts to objective betrayal of eternal damnation. I come in peace, please.
Comments powered by CComment