Local Ownership of Projects in Situations of Fragility and Instability
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USAID FUNDS AND LOCALS OWN: LOCAL OWNERSHIP OF PROJECTS IN SITUATIONS OF FRAGILITY AND INSTABILITY. THE CASES OF IDEJEN IN HAITI AND BUILDING PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN CASAMANCE, SENEGAL by Joseph N. Sany A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy Committee: _______________________________________ Jack A. Goldstone, Chair _______________________________________ Janine Wedel _______________________________________ Allison Frendak-Blume _______________________________________ Terrence Lyons _______________________________________ Clare Ignatowski, External Reader _______________________________________ James P. Pfiffner, Program Director _______________________________________ Edward Rhodes, Dean Date: __________________________________ Spring Semester 2013 George Mason University Fairfax, VA USAID Funds and Locals Own: Local Ownership of Projects in Situations of Fragility and Instability. The cases of IDEJEN in Haiti and Building Peace and Prosperity in Casamance , Senegal A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at George Mason University By Joseph Nzima Sany Master of Science George Mason University, 2005 Director: Jack Goldstone, Professor School of Public Policy Spring Semester 2013 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Copyright 2013 Joseph Nzima Sany All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION To my wife, Melanie and our four children; I hope this work inspires them to continuously make a meaningful contribution for the betterment of humankind. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am very grateful to my wife, Melanie, who advised, supported and encouraged me to move forward with this research, when obstacles seemed insurmountable. Writing a dissertation is not only an intellectual endeavor, it is also a psychological one. It tests one’s resolve, stamina and determination. My mother Banen Christine, who left this world during this research, has always encouraged me to finish what I have started. The spirit of achievement, self-discipline and hard work, which helped her raise nine children, inspired me. I felt her gentle presence during the entire six years of this research. I would like to thank members of my dissertation committee. My chair, Dr. Jack Goldstone helped me translate complex concepts such as local ownership into operational constructs with concrete implications for development projects. Dr. Goldstone also guided and kept me focused throughout this project. Dr. Janine Wedel introduced me to qualitative research methods and taught me tools and tips without which, I could not have learned so much from my field work. Dr. Terrence Lyons’s advices enriched my analysis and helped me grasp the complexity of many conflicts in Africa, including the conflict in Casamance, Senegal. Dr. Allison Frendak-Blume’s constant feedback and constructive criticisms empowered me to apply analytical rigor and discipline required for this type of academic research. Dr. Clare Ignatowski offered her insightful perspectives that helped ground this dissertation in the field of international development and guided me through the maze of USAID’s operations. Beth Eck and Shannon Williams constantly reminded me of all the deadlines; without their patience and understanding, I would not have been able to complete this work. I would not thank enough my friends Mikerlange Remplait, Amani M’bale, Colette Chabbott, Ted Thomas, Gilles Pokam, Anne Salinas, Kelly Burk and Alison Milofsky for their valuable feedback and advice. My thanks also go out to all the men, women and youth in Haiti and Senegal who shared with me their thoughts and opinions on the cases; thus informing my analysis. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION...................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................ iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................... x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................. xi GLOSSARY........................................................................................................ xiii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... xv INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. 1 PROBLEM STATEMENT: UNITED STATES FOREIGN ASSISTANCE AND LOCAL OWNERSHIP ........................................................................................... 3 WHY IS THIS RESEARCH RELEVANT? ......................................................... 16 I. LITERATURE REVIEW: ........................................................................... 20 LOCAL OWNERSHIP OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE IN SITUATIONS OF FRAGILITY AND INSTABILITY INSTABILITY, SITUATIONS OF FRAGILITY: A CRITICAL LOOK ........... 21 Causes of situations of fragility and instability ............................................. 24 LOCAL OWNERSHIP: A CONCEPT AT THE CROSSROADS ...................... 31 Local ownership: Framing and definitions .................................................... 32 LOCAL OWNERSHIP OF INTERVENTIONS IN UNSTABLE CONTEXTS . 35 Conceptual issues .......................................................................................... 36 Operational Issues .......................................................................................... 45 PROCESSES FOR FACILITATING LOCAL OWNERSHIP ............................ 62 Local Participation ......................................................................................... 62 Negotiation as a transformative process of power relations .......................... 71 The role of learning in shaping relationships among actors in a project ....... 74 ASSESSING AND OPERATIONALIZING LOCAL OWNERSHIP: EXPERIENCES FROM RESEARCH AND PRACTICE .................................... 80 United Nations’ take on ownership ............................................................... 82 Attempts to Operationalize Local Ownership from Action-Research ........... 84 v PROPOSED ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR LOCAL OWNERSHIP: THE “3C” – CAPACITY, CONTRIBUTION AND COMMITMENT ........................ 86 Commitment to the project ............................................................................ 87 Contribution to the project ............................................................................. 88 Improvement of relevant capacities and skills .............................................. 89 Indicating levels of participation ................................................................... 91 Framework for understanding the link between local ownership and supportive processes ...................................................................................... 96 II. RESEARCH DESIGN AND THE CASES ................................................. 98 PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH ........................................................................ 98 Central Question, Assumption and Hypotheses ............................................ 99 Research model ............................................................................................ 103 RESEARCH METHODLOGY: EXTENDED CASE STUDY ......................... 104 Justification of the methodology ................................................................. 105 Justification of cases .................................................................................... 109 Units of analysis .......................................................................................... 112 Data collection methods and analysis .......................................................... 116 Verification and Validation ......................................................................... 119 Data Analysis ............................................................................................... 121 Scope and limits of the research .................................................................. 123 III. THE CASE OF IDEJEN IN HAITI .......................................................... 125 HAITI: OVERVIEW .......................................................................................... 125 Haiti’s Fragility: A Brief History of Instability and Violence ..................... 126 Drivers of Insecurity .................................................................................... 132 UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE TO HAITI ................................................... 139 History of U.S. Foreign Assistance in Haiti: The Cold War and the Post Cold War .............................................................................................................. 139 Cold War Era ............................................................................................... 140 Post Cold War Era ....................................................................................... 147 USAID strategy in Haiti Since 2004 ........................................................... 152 THE CASE OF HAITIAN OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTH LIVELIHOOD INITIATIVE ( IDEJEN ) ...................................................................................... 155 The Context of the Project ..........................................................................