2001年-世界发展银行全球_Can_Local_Institutions_Reduce_Poverty__Rural_Decentralization_in_Burkina_Faso_52页_3mb

Can Local Institutions Reduce Poverty? Rural Decentralization in Burkina Faso

Core Content

This policy research working paper explores the potential of local level institutions (LLIs) to reduce poverty and promote equitable development in Burkina Faso. It argues that traditional development models have overlooked the role of LLIs, but high-performing institutions, such as Service-Asset Management groups (SAMs), have demonstrated significant impact on poverty reduction and income equality. The study emphasizes that these institutions are not only effective in Burkina Faso but can be replicated across Africa due to their reliance on internal participation rather than external cultural or institutional transplants.

Main Findings

• SAMs and Equity: SAMs, which combine development committees and indigenous management councils, have been key in reducing inequality in participating households. They focus on managing community assets such as water, integrating productivity with societal values of equity and solidarity.

• Internal Participation: The success of SAMs and other LLIs depends heavily on internalized, locally anchored participation. This enables the realignment and institutional revision necessary for scaling up development efforts.

• Equity-Driven Growth: Unlike conventional development approaches that use growth as a starting point, SAMs and LLIs prioritize equity and solidarity, which then lead to development and growth outcomes. This model is referred to as "relational growth," which emphasizes inclusion and social cohesion.

• Impact Despite Constraints: These institutions have managed to reduce poverty and promote equitable growth with minimal external assistance, even under severe resource constraints. Their potential could be significantly enhanced with external support.

Key Institutions and Models

• SAMs (Service-Asset Management Groups): One of three local institutions identified, SAMs focus on managing community assets and promoting equitable development through collective action.

• LLI Typology:

  • Value Institutions: Maintain social stability, culture, and values.
  • Production Institutions: Focus on gathering resources from the national government.
  • Service-Asset Management Institutions (SAMs): Integrate production and growth with societal values.

• Relational Growth: Measured by inequality and income levels, it reflects the institutional capacity to balance growth with equity through social interactions and solidarity.

• Utilitarian Growth: Measured by income and expenditure, it represents individual capacity to drive growth through self-interest, complementing relational growth.

Recommendations

The study proposes two packages of recommendations:

Program Package

• Use LLI mapping to guide pro-poor investment initiatives.
• Formalize and increase internal participation through LLI mapping to achieve national coverage.
• Utilize the internal framework of LLIs to ensure long-term sustainability of community-driven development and rural decentralization.

Policy Package

• Link Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) participatory monitoring strategies with LLI/SAMs to enhance accountability and transparency.
• Develop national policies that support the growth of independently based, yet externally oriented, local economies.

Implications

• Reinvention of Development Models: The findings suggest that rural decentralization models in Africa can be re-invented to leverage indigenous institutional strengths, leading to more sustainable and equitable growth.

• Donor Influence: Donors may play a pivotal role in either supporting or undermining the implementation of rural decentralization, depending on their alignment with the model.

• Cultural and Social Capital: The study highlights the importance of cultural coherence and social capital in economic development. It questions whether current theories of economic development should be re-evaluated to include both utilitarian and relational growth models.

Methodology

• Data Collection: Surveys were conducted in 48 villages across four provinces (Yatenga, Sanmatenga, Houet, and Sissili), covering 959 households.
• Qualitative Analysis: The Méthode Active de Recherches Participatives (MARP) was used to engage community members in participatory diagnostics, capturing local perspectives on institutions, organizations, and services.
• Quantitative Analysis: Per capita consumption expenditure and inequality measures were used to assess the impact of LLIs on poverty and equity.

Conclusion

The study concludes that local institutions, particularly SAMs, are vital for poverty reduction and equitable growth in Burkina Faso. It calls for the integration of these institutions into national and international development strategies, emphasizing the need for sustainable, participatory, and culturally relevant approaches to rural development.