Promotors: Prof. dr. K. Vlassenroot Department of Third World Studies Prof. dr. J. Braeckman Department of Philosophy and Moral Science Dean: Prof. dr. Herwig Reynaert Rector: Prof. dr. Paul Van Cauwenberge Dutch translation: Bouwen aan Vrede en Ontwikkeling Een kritische analyse van sociaal kapitaal, ‘social engineering’, en NGO-interventies Case studie Burundi Kaftinformatie: foto‘s © Thomas Vervisch ISBN-nummer: 123456789 Faculty of Political and Social Sciences Academic Year 2009-2010 Thomas Vervisch Engineering Peace and Development A critical analysis of social capital, ‘social engineering’, and NGO-interventions. Case study Burundi Dissertation presented in fulfillment of the requirements for a Ph.D. degree in Political and Social Sciences, option Political Sciences Preface I started this thesis six years ago, and many people have provided me with support and encouragement along the way. At last, it is time to thank them all. In Belgium, my two supervisors, Johan Braeckman and Koen Vlassenroot, definitely deserve a special mention. Johan, it was a real pleasure and privilege to be your assistant during the last six years. Above all, you have been my mentor, always available when needed. Koen, many thanks for your passionate efforts to push me ahead. I am thankful for your intellectual support, your encouragements, and for sharing your experience and knowledge with me. Both colleagues of the Department of Philosophy and Moral Science and the Department of Third World Studies have supported me in many ways during this journey. I am thankful for the invitations to participate in the internal seminars of the Department of Third World studies. Special thanks to the people of the moral brain group, to tolerate the ‗thematic outsider‘, and for always being ready to supervise or help with other practical issues. Many thanks to my colleagues with whom I share our office: it was always a pleasant working place. Thanks also to Patrick and Joris, for the many lunch breaks, and interesting discussions. Lastly, I also want to thank the technical personnel for their help and support during the past six years. In Burundi, first of all, there are the people of the picture on the cover. They represent the numerous Burundian families which were so kind to suspend their daily routines, to come and answer all my questions. I owe grateful thanks to them, for their generosity, their hospitality and openness. Without these people this thesis would not have been possible. I hope they finally find enduring peace, so that they can enjoy again what is precious to them: a normal family life in harmony with their neighbours and other community members on their collines. I also owe grateful thanks to the NGOs who offered me, as a young researcher, the opportunity to work on their projects. Some people deserve a special mention. Luc, Kassie, Kevin, Duncan, Remy, and Dina: thank you all for your openness and support, and to share your views with me! In addition, I want to thank the entire staff of the V provincial offices of the NGOs in Muyinga and Kirundo. They were with many, and only some I got to know better, but the general hospitality was heart warming and was strongly appreciated. I can of course not forget the ‗team‘ which supported me during fieldwork. Jean-Pierre, Hilaire, Sylvestre and Corneille: I will never forget your dedication to help me out, to try to explain things which are difficult to explain to an outsider, to tell me your personal stories. A special word of thank for Jean-Pierre. For more than ten months he has been my right hand, and guided me through a diversity of difficulties. Without him I would have been lost many times. Jean-Pierre: thank you for your true friendship, your honesty, and the many hours we spent on the motorbike riding through the collines. Many friends and family have supported me throughout the years. I want to thank them all for their encouragements. Finally, there are a number of people which deserve special attention. In Burundi, I want to thank the people who invited me in their lives, and who have become friends: Martin, Claudia and her family; Didace, Martine, Ayaana, and Bogdan; Claver, Claire, and Marie-Ange; Sœur Cécile. There is also the Belgian- Burundian connection. Joris and Divine, Eva and Said, Barbara, Karel, Rebekka, Stijn: thank you all for keeping interested in my endless stories/nagging about my research and experiences on the field. In Belgium/Europe there are two persons who have sacrificed a lot of their time to help me out. Special thanks to Howard for the support during the last months of the writing. And I am very grateful to Kristof, for writing together the World Development article, for reading and commenting the entire thesis, for your intellectual support, and to boost my confidence when needed. At last, Els of course, for following me to Burundi, switching between the roles of comptable, crisis-manager, and compagnon de route, and back in Belgium, for your honesty as a first and critical reader, your patience and care: many many thanks. VI Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ 13 List of Tables and Figures................................................................................................ 17 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 19 Social capital – What‘s in a name? .................................................................................... 19 Post-conflict reconstruction – in search of ‗liberal peace‘ ................................................ 22 Social capital and ‗social engineering‘ – engineering peace and development ................ 24 Rationale and aims ............................................................................................................. 26 The case – Burundi ............................................................................................................. 28 The thesis ............................................................................................................................ 30 Part One : Introducing The Debate ................................................................................ 33 Chapter 1 The political economy of social capital ......................................................... 35 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 35 1.2 Sources of inspiration : three research programmes .................................................. 36 1.2.1 James Coleman : the rationalists .................................................................... 37 1.2.2 Robert Putnam : the communitarians ............................................................. 39 1.2.3 Pierre Bourdieu : the critics ............................................................................ 40 1.2.4 ‗Up‘ side versus ‗down‘ side .......................................................................... 42 1.3 The debate: the search for synergy ............................................................................. 44 1.3.1 Networks and ‗content‘: good versus bad social capital ................................ 44 1.3.2 Institutions and ‗context‘: a ‗stop over‘ from micro to macro ....................... 49 1.3.3 The synergy view: bottom-up vs. top-down ................................................... 52 1.4 The political economy of social capital ...................................................................... 55 1.5 Social capital and conflict, livelihoods, and projects ................................................. 58 1.5.1 Social capital, conflict and post-conflict reconstruction ................................ 58 VII 1.5.2 Social capital, poverty and rural livelihoods .................................................. 62 1.5.3 Social capital and development projects......................................................... 63 Chapter 2 Some methodological notes ............................................................................ 67 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 67 2.2 Research aim and approach : a descriptive multiple case study ................................. 67 2.3 The case studies : the CIBA, LITA and CLC livelihood interventions ..................... 70 2.4 Research themes ......................................................................................................... 72 2.5 Data collection techniques .......................................................................................... 73 2.5.1 Non participant observation ............................................................................ 75 2.5.2 Key actor interviews ....................................................................................... 75 2.5.3 Focus groups ................................................................................................... 78 2.6 The field work : chronology ....................................................................................... 89 Part Two : Setting the Scene ............................................................................................ 93 Chapter 3 Introducing the Burundian context .............................................................. 95 3.1 The Burundian conflict ..............................................................................................