Politics of responsibility: governing distant populations through civil society in Mozambique, Rwanda and South Africa

This article presents and analyses the findings of a research project on power relations in the context of development partnerships with civil society on HIV/AIDS in Mozambique, Rwanda and South Africa, and engages in a critical dialogue with governmentality analysis. It argues that contemporary neoliberal government needs to be understood as context-specific articulations of three forms of power discussed by Foucault - sovereignty, discipline and biopower - and, in the global domain, a fourth form of power - (new) imperialism. Further, the analysis demonstrates how the introduction of a package of(de-)responsibilisation' shapes CSOs' activities so that they become competitive service providers, use evidence-based methods and produce measurable results. Addressing the issue of resistance, it shows how the transfer of responsibilities may involve tension and struggle - a politics of responsibility.