Stakeholders’ relations and power dynamics in development cooperation: lessons learnt from Egypt

ABSTRACT

One of the key factors why international development cooperation programmes do not achieve sustainable results is their failure to respond to the dynamics of local stakeholders’ relations. This article highlights the case of a fruit and vegetable market in an informal area of Greater Cairo that was redeveloped by a programme supported by German International Cooperation. Although the market was developed using participatory methods, the vendors deserted it. Analysis reveals the conflicting interests of vendors and the district administration were reflected in divergent models of market operation. The paper recommends that development cooperation recognise the legitimacy of existing power structures and stakeholders’ relations.

KEYWORDS:

• Civil society – Participation, NGOs, Partnership
• Governance and public policy
• Arab States

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Abdelhalim Khaled is Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the American University in Cairo.

Notes

1 Elected local councils were dissolved after the 2011 revolution, but existed at the time of the market project. They are supposed to be reformed again according to the 2014 Constitution, which gives local councils more power over executive local administration.