Papa Faye Associated researcher at CODESRIA Ph. D candidate in Sociology, UCAD, SENEGAL Tel: 542 68 44
[email protected] WRI Reviewed draft for Institutional Choice and Recognition: Effects on the Formation and Consolidation of Local Democracy Program. Panel 1: Institutional Choice and Recognition in Natural Resource Management: Competition, Cooperation and Conflict among Local Institutions Paper title: Institutional Pluralism in charcoal chain in a context of Decentralization in Senegal: The Stakes for Local Democracy. 2nd draft, 24 April 2006 1 I. Introduction As African and third-world States, politics of decentralization has been engaged in Senegal, early in the last century (Diagne 2003). But, the phase which interest us starts at the local “collectivities code” promulgation in 1996. By this code, government of Senegal settles three forms of “local collectivities”: rural communities, communes and regions in urban areas. In the nine powers they have received was the management of environment and natural resources. So the code the former code of 1993 which doesn’t integrated decentralization considerations was called to be reviewed in 1998. The particularity of the Senegalese political decentralization reforms is fist, the fact that it we’ll be accompanied by an administrative decentralization – “deconcentration”–process. Second, the forestry service needed projects and programs to embody the “new inclusive” politics (RDS Communication of 1980). So, PROGEDE was the model designed by the national forestry service to be tried out. As other projects in forestry, it created its own institutions: villagers committees of management and development (CVGD)1 and inter villagers committees of management and development (CIVGD) in addition to the pre-existing institutions –traditional like village chiefs–.