IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsoctx/v14y2024i7p131-d1439922.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Rural Development Projects in Latin America: The Need to Integrate Socio-Economic, Political, and Empowerment Lenses for Sustained Impact

Author

Listed:
  • Raphael Leao

    (Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food (LEAF) Research Unit, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon (ISA/ULisboa), 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Luis F. Goulao

    (Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food (LEAF) Research Unit, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon (ISA/ULisboa), 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
    Laboratory for the Sustainability of Land Use and Ecosystem Services (TERRA), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon (ISA/ULisboa), 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal)

Abstract

Latin America has witnessed a significant influx of foreign aid aimed at fostering development, particularly in rural areas, over recent decades. Despite these considerable investments, persistently high levels of poverty endure, and rural communities have not consistently witnessed improvements in livelihoods. Rural development initiatives frequently achieve their inherent objectives at the output level but less frequently attain the intended outcomes and are seldom successful in establishing the prerequisites for enduring impact over the long term. The existing literature on this topic is extensive but often fragmented, with some scholars examining the context through socio-economic and political lenses, others scrutinizing the intrinsic characteristics of projects, and still others emphasizing levels of empowerment and local participation. This paper synthesizes and critically evaluates key aspects that influence the sustained impact of rural development projects across these three analytical streams. Through an integrative compilation of insights from these disparate perspectives, this work lays the foundation for a comprehensive analysis, shedding light on crucial considerations that may have previously “fallen into the cracks” through an examination of the segmented discourse.

Suggested Citation

  • Raphael Leao & Luis F. Goulao, 2024. "Rural Development Projects in Latin America: The Need to Integrate Socio-Economic, Political, and Empowerment Lenses for Sustained Impact," Societies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:14:y:2024:i:7:p:131-:d:1439922
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/14/7/131/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/14/7/131/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Miguel A Altieri & Clara I Nicholls, 2008. "Scaling up Agroecological Approaches for Food Sovereignty in Latin America," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 51(4), pages 472-480, December.
    2. Eduardo Gudynas, 2016. "Beyond varieties of development: disputes and alternatives," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(4), pages 721-732, April.
    3. Gómez Sabaini, Juan Carlos & Jiménez, Juan Pablo, 2012. "Tax structure and tax evasion in Latin America," Macroeconomía del Desarrollo 5350, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    4. David De Ferranti & Guillermo E. Perry & Francisco H.G. Ferreira & Michael Walton, 2004. "Inequality in Latin America : Breaking with History?," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15009.
    5. Robin Broad & Julia Fischer-Mackey, 2017. "From extractivism towards : mining policy as an indicator of a new development paradigm prioritising the environment," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(6), pages 1327-1349, June.
    6. Albert O. Hirschman, 1968. "The Political Economy of Import-Substituting Industrialization in Latin America," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 82(1), pages 1-32.
    7. Alain de Janvry, 1975. "The Political Economy of Rural Development in Latin America: An Interpretation," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 57(3), pages 490-499.
    8. Currie-Alder, Bruce & Kanbur, Ravi & Malone, David M. & Medhora, Rohinton (ed.), 2014. "International Development: Ideas, Experience, and Prospects," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199671663.
    9. Woolcock, Michael & Narayan, Deepa, 2000. "Social Capital: Implications for Development Theory, Research, and Policy," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 15(2), pages 225-249, August.
    10. Morgenthau, Hans, 1962. "A Political Theory of Foreign Aid," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(2), pages 301-309, June.
    11. Fox, Jonathan A, 2000. "The World Bank and social capital: Lessons from ten rural development projects in the Philippines and Mexico," Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, Working Paper Series qt1vj8v86j, Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, UC Santa Cruz.
    12. Burkholder, Mark & Johnson, Lyman, 2010. "Colonial Latin America, Seventh Edition," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195386059.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Richard M. Bird & Eric M. Zolt, 2014. "Taxation and inequality in the Americas: Changing the fiscal contract?," Chapters, in: Richard M. Bird & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez (ed.), Taxation and Development: The Weakest Link?, chapter 7, pages 193-237, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Victoria A Beard, 2005. "Individual Determinants of Participation in Community Development in Indonesia," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 23(1), pages 21-39, February.
    3. Mogues, Tewodaj & Carter, Michael R., 2003. "Social Capital and Incentive Compatibility: Modelling the Accumulation and Use of Social Collateral," Staff Paper Series 460, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    4. Waterbury, John, 1999. "The Long Gestation and Brief Triumph of Import-Substituting Industrialization," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 323-341, February.
    5. Dufhues, Thomas & Buchenrieder, Gertrud & Quoc, Hoang Dinh & Munkung, Nuchanata, 2011. "Social capital and loan repayment performance in Southeast Asia," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 679-691.
    6. Mahto, Raj V. & Belousova, Olga & Ahluwalia, Saurabh, 2020. "Abundance – A new window on how disruptive innovation occurs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    7. Bahar, Dany & Rosenow, Samuel & Stein, Ernesto & Wagner, Rodrigo, 2019. "Export take-offs and acceleration: Unpacking cross-sector linkages in the evolution of comparative advantage," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 48-60.
    8. Pilar Useche, 2016. "Who Contributes to the Provision of Public Goods at the Community Level? The Case of Potable Water in Ghana," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 34(6), pages 869-888, November.
    9. German Feierherd & Patricio Larroulet & Wei Long, & Nora Lustig, 2021. "The Pink Tide and Inequality in Latin America," Working Papers 2105, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    10. Broich, Tobias, 2017. "Do authoritarian regimes receive more Chinese development finance than democratic ones? Empirical evidence for Africa," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 180-207.
    11. Marc Badia†Miró & Anna Carreras†Marín & Christopher M. Meissner, 2018. "Geography, policy, or productivity? Regional trade in five South American countries, 1910–50," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 71(1), pages 236-266, February.
    12. Wouter Groot & Haranath Tadepally, 2008. "Community action for environmental restoration: a case study on collective social capital in India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 519-536, August.
    13. Fox, Jonathan A, 2000. "The World Bank and social capital: Lessons from ten rural development projects in the Philippines and Mexico," Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, Working Paper Series qt1vj8v86j, Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, UC Santa Cruz.
    14. A. Arrighetti & G. Seravalli & G. Wolleb, 2001. "Social Capital, Institutions and Collective Action Between Firms," Economics Department Working Papers 2001-EP08, Department of Economics, Parma University (Italy).
    15. Giuseppina Guagnano & Elisabetta Santarelli & Isabella Santini, 2016. "Can Social Capital Affect Subjective Poverty in Europe? An Empirical Analysis Based on a Generalized Ordered Logit Model," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(2), pages 881-907, September.
    16. Daisuke Oyama & Yasuhiro Sato & Takatoshi Tabuchi & Jacques-François Thisse, 2009. "On the impact of trade on industrial structures: The role of entry cost heterogeneity," Working Papers halshs-00566786, HAL.
    17. Mavis Dako-Gyeke & Razak Oduro, 2013. "Effects of Household Size on Cash Transfer Utilization for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Rural Ghana," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 2, March.
    18. Hansen, Benjamin & Sabia, Joseph J. & Rees, Daniel I., 2011. "Cigarette Taxes and the Social Market," IZA Discussion Papers 5580, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Martin Gächter & David A. Savage & Benno Torgler, 2009. "Retaining the Thin Blue Line: What Shapes Workers' Intentions not to Quit the Current Work Environment," Working Papers 2010-05, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck, revised Mar 2010.
    20. Kilby, Christopher & Dreher, Axel, 2010. "The impact of aid on growth revisited: Do donor motives matter?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 107(3), pages 338-340, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:14:y:2024:i:7:p:131-:d:1439922. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.