08 – Rationality
19.12.2008 (Siem Reap)
By now the culture shock has started to bother me. Daily life, the streets, the people etc. have somewhat become “normal”, but I have to realize more and more, that I myself cannot behave normally. Faces have become familiar, but I cannot speak to them in their language. Is it polite to offer a drink in some occasion or not? At what time should I arrive at a certain appointment etc? Daily life feels like walking in a mine field. But also strangeness has become a picture and its name is “rationality”. The lack of rationality in Cambodia is striking on two levels, individual and social.
On an individual level, “rationality” usually refers to an economic way of decision making, which is guided through an evaluation of a given goal and the best way to get there. How can I achieve a desired goal with the simplest or cheapest means, respectively, how can I get the best results with a given set of means? In the case of our farmers this could mean, how can I maximize the yield on my land? How can I maximize my profit? The lack of rationality on this personal level makes things very complicated after a while, since it is necessary to explain over and over again, why to behave like this and not like that. The younger are doing quite well, probably because they had the necessary education (especially in mathematics), but the older generation (i.e. above 30 or 35) has plenty of problems.
On a social level, “rationality” describes the process of decision making through a set of social rules versus individual power. In former (European) times, decisions were made by persons on top of the social ladder, according to their personal convictions and motives. Later, this individual procedure was replaced by an increasingly comprehensive set of rules, mostly referred to as “bureaucracy”. Everybody is (ideally) treated according to this social rules. If you want to get a piece of land, you have to buy it from its owner, no matter how powerful you are (in Europe, not in Cambodia!).
In Cambodia decisions are largely made through power on a personal level and a comprehensive set of rules seems to be missing. For example, these days we were trying to get a business license and an import license for seeds etc. There seems to be no rule that says, that in order to apply you have to fill out form A and turn it at the department B. We talked to district and department chiefs and everybody says big words containing nothing. “Write down your proposal and then I will discuss it with the governor...” Perhaps they don't want us to get into business, just listen to the ideas other people have, and then think about doing the business themselves. And the lack of rules is also a good means to keep individual power, since no one can act on a larger scale without having an official permission from somewhere. So you are forced to get in touch with those people. For someone like me, coming from Europe, this procedure is annoying and it makes oneself sometimes feel pretty powerless. Accepted rules give you the power to act according to them and thereby achieve what you want. The sole dependency on the good will of others to achieve something, however, leaves you dependent on them and brings you close to the position of a beggar.
Anyway, tomorrow I will leave for Germany and this is quite a good time now. I am exhausted, need to process the flood of impressions from the last weeks - and also have to cure my bronchitis.
By now the culture shock has started to bother me. Daily life, the streets, the people etc. have somewhat become “normal”, but I have to realize more and more, that I myself cannot behave normally. Faces have become familiar, but I cannot speak to them in their language. Is it polite to offer a drink in some occasion or not? At what time should I arrive at a certain appointment etc? Daily life feels like walking in a mine field. But also strangeness has become a picture and its name is “rationality”. The lack of rationality in Cambodia is striking on two levels, individual and social.
On an individual level, “rationality” usually refers to an economic way of decision making, which is guided through an evaluation of a given goal and the best way to get there. How can I achieve a desired goal with the simplest or cheapest means, respectively, how can I get the best results with a given set of means? In the case of our farmers this could mean, how can I maximize the yield on my land? How can I maximize my profit? The lack of rationality on this personal level makes things very complicated after a while, since it is necessary to explain over and over again, why to behave like this and not like that. The younger are doing quite well, probably because they had the necessary education (especially in mathematics), but the older generation (i.e. above 30 or 35) has plenty of problems.
On a social level, “rationality” describes the process of decision making through a set of social rules versus individual power. In former (European) times, decisions were made by persons on top of the social ladder, according to their personal convictions and motives. Later, this individual procedure was replaced by an increasingly comprehensive set of rules, mostly referred to as “bureaucracy”. Everybody is (ideally) treated according to this social rules. If you want to get a piece of land, you have to buy it from its owner, no matter how powerful you are (in Europe, not in Cambodia!).
In Cambodia decisions are largely made through power on a personal level and a comprehensive set of rules seems to be missing. For example, these days we were trying to get a business license and an import license for seeds etc. There seems to be no rule that says, that in order to apply you have to fill out form A and turn it at the department B. We talked to district and department chiefs and everybody says big words containing nothing. “Write down your proposal and then I will discuss it with the governor...” Perhaps they don't want us to get into business, just listen to the ideas other people have, and then think about doing the business themselves. And the lack of rules is also a good means to keep individual power, since no one can act on a larger scale without having an official permission from somewhere. So you are forced to get in touch with those people. For someone like me, coming from Europe, this procedure is annoying and it makes oneself sometimes feel pretty powerless. Accepted rules give you the power to act according to them and thereby achieve what you want. The sole dependency on the good will of others to achieve something, however, leaves you dependent on them and brings you close to the position of a beggar.
Anyway, tomorrow I will leave for Germany and this is quite a good time now. I am exhausted, need to process the flood of impressions from the last weeks - and also have to cure my bronchitis.
posted by Nihilissimus at 1:50 PM
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