Everyday Choices: The Role of Competing Authorities and Social Institutions in Politics and Development

Scholars and practitioners seek development solutions through the engineering and strengthening of state institutions. However, other groups such as religious orders, ethnic communities, and other organizations also shape politics and development. This Element establishes a framework that recognizes these forces and their impact on individuals' choices and experiences, essential for understanding political processes and development outcomes.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 08 December 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Scholars and practitioners actively seek development solutions by engineering and strengthening state institutions. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that the state is not the sole or primary determinant of how citizens, service providers, and state officials engage in actions that constitute politics and development. These individuals belong to various religious orders, ethnic communities, and other groups that make claims on them, thereby shaping their actions and incentives. Understanding the experiences and perspectives of these individuals is essential for comprehending political processes and development outcomes. This Element establishes a framework that elucidates these forces, which holds significant importance for knowledge accumulation, guiding future research, and developing effective programming. By adopting an institutional approach, this Element explores how the salience of arenas of authority associated with different communities and the nature of social institutions within them influence politics and development. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Weight: 147g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 5 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009306126