Social Cohesion through Community-based Development in Kyrgyzstan

54 Pages Posted: 19 Mar 2021

See all articles by Damir Esenaliev

Damir Esenaliev

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

Aida Bolotbekova

University of Central Asia (UCA)

Gulzhan Asylbek Kyzy

University of Central Asia

Kanat Tilekeyev

University of Central Asia (UCA)

Anastasia Aladysheva

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI); ISDC - International Security and Development Center

Roman Mogilevskii

University of Central Asia (UCA)

Tilman Brück

IGZ - Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops; ISDC - International Security and Development Center; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Date Written: October 29, 2018

Abstract

Community-driven development (CDD) – a widely practiced tool by development donors and practitioners worldwide - strives to empower and develop communities by giving them joint control over aid allocations. This is expected to improve local development, local governance, and strengthen social cohesion. However, the empirical evidence for the third outcome is quite weak. This paper presents the findings of an impact evaluation research examining the extent the community driven development intervention implemented during 2014-2017 strengthened social
cohesion in two regions in Kyrgyzstan. Our findings are that, on the one hand, the CDD project led to a sense of unity and cooperation and to a perception of improvements in local governance and educational services. On the other hand, the program had at best a weak effect on deep-trenched perceptions, attitudes and trust for closely related social groups and local institutions. We posit that these results obtained in part because the duration of the CDD interventions was rather short and the micro-projects were only realized in less than a half of villages in treatment sub-districts. It stands to reason that larger and longer CDD projects would have had larger impacts on social cohesion as well.

Keywords: social cohesion, community-driven development, local development, governance, impact evaluation, theory of change, household survey, post-conflict

JEL Classification: C31, C93, D02, H43

Suggested Citation

Esenaliev, Damir and Bolotbekova, Aida and Kyzy, Gulzhan Asylbek and Tilekeyev, Kanat and Aladysheva, Anastasia and Mogilevskii, Roman and Brück, Tilman, Social Cohesion through Community-based Development in Kyrgyzstan (October 29, 2018). University of Central Asia – Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA) Working Paper No. 46, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3807810 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3807810

Damir Esenaliev (Contact Author)

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) ( email )

Signalistgatan 9, SE-169 70
Solna
Sweden

Aida Bolotbekova

University of Central Asia (UCA) ( email )

138 Toktogul Street
Bishkek, 720001
Kyrgyzstan

Gulzhan Asylbek Kyzy

University of Central Asia ( email )

138 Toktogul Street
Bishkek, 720001
Kyrgyzstan

Kanat Tilekeyev

University of Central Asia (UCA) ( email )

138 Toktogul Street
Bishkek, 720001
Kyrgyzstan

Anastasia Aladysheva

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

Signalistgatan 9, SE-169 70
Solna
Sweden

ISDC - International Security and Development Center ( email )

Friedrichstr. 88
Berlin, 10117
Germany

Roman Mogilevskii

University of Central Asia (UCA) ( email )

138 Toktogul Street
Bishkek, 720001
Kyrgyzstan

Tilman Brück

IGZ - Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops ( email )

Theodor-Echtermeyer-Str. 1
Grossbeeren, 14979
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.igzev.de

ISDC - International Security and Development Center ( email )

Friedrichstr. 88
Berlin, 10117
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.isd-center.org

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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