Tribute to Norman Girvan
Memorial Service, UWI Chapel, Mona
The last time I saw Norman he did not see me. He was on his way, with an energetic bounce, to his exercises in the park. So much in contrast to my sedentary ways, my family chastised. Looking back now, nearly half s century, I can see that that energy, not only physical, but even more so, intellectual and social and political defined the man.
Over the years we shared, in particular, a special interest in Caribbean integration. In fact our careers began on that note, and it was the subject of our latest endeavors. I used to teasingly enquire how after half a century he still had the energy to continue batting, still not out. And he would regale me with his characteristic humor that a young man had just asked him if he was the son of that Girvan who wrote those books on the bauxite industry.
Although his range of interest and activities was extremely wide, the common thread running through them was "imbalance of power" , as he called it; the force that stultified economic growth in the impoverished countries of the South. And, therefore it followed, the imperative of collective action by these countries to countervail this asymmetry in power. Whether at the level of Caribbean Community, the wider Caribbean, or the South as a whole, or groups within it. The impact of power was to be put in dramatic relief in his clash with the IMF over so-called structural adjustment, that proved to be more destructive than constructive. And with the European Union over their Economic Partnership Agreement with the Caribbean, that was anything but a partnership. For his/ our generation of economists power was far from mainstream theory on development, trained as we were to think, in the Euro-American manner, in terms of mechanistic models built around value-free descriptive concepts, such as savings and investment rates, and the like. Interestingly our colleague George Beckford would at the same time be re-defining the notion and policy implications of development in terms of persistent poverty, ideas that were not to gain recognition in the North for the next thirty years.
Norman's tour de force, in both an intellectual and practical sense, was to be the single development vision for the Caribbean he set forth, and made into a road map as the way forward for our Community. In essence it was both a practical and intellectual distillation of his understanding of the path to development for small States such as ours. This was no easy task. Certainly not another academic paper reviewed by two or three peers. But a vision with a plan of action, subject, in endless open debate, to the scrutiny of fifteen government representations, each with briefs from their various agencies. It put all his enormous virtues of patience, perseverance and energy to the severest test. I recall that in the end, on reaching final agreement, he was accorded a lively ovation, something unheard of in such a setting.
This was followed up by an undertaking of a more overt political orientation, a venture in which I collaborated-- a strategic approach to regional development, and tactics for re-energizing Caribbean Community. Norman thought that we had at last got it right.for how could governments fail to grasp the felicitous, the brilliant, significance of benefits to participating States offered by regional public goods and services, that did not at the same time themselves generate costs, and inter-State conflict over distribution. Some time has passed since all this raised our energy level. But, as was characteristic of Norman, not even the leisurely pace of Caribbean culture, if I might thus describe our politics, could tame his energy.
My dear friend Norman, farewell. You have done more than your fair share for Carib people. I will miss your your urgent video calls for intellectual consultation, or asking me to find some long forgotten paper, or challenge my math skills, or for letting off steam. I will miss your so very hearty laughter, and that sparkle in your eyes when something really excited your interest.
Havelock Brewster
May 3, 2014
Memorial Service, UWI Chapel, Mona
The last time I saw Norman he did not see me. He was on his way, with an energetic bounce, to his exercises in the park. So much in contrast to my sedentary ways, my family chastised. Looking back now, nearly half s century, I can see that that energy, not only physical, but even more so, intellectual and social and political defined the man.
Over the years we shared, in particular, a special interest in Caribbean integration. In fact our careers began on that note, and it was the subject of our latest endeavors. I used to teasingly enquire how after half a century he still had the energy to continue batting, still not out. And he would regale me with his characteristic humor that a young man had just asked him if he was the son of that Girvan who wrote those books on the bauxite industry.
Although his range of interest and activities was extremely wide, the common thread running through them was "imbalance of power" , as he called it; the force that stultified economic growth in the impoverished countries of the South. And, therefore it followed, the imperative of collective action by these countries to countervail this asymmetry in power. Whether at the level of Caribbean Community, the wider Caribbean, or the South as a whole, or groups within it. The impact of power was to be put in dramatic relief in his clash with the IMF over so-called structural adjustment, that proved to be more destructive than constructive. And with the European Union over their Economic Partnership Agreement with the Caribbean, that was anything but a partnership. For his/ our generation of economists power was far from mainstream theory on development, trained as we were to think, in the Euro-American manner, in terms of mechanistic models built around value-free descriptive concepts, such as savings and investment rates, and the like. Interestingly our colleague George Beckford would at the same time be re-defining the notion and policy implications of development in terms of persistent poverty, ideas that were not to gain recognition in the North for the next thirty years.
Norman's tour de force, in both an intellectual and practical sense, was to be the single development vision for the Caribbean he set forth, and made into a road map as the way forward for our Community. In essence it was both a practical and intellectual distillation of his understanding of the path to development for small States such as ours. This was no easy task. Certainly not another academic paper reviewed by two or three peers. But a vision with a plan of action, subject, in endless open debate, to the scrutiny of fifteen government representations, each with briefs from their various agencies. It put all his enormous virtues of patience, perseverance and energy to the severest test. I recall that in the end, on reaching final agreement, he was accorded a lively ovation, something unheard of in such a setting.
This was followed up by an undertaking of a more overt political orientation, a venture in which I collaborated-- a strategic approach to regional development, and tactics for re-energizing Caribbean Community. Norman thought that we had at last got it right.for how could governments fail to grasp the felicitous, the brilliant, significance of benefits to participating States offered by regional public goods and services, that did not at the same time themselves generate costs, and inter-State conflict over distribution. Some time has passed since all this raised our energy level. But, as was characteristic of Norman, not even the leisurely pace of Caribbean culture, if I might thus describe our politics, could tame his energy.
My dear friend Norman, farewell. You have done more than your fair share for Carib people. I will miss your your urgent video calls for intellectual consultation, or asking me to find some long forgotten paper, or challenge my math skills, or for letting off steam. I will miss your so very hearty laughter, and that sparkle in your eyes when something really excited your interest.
Havelock Brewster
May 3, 2014
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