Development at the Forefront: Rethinking Priorities in a Changing World
For a long time, development has been a top priority for the modern state, alongside employment and investment. However, despite the passage of time, little progress has been made until the outbreak of the revolution 15 years ago. This popular reaction, although not well thought out, was a kind of revenge for the marginalized and forgotten regions where development work had been neglected for years.
The Press: A Call for Change
We have come to believe that socio-economic plans, once adopted with enthusiasm, have ultimately led to anarchism, informality, and a rent-based economy in recent years. Although the idea of a new alternative development model has long been debated, no project has come to fruition. Nevertheless, ideas and initiatives continue to emerge to refocus the debate on the same old question: "Thinking differently about development in an unstable and rapidly changing regional and international context."
Challenges and Strategic Stakes
This is the central theme of the 32nd annual summer university, to be held from the 12th to the 14th of this month in Hammamet, organized by the Mohamed Ali El Hammi Foundation in collaboration with the CGTT (General Confederation of Tunisian Workers) and the MOSC (Citizen Social Movement). As a "citizen alternative proposal and relevant tool for change," the goal is to redistribute the fruits of growth equitably and create a favorable investment climate that generates employment. This requires starting with a diagnosis of the current situation to avoid repeating past mistakes.
Understanding Past Failures
According to economists, previous choices failed due to financial imbalances and the regression of the state's role in favor of a market logic that was not followed by dynamics in the private sector. This had a negative impact on investment and employment indicators, particularly in the face of globalization. Additional challenges include climate change, the new ecological charter, digitalization, and energy transition. These are all strategic challenges that must redefine our development paradigms and rectify our social model.
A New World Order
"We have entered a completely new geopolitical context, and the world is changing," reads the event's press release. This new world order is marked by geopolitical mutations and a new economic landscape. Starting with the climate and ecological context, which threatens the survival of the planet, particularly in economically modest regions such as Africa and our region. Decarbonization has become an imperative for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the energy transition has become a necessary step towards clean and renewable energy.
Questioning the Energy Transition
However, some observers argue that there has never been an energy transition and that it is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, we must not give up. In practice, there are two schools of thought: "solutionists" who believe that technological progress will provide solutions, and proponents of "de-growth" who advocate for a revision of our lifestyle and consumption model.
Four Panels to Address the Challenges
The summer university will feature four panels to address the question of how to think differently about development:
- Why think about development differently today?
- Economic, environmental, and geopolitical challenges as levers for development
- Thinking globally and acting locally, with a re-reading of national collective memory
- MOSC and its social and societal role
Over three days, the debate on alternative development paths will culminate in a synthesis of recommendations to better meet the requirements of the current and future stages. The project pilot for alternative ecotourism "Marina Gabès," designed by the Mohamed Ali El Hammi Foundation, is an example of how a development model can become a societal project.
