Visit to the Planerladen Dortmund - Comment
- by Rhoda Viajar -
The Planning Shop in Dortmund sounded quite familiar. The nature of the projects, the rationalizations behind them and the processes involved are similar to those employed by some development projects in the Philippines.
Parallels to the Philippines
Some groups in the Philippines have grown impatient and frustrated with the inefficiency of government, the futility of demanding greater allocation for social services and lesser debt servicing, the continued neglect of vital infrastructure and public goods. With resources from development agencies, multilateral institutions as well as the State, community-based initiatives have been undertaken to address social, economic, political and cultural problems. These initiatives should not be easily dismissed for they have also effected changes in people’s lives. The successes of these initiatives have a lot to do with the participatory nature of projects and how social workers have effectively organized and empowered communities. Yet, these projects are also at risk of maintaining the neoliberal system.
Some impressions and questions
It seems to me that the Planning Shop maintains the system and reproduce the strategies of neoliberalism through the following:
1. Credit Consultancy
Is this Credit Consultancy working like a little IMF? As financial advisers, the Planning Shop counsels people who have difficulties in loan repayments. Thus, at the same time that it provides assistance to people in debt (for a fee?), it also ensures that the State would be able to collect payments.
2. Image Building Projects
Do these projects attempt to hide / suppress poverty, criminality and social problems like drug addiction to promote the impression and idea that neoliberalism is successful in improving cities and people’s lives?
It seems that these inititatives are hopeful about the inflow of capital and investments that will later result to the improvement of lives. But the question is how will the poorest, most vulnerable and most marginalized benefit from these?
3. Education and Encounters
The language courses for immigrants, venues/spaces for encounters among women, “homeworks abroad” for children – these projects undeniably respond and address specific needs necessary to be integrated into the system. Apparently, the Planning Shop has proved that it is able to efficiently implement services that the State no longer wants to do. It has effectively substituted the work of the State. Thus, they may have also become “apologists” of the State.
Conclusion
I think that is admirable that the people at the Planning Shop have attempted to make changes/improvement in some people’s by using their expertise. Yet, because they’re creating changes by working with the State, they may have somehow been coopted. And this may not be quite unexpected. Because it seems to me that they too are believers of the neoliberal philosophy. I don’t think they see cooptation as an issue. Perhaps, cooptation is precisely their strategy.
Report on the visit to Dortmund (German)
Planerladen Dortmund - Comentario
by Graciela Draguicevich (Spanish)
The Visiting Programme in February and March 2006
