Institutional contradictions in rural development

Abstract

Rural development is the scene of different groups interacting on the basis of conflicting interests and strategies. Contemporary analytical approaches emphasise that actors develop strategies on the basis of their own preferences, experiences and understandings, and with reference to the constraining institutions and structures. However, they tend to ignore the symbolic aspects of institutions which provide some order in an otherwise chaotic world. Based on a study of the introduction of representative councils in four villages in Burkina Faso, this contribution argues that these symbolic aspects are important elements for understanding the changing processes of collective decision-making. Thus, new ways of organising decisionmaking might involve contradictions with respect to the existing institutional order. © 1997 European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes.