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

Ivan Nygaard

The European Journal of Development Research, 2008, vol. 20, issue 4, 649-665

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.

Keywords: Local institutions; decentralization; local government; power relations; external intervention; rural electrification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:eurjdr:v:20:y:2008:i:4:p:649-665

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DOI: 10.1080/09578810802464938

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