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External support to local institutions: providing political leverage to weaker groups, or sustaining traditional relations of power?

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  • Ivan Nygaard

Abstract

There is a body of literature showing that donor-supported institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are often captured by local elites, but this literature rarely touches upon whether elite capture is contingent on institutions. However, if this is the case, some institutions may provide political leverage for weaker groups, while others may sustain existing or traditional relations of power. The aim of this study of three cases of donor-supported institutions in Burkina Faso is to understand why close relatives of traditional chiefs invest in gaining control over a municipality, while showing only limited interest in gaining control of village groups and the electricity cooperative. The article argues that while local actors are generally attracted by development rents from donor-supported institutions, relatives of traditional chiefs seem to value the symbolic importance of institutions more than economic resources. The study thus enhances our understanding of mechanisms for access to local donor-supported institutions.

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  • Ivan Nygaard, 2008. "External support to local institutions: providing political leverage to weaker groups, or sustaining traditional relations of power?," The European Journal of Development Research, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 20(4), pages 649-665.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:eurjdr:v:20:y:2008:i:4:p:649-665
    DOI: 10.1080/09578810802464938
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Omukuti, Jessica, 2020. "Challenging the obsession with local level institutions in country ownership of climate change adaptation," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    2. Abraham Zakaria & Suhiyini I. Alhassan & John K. M. Kuwornu & Shaibu B. Azumah, 2021. "Beyond Participation: The Effect of Fertilizer Subsidy on the Adoption of Certified Seeds Among Rice Farmers in Northern Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(3), pages 684-709, June.
    3. Nygaard, Ivan, 2010. "Institutional options for rural energy access: Exploring the concept of the multifunctional platform in West Africa," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 1192-1201, February.
    4. Abraham Zakaria & Suhiyini I. Alhassan & John K. M. Kuwornu & Shaibu B. Azumah, 0. "Beyond Participation: The Effect of Fertilizer Subsidy on the Adoption of Certified Seeds Among Rice Farmers in Northern Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 0, pages 1-26.
    5. Holstenkamp, Lars, 2019. "What do we know about cooperative sustainable electrification in the global South? A synthesis of the literature and refined social-ecological systems framework," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 307-320.

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