Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T17:16:10.069Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Bridging community associations in post-conflict Burundi: the difficult merging of social capital endowments and new ‘institutional settings’*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2010

Thomas Vervisch  and
Kristof Titeca
Thomas Vervisch*
Affiliation:
Conflict Research Group, Ghent University, Universiteitsstraat 8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Kristof Titeca*
Affiliation:
Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), Institute of Development Policy and Management, University of Antwerp, Belgium
*
Email: thomas.vervisch@ugent.be
Email: kristof.titeca@ua.ac.be
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Associations have been labelled the main ‘building blocks’ for creating social capital. It has been argued that community associations need to transform ‘bonding’ into ‘bridging’ ties to ‘reach out’ while also creating ‘linking’ ties to ‘scale up’. External development actions follow a reverse logic in promoting these associations: they assume that linking ties with the external intervener will reinforce prior social capital endowments. This article highlights the inherent difficulties of such a ‘social engineering’ approach in the context of post-conflict reconstruction, describing three development interventions in the north of Burundi. It defines the process of ‘institutional syncretism’ – merging local with global institutional settings – as a key element to social capital building. The findings illustrate how the three interventions failed to reach this objective, and question ‘bridging’ associations as ‘universal blueprints’ for restoring social cohesion within the liberal peace model for post-conflict reconstruction.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 48 , Issue 3 , September 2010 , pp. 485 - 511
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

We wish to thank Koen Vlassenroot and Johan Braeckman for their comments on an earlier version of the paper.

References

REFERENCES

Badionona-Tshondo, J. M. V. 1993. ‘Problématique de la gestion des cooperatives au Burundi: cas spécifique des Coopératives d'Approvisionnement et de Commercialisation’ (‘The problem of the management of cooperatives in Burundi: the specific case of the Cooperatives for Supply and Commercialisation’), memo, Institut Supérieur de Développement Rural, Bukavu.Google Scholar
Bastiaensen, J., De Herdt, T., & d'Exelle, B.. 2005. ‘Poverty reduction as a local institutional process’, World Development 33, 6: 979–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bastiaensen, J., De Herdt, T., & Vaessen, J.. 2002. ‘Poverty, institutions and interventions: a framework for an institutional analysis of poverty and local anti-poverty interventions’, IDPM-UA Discussion Paper 2002–6, Antwerp: Institute of Development Policy and Management.Google Scholar
Bebbington, A. & Carroll, T.. 2000. ‘Induced social capital and federations of the rural poor’, Social Capital Initiative Working Paper 19, Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Beck, L. 2003. ‘Democratisation and the hidden public: the impact of patronage networks on Senegalese women’, Comparative Politics 35, 2: 147–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Belloni, R. 2001. ‘Civil society and peacebuilding in Bosnia and Herzegovina’, Journal of Peace Research 38, 2: 163–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Belloni, R. 2007. State Building and International Intervention in Bosnia. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Belloni, R. 2008. ‘Civil society in war-to-democracy transitions’, in Jarstad, A. & Sisk, T., eds. From War to Democracy: dilemmas of peace building. Cambridge University Press, 182–210.Google Scholar
Bierschenk, T., Chauveau, J. P., & de Sardan, J.-P. O.. 2000. Courtiers en Développement: les villages africains en quête des projets. Paris: Karthala.Google Scholar
Blaney, D. & Pasha, M. K.. 1993. ‘Civil society and democracy in the Third World: ambiguities and historical possibilities’, Studies in Comparative International Development 28, 1: 3–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brachet, J. & Wolpe, H.. 2005. ‘Conflict-sensitive development assistance: the case of Burundi’, Social Development Paper 27, Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Brown, L. D. 1991. ‘Bridging organizations and sustainable development’, Human Relations 44, 8: 807–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colletta, N. J. & Cullen, M. L.. 2000a. ‘The nexus between violent conflict, social capital and social cohesion: case studies from Cambodia and Rwanda’, Social Capital Initiative Working Paper 23, Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Colletta, N. J. & Cullen, M. L.. 2000b. Violent Conflict and the Transformation of Social Capital: lessons from Cambodia, Rwanda, Guatemala, and Somalia. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Colletta, N. J., Kostner, M. & Wiederhofer, I.. 1996. The Transition from War to Peace in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crowley, E. et al. 2005. ‘Organizations of the poor: conditions for success’, paper prepared for the International Conference on Membership-Based Organizations of the Poor: Theory, Experience, and Policy, Ahmedabad, India, 17–21 January.Google Scholar
Daley, P. 2006. ‘Ethnicity and political violence in Africa: the challenge to the Burundi state’, Political Geography 25, 6: 657–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daley, P. 2008. Gender & Genocide in Burundi: the search for spaces of peace in the Great Lakes region. Oxford: James Currey.Google Scholar
de Sardan, J.-P. O. 2005. Anthropology and Development: understanding contemporary social change. London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Duffield, M. 2002. ‘Social reconstruction and the radicalization of development: aid as a relation of global liberal governance’, Development and Change 33, 5: 1049–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, P. 1996. ‘Government action, social capital and development: reviewing the evidence on synergy’, World Development 24, 6: 1119–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, P. 2004. ‘Development as institutional change: the pitfalls of monocropping and the potentials of deliberation’, Current Anthropology 38, 1: 1–24.Google Scholar
Fischer, M. 2004. ‘Recovering from violent conflict: regeneration and (re-)integration as elements of peacebuilding’, Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management, available at: http://www.berghof-handbook.net/uploads/download/fischer_handbook.pdf, accessed 8.6.2009.Google Scholar
Fox, J. 1996. ‘How does civil society thicken? The political construction of social capital in rural Mexico’, World Development 24, 6: 1089–1103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galvan, D. C. 2007. ‘The social reproduction of community-based development: syncretism and sustainability in a Senegalese farmers’ association', Journal of Modern African Studies 45, 1: 61–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillinson, S. 2004. ‘Why cooperate? A multi-disciplinary study of collective action’, ODI Working Paper 234, London: Overseas Development Institute.Google Scholar
Goodhand, J. 2006. Aiding Peace? The role of NGOs in armed conflict. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grootaert, C. 1998. ‘Social capital: the missing link’, Social Capital Initiative Working Paper 3, Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Henderson, S. L. 2002. ‘Selling civil society: Western aid and the nongovernmental organization sector in Russia’, Comparative Political Studies 35, 2: 139–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hooghe, M. & Stolle, D., eds. 2003. Generating Social Capital: civil society and institutions in comparative perspective. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulme, D. & Edwards, M.. 1996. ‘Too close for comfort? The impact of official aid on non-governmental organizations’, World Development 24, 6: 961–74.Google Scholar
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 1998. Proxy Targets: civilians in the war in Burundi. New York: HRW.Google Scholar
HRW. 2006. ‘“We flee when we see them.” Abuses with impunity at the National Intelligence Service in Burundi’, Report 18, 9(A), New York: HRW.Google Scholar
Krishna, A. & Uphoff, N.. 1999. ‘Mapping and measuring social capital: a conceptual and empirical study of collective action for conserving and developing watersheds in Rajasthan, India’, Social Capital Initiative Working Paper 13, Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Krueger, R. A. & Casey, M. A.. 2001. ‘Designing and conducting focus group interviews’, in Krueger, R. A. et al. , eds., ‘Social analysis: selected tools and techniques’, Social Development Paper 36, Washington, DC: World Bank, 4–23.Google Scholar
Laely, T. 1997. ‘Peasants, local communities, and central power in Burundi’, Journal of Modern African Studies 35, 4: 695–716.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lemarchand, R. 1995. Burundi: ethnic conflict and genocide. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lemarchand, R. 2009. The Dynamics of Violence in Central Africa. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Livelihood Security Initiative Consortium (LSIC). 2004. ‘A proposal to USAID for the Livelihood Security Initiative Consortium’, Bujumbura, Burundi, 9 August.Google Scholar
Longman, T. 2005. ‘Churches and social upheaval in Rwanda and Burundi: explaining failures to oppose ethnic violence’, in Kastfelt, N., ed. Religion and African Civil Wars. London: Hurst, 82–10.Google Scholar
Molenaers, N. 2003. ‘Associations or informal networks? Social capital and local development practices’, in Hooghe, M. & Stolle, D., eds. Generating Social Capital: civil society and institutions in comparative perspective. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 113–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morinière, L. et al. 2007. Evaluation Finale du Consortium SCVM. Bujumbura.Google Scholar
Mosse, D. 2004. ‘Is good policy unimplementable? Reflections on the ethnography of aid policy and practice’, Development and Change 35, 4: 639–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Narayan, D. 1997. Voices of the Poor: poverty and social capital in Tanzania. Washington, DC: World Bank, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD) series 20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ottaway, M. & Chung, T.. 1999. ‘Debating democracy assistance: toward a new paradigm’, Journal of Democracy 10, 4: 99–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paffenholz, T. 2009. ‘Exploring opportunities and obstacles for a constructive role of social capital in peacebuilding: a framework for analysis’, in Cox, M., ed. Social Capital and Peace-Building: creating and resolving conflict with trust and social networks. New York: Routledge, 186–201.Google Scholar
Patton, M. 2002. Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Pickering, P. M. 2006. ‘Generating social capital for bridging ethnic divisions in the Balkans: case studies of two Bosniak cities’, Ethnic and Racial Studies 29, 1: 79–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Platteau, J.-P. 2004. ‘Monitoring elite capture in community-driven development’, Development and Change 35, 2: 223–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Platteau, J. P. & Gaspart, F. 2003. ‘The risk of resource misappropriation in community-driven development’, World Development 31, 10: 1687–1703.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Portes, A. & Landolt, P.. 1996. ‘The downside of social capital’, The American Prospect 26: 18–22.Google Scholar
Pretty, J. & Ward, H.. 2001. ‘Social capital and the environment’, World Development 29, 2: 209–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Putnam, R. D. 1993. Making Democracy Work: civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Putnam, R. D. 1995. ‘Tuning in, tuning out: the strange disappearance of social capital in America’, Political Science and Politics 28, 4: 664–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Putnam, R. D. 2004. ‘Commentary: “health by association”, some comments’, International Journal of Epidemiology 33, 4: 667–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Republic of Burundi (RoB). 2006. ‘Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper’, Bujumbura, Burundi, available at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPRS1/Resources/Burundi_PRSP(Sept-2006).pdf, accessed 8.6.2009.Google Scholar
Reyntjens, F. 1993. ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating: the June 1993 elections in Burundi’, Journal of Modern African Studies 31, 4: 563–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reyntjens, F. 2000. ‘Burundi: prospects for peace’, London: Minority Rights Group, available at: www.minorityrights.org/download.php?id=153Google Scholar
Robinson, M. 1995. ‘Strengthening civil society in Africa: the role of foreign political aid’, IDS Bulletin 26, 2: 70–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubio, M. 1997. ‘Perverse social capital: some evidence from Colombia’, Journal of Economic Issues 31, 3: 805–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rupiya, P. & Schuller tot Peursum, A.. 2009. ‘Community social contracts for disaster risk reduction in Burundi’, paper presented at the World Conference on Humanitarian Studies, Groningen, 4–7 February.Google Scholar
Russo, L. et al. 2008. ‘Food security in protracted crises: issues and challenges’, in Alnovi, L., Hemrich, G. & Russo, L., eds. Beyond Relief: food security in protracted crises. Rugby: Practical Action Publishing, 1–12.Google Scholar
Sebudandi, C. & Nduwayo, G.. 2002. ‘Etude sur la stratégie et le programme d'appui à la société civile Burundaise’ (‘Study on the strategy and programme to support Burundian civil society’), unpublished report, Bujumbura: PNUD-Burundi.Google Scholar
Sorensen, C. 2000. ‘Social capital and rural development: a discussion of issues’, Social Capital Initiative Working Paper 10, Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Szreter, S. & Woolcock, M.. 2004. ‘Health by association? Social capital, social theory, and the political economy of public health’, International Journal of Epidemiology 33, 4: 650–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Titeca, K. & Vervisch, T.. 2008. ‘The dynamics of social capital and community associations in Uganda: linking capital and its consequences’, World Development 36, 11: 2205–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uvin, P. 1999. ‘Ethnicity and power in Burundi and Rwanda: different paths to mass violence’, Comparative Politics 31, 3: 253–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uvin, P. 2005. ‘A brief discussion of donor support to local governance in Burundi’, unpublished report, Bujumbura, Burundi.Google Scholar
Uvin, P. 2007. ‘Structural causes, development cooperation and conflict prevention in Burundi and Rwanda: a country case study’, available at: http://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/documents/conferences/WP889/participants/participants.aspxGoogle Scholar
Uvin, P. 2009. Life after Violence: a people's story of Burundi. London: Zed Books.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Varshney, A. 2001. ‘Ethnic conflict and civil society, India and beyond’, World Politics 53, 3: 362–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woolcock, M. 2002. ‘Social capital in theory and practice: reducing poverty by building partnerships between states, markets and civil society’, in UNESCO, Social Capital and Poverty Reduction: which role for the civil society organizations and the state? Paris: UNESCO, 20–44.Google Scholar
Woolcock, M. & Narayan, D. 2000. ‘Social capital: implications for development theory, research, and policy’, The World Bank Research Observer 15, 2: 225–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Interviews

Focus group, CLC project, Cumba, 25.5.2007.

Teacher, LITA Project, Tangara, 16.3.2007.