NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Robert Bates,
Harvard University professor of government, spoke at the UCLA
Faculty Center on Monday.
By Sabrina Singhapattanapong
Daily Bruin Contributor
Harvard professor of government Robert Bates lectured Monday on
the existence of violence in prosperous societies throughout
history at the UCLA Faculty Center.
Speaking on “Violence and Prosperity” at the
Inaugural Ralph Bunche Lecture, Bates said the most developed and
prosperous areas of 14th century Western Europe ““ London,
Paris, and areas along the Rhine River ““ were places of
continual uprisings caused by feudal aristocrats and magnates.
Similarly, Bates noted that countries rich in diamond mines and
copper deposits, such as Angola and Zaire, are currently
experiencing civil unrest.
As an extensive researcher and renowned author on political
economy and development in Africa and Latin America, Bates said
some societies have utilized political competition and democracy in
order to successfully deter violence and attract prosperity and
peace.
Democracy would yield a sense of accountability to
“transform those who aspire for power to use it for
prosperity,” added Bates.
According to Bates, citizens of democratic governments can hold
politicians accountable for their actions and consequently continue
to elect or reject them, thus strengthening economic stability and
encouraging less violence.
Bates feels that political and economic policies should be
developed to expand the economy rather than to extract goods from
it. However, “sometimes the best economic policies
don’t always deliver,” said UCLA political science
professor Barbara Geddes ““ referring to Brazil and India as
present-day examples.
Agreeing with Geddes’ comment, Bates said the coexistence
of extraordinary costs of implementing political policies, such as
election costs, and inadequate resources are responsible for
failures of such policies.
Through his analysis of the nature of conflict, violence and
prosperity, Bates noted that if people in less-developed societies
were to live peacefully, the price of peace was to be poor.
People in African kinship societies tend to assume leisure to
avoid conflict, fearing that the possession of prosperity will lead
to being attacked by warlords, said Bates. He added that
“warfare awaits the possibility of prosperity.”
Bates referred to violence as an organization that depends upon
its property of fragility to trigger deterrence from people
infringing upon the rights of others.
UCLA political science professors and graduate students alike
expressed their delight in having Bates lecture at UCLA.
Thomas Schwartz, a UCLA political science professor, described
Bates’ lecture as a majestic survey of the biggest problem of
world economy.
Monday’s lecture at the UCLA Faculty Center was sponsored
by the UCLA Political Science Public Lectures Committee.