Village Context and the National Solidarity Program in Afghanistan

This paper explores the relation between the design of Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Program and implementation outcomes. It draws on a study of village contexts to understand the variability in the relations of responsibility and accountability that exist between customary village leadership, village elites, and village households. Findings on diverse processes of “bricolage” between the NSP intervention and customary practices highlight the politics of village life, which the technical assumptions of the NSP do not address.

Does development assistance reduce violence? Evidence from Afghanistan

Current military doctrine emphasizes the importance of development spending in reducing insurgent violence. Using data from three distinct development programs, the Afghan National Solidarity Program, USAID's Local Governance and Community Development Program, and the U.S. military's Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP), combined with military records of insurgent-initiated events, this article explores whether development aid in Afghanistan is violence-reducing. I find that overall spending has no clear effect on rebel attacks. Moreover, the type of development program most effective at reducing violence in Iraq - small CERP projects - does not appear to do so in Afghanistan. Possible reasons include troop strength, conditionality of aid, effectiveness of aid in producing benign outcomes, and measurement issues.

Do Poverty Programs Alleviate Poverty? The Case of the Mexican National Solidarity Program

In recent years, compensatory poverty programs have been adopted in several countries in response to the social and political effects of structural adjustment programs implemented by most Latin American and African countries. The authors analyze the Mexican National Solidarity Program “Pronasol,” often cited as an exemplary social compensation program, by inquiring into its impact on poverty. The authors first investigate the relationship between structural adjustment and the process of impoverishment, in order to establish the dynamics and magnitude of poverty in Mexico. They find that the structural adjustment program has considerably increased poverty, mainly through a sustained wage decrease and job losses. The authors next discuss whether Pronasol complies with the requisites of a program that warrants a social minimum for the poor, and whether the resource allocation complies with objective criteria of the sociogeographic distribution of poverty. The data suggest that Pronasol cannot be considered to guarantee a social minimum for the poor, given the magnitude of poverty, the scarce resources allocated, the orientation of the subprograms, and the regional distribution of funds. Nor does it qualify as a social compensation program of any importance. Finally, an alternative interpretation of Pronasol is offered in the field of legitimation and political control.