Promouvoir la recherche face à la consultance

Abstract

Social science research in Africa suffers from a number of shortcomings, not least the ubiquitous presence of consultancies, which are financed by the development agencies and tend to monopolize African researchers. The rules of the game in consultancy are quite different from those in research, but the borders are often blurred. The rise of consultancies has been to the detriment of research proper, which then diverges from international standards. However, such developments are not inevitable. The experience of LASDEL, a joint Nigerian-Benin social sciences laboratory, shows that it is possible to develop an international-level research centre and avoid the pitfalls of consultancy, as long a number of principles are respected.