Can Local Institutions Reduce Poverty? Rural Decentralization in Burkina Faso

Donnelly-Roark, Paula ; Ouedraogo, Karim ; Ye, Xiao

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCOUNTABILITY;    ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK;    AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION;    AGRICULTURE;    ASSET MANAGEMENT;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-2677
RP-ID  :  WPS2677

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The authors present evidence that inBurkina Faso, certain high-performing local institutionscontribute to equitable economic development. They linkreduced levels of poverty, and inequality to a high degreeof internal village organization. The structure of thesehigh-performing local organizations means they can exist ina number of African countries, because they depend more oninternal participation, rather than on nay onecountry's cultural assets. The authors find that: 1)Service-asset management groups (SAMs) - one of three localinstitutions identified in the study - have helped tosignificantly reduce inequality in participating households.SAMs are a fusion of long-standing development committees,and indigenous management councils that collectively managecommunity assets, such as water. SAMs have combined theproductivity goals of growth, with the values of equity, andsolidarity. 2) Current development approaches use growth asan initiator, assuming that surpluses will be used tobenefit the poor. SAMs, and other local institutions inBurkina Faso, start with equity, and solidarity, and aim fora result of growth, and development. 3) Internalparticipation is essential for SAMs to function. Onlylocally anchored participation can power the realignments,and institutional revisions needed to scale up developmentaction. SAMs, and other local institutions have launchedtheir communities on equitable growth paths, and arereducing poverty with little, or no outside assistance,despite severe resource constraints. Their impact could beenormous if external development resources augmented theirpotential. World Bank programs, and policy interventionscould build on local strength, and make their activitiesmore sustainable by mapping local institutions to guide newinitiatives in pro-poor investment, and using that mappingto formalize, and increase internal local participation -expanding nationwide by using a network of localinstitutions. SAMs, and other local institutions, could bethe vehicle for ensuring transparency, and accountability.Working with the results of local activities, nationalpolicies could favor the development of indigenously based,but externally oriented local economies.