A University of Sussex PhD thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details FROM AD HOC TO DURABLE? Development cooperation and institutional bricolage in the cotton sector in Benin Alvaro Gomes Moreira Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex July 2021 II Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be submitted in whole or in part to another University for the award of any other degree. Signature: ______________________________________________ III UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX ALVARO GOMES MOREIRA DPHIL DEVELOPMENT STUDIES FROM AD HOC TO DURABLE? DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AND INSTITUTIONAL BRICOLAGE IN THE COTTON SECTOR IN BENIN SUMMARY This thesis is about the history of development encounters in the cotton sector in Benin. It presents a perspective that is centred on the long durée of the host context instead of the short-lived and specific experiences of each cotton project. I substantiate this change of perspective by addressing the following question: how has the cotton sector in Benin come to incorporate the institutional arrangements of development cooperation projects into enduring institutions? This thesis contends that development projects, although temporary and specific, are inserted into a historical continuum that has regularised development cooperation practices over time, and that is perpetuated by both implementers and hosts. Thus, while a project in isolation appears to be unable to change the wider structure and practices, successive processes of institutional bricolage with project components may. In the first three chapters, I describe the learning journey that led me to my research question and outline its relevance to contemporary debates on development. I go on to detail the conceptual framework and research methods. In the third chapter, I define the boundaries of my research, situating it in the history of Benin’s cotton sector since independence in 1960 until 2018. I identify the successive waves of development assistance projects taking place over this period. In chapters four to seven, I examine how development cooperation projects have shaped the structure and practices both of subsequent projects and of the cotton sector itself. The conclusion discusses and reviews my findings in light of my research question. It appears that institutional bricolage with projects’ institutional arrangements is a process shaped by power relations in which early experiences have particular weight. This research shows that the way projects work depends on their place in the historical trajectory of development cooperation in the host context. It thus contributes to our understanding of how projects work in a certain way and in a particular moment in time. IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I cannot remember the moment I decided to pursue a Ph.D. It was long enough to say that it has become a dream. The submission of this thesis is an important step that would not be possible without the help and support of many. First, thank you Jeremy and Alex, for accepting to supervise me and allowing me to embark on this trip. In addition to your intellectual guidance, I am grateful for the way you engaged with my work, creating a pleasant and thought-provoking atmosphere. I think the attention you gave to the process, and not only to the product, was a perfect fit for me, making this an experience I wish to replicate in other domains of life. I am extremely grateful for the research participants I met in Benin and elsewhere. It goes without saying that they have made this research possible. In Benin, in particular, I would like to thank the Laboratoire d'Etudes et de Recherche sur les Dynamiques Sociales et le Développement Local (LASDEL) who provided me with a home, intellectual support, and friends in Parakou. I am also deeply grateful for the attention that INRAB cotton researchers gave to my research and curiosity, especially Alexis, Isidore, Charlemagne, Eric, Déo, Timothée, and Richard, for their patience to educate me on cotton farming and Beninese agriculture. I also thank Alain, whose support and shelter in Banikoara was essential to my research, and Zibo, who helped me getting to know Beninese Northern culture and landscapes on the back of his motorbike. Jacques showed – and continues to show me – what it takes to grow cotton in the 2KP. I am grateful for the administrative support from the IDS Teaching Office, Julia Brown and Stephanie Watson, and PhD convenors, Linda Waldman and Deepta Chopra. The IDS Research Fellows who attended my research seminars, Lidia Cabral, Rosalind Eyben, Ian Scoones, John Gaventa, also provided insights that shaped my research as I pieced together their comments and observations. I am indebted to my PhD comrades, from previous (Kátia, Hadeer, SungKyu, Thomas, Abbas, Sophie) and subsequent (Jae, Joon, Meenakshi, Paulo, Eunice, Stella) cohorts. To my cohort, I don’t have words to describe your place in my journey. Gerardo, Dina, Manny, Aly, Egídio, and Annalena: you made this PhD worth it beyond my expectations. I also thank my friends from outside the IDS PhD community: Alex, Seb, and Boris, who have respected my need to retreat in order to focus on my thesis. Your patience, care, and support at all times made a difference, giving me a safe harbour. À minha família, Painho, Mãe, Bade, Cacá, Gal e Vicente, eu agradeço não só pelo apoio ao doutorado, mas por sempre terem apoiado todos os meus sonhos – ainda que muitos desses me levem longe de vocês. Não passa um dia em que eu não sinta saudades nem seja grato por ter vocês na minha vida. Amo vocês. Finally, I met Lena in the first class I attended at Sussex. Since then, we have been walking, running, travelling, discovering, living, studying, and learning together. She showed me that there are many ways of learning and how much one can grow by facing different perspectives and acknowledging then challenging one’s own preconceptions of life. Thank you for being there all the way. V Table of Contents List of figures ......................................................................................................... VIII List of tables .............................................................................................................. IX List of acronyms ......................................................................................................... X Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 1.1. Perspectives on the project-context mismatch in aid and development cooperation .............................................................................................................. 2 1.1.1. The project-context mismatch in development practice ......................................................................... 2 1.1.2. Project-centred paradigm shifts ................................................................................................................... 5 1.1.3. South-South cooperation and the context-similarity claim ..................................................................... 8 1.1.4. Swapping perspectives: Seeing development cooperation from the context perspective ................ 11 1.2. Research aim and scope: Cotton development projects in Benin ................... 14 1.3. Overview of the study ....................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2. Development cooperation components in institutional bricolage: Theory and methods .............................................................................................................. 20 2.1. Project ‘ad hocness’, institutional bricolage, and power ................................. 21 2.1.2. Development projects as ad hoc institutions ........................................................................................... 22 2.1.3. Institutional bricolage: Piecing together institutional arrangements .................................................... 25 2.1.4. Power relations from ad hoc to durable ................................................................................................... 29 2.2. Methods: My research trajectory ..................................................................... 32 2.2.1. My encounter with Benin ........................................................................................................................... 32 2.2.2. Research design ............................................................................................................................................ 35 2.2.3. Access to field research: Reflections on fieldwork and positionality ................................................... 42 2.2.4. Piecing together life stories, project documents, and literature ............................................................ 47 Chapter 3. The host context: The constitution of the cotton sector since 1960 ......