Scholars Propose Legislation

Whereas many see unfair or poorly implemented legislation as a problem endemic of developing nations, Dr. Ann Seidman and Dr. Robert B. Seidman ’41 argued in a discussion Tuesday night that laws can be the springboard for solutions.

In a small interactive session, the Seidmans, who direct the International Consortium for Law and Development, related their decades of experience in twelve African nations. The talk, hosted by the Harvard Undergraduate Legal Committee, also focused on how legislation can spark change in developing nations.

“You can’t simply pass a law telling the resources to go from the wealthy to the local population,” said Robert Seidman said, who, like his wife, is a professor at Boston University Law School. “Although Non-Governmental Organizations and education can facilitate improvement as well, the state is the nation’s largest employer in most of the nations in which we’ve worked,” he said. “Legislation is the clear way to enhance and solidify these changes.”

The Consortium, which the Seidmans founded in 1981, is a non-profit organization that promotes participatory lawmaking in developing countries. It brings together ministry officials and university professors representing over 40 nations with varying legal structures.

Ann Seidman, who is planning another trip to Tanzania this winter, echoed her husband’s emphasis on starting improvement from the state and working outward to improve other institutions.

“There’s a major amount of behavioral changes that individuals have to respond to when you set up schools, and you can’t expect such a change to just happen,” she said. “The best steps include identifying the behaviors that lead to lower prosperity, getting a legislative solution, and closely monitoring and evaluating the results.”

The discussion closed with the Seidmans discussing pragmatic measures for determining a bill’s effectiveness.

“We say that a bill works if it actually induces the behavior it prescribes and if that effectively helps resolve the targeted social problem,” Robert Seidman said.

Pierre R. Berastain ’10-11, a member of the Harvard Undergraduate Legal Committee, said he appreciated hearing an unconventional view on international development.

“We were really thrilled that Robert and Ann Seidman were able to visit with us and share their insights,” Berastain said.