Evaluation of Community-driven Development in Nigeria's Niger Delta Region: Use of the Institutional Analysis in Development (iad) Framework
Abstract: This first pilot case study of the Models of Development and Experiential Learning (MODEL) project evaluates the factors that contributed to the success of the Akassa Development Foundation (ADF), a bottom-up, community-driven development project involved in developing local capacity to manage development activities in the Niger Delta. The study is based on household survey data as well as focus group and in-depth interviews that were collected in August and September 2013 in the Akassa community located in Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework was used to evaluate the ADF. Results from the descriptive statistics reveal that a majority of the respondents (the heads of households surveyed in Akassa) were satisfied with the design and implementation of the ADF. A probit model was employed to empirically test the evaluative criteria of the Akassa Development Foundation. The evaluative criteria, based on the IAD framework, are used by ADF participants or external observers to determine what aspects of the community-driven development project have a positive or negative impact on the likelihood of successful outcomes. The empirical results from the probit model indicate that the involvement of the respondent or respondent’s household in the project design and implementation; involvement of the respondent or members of the respondent’s family in setting goals of the project; and community member involvement in discussing and approving the rules of the project positively and significantly affect satisfaction with the design and implementation of ADF. As our preliminary results show, active participation of the Akassa community in the Akassa Development Foundation positively contributes to beneficiary satisfaction with the intervention. Thus, policies that promote community involvement in similar development interventions should be encouraged.
