Paper short abstract:

The paper will explore the variability in village behaviour as reflected in the interests and actions of elite and customary authority, and their intersection with the logic of Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme

Paper long abstract:

Much of the commentary on politics and development in Afghanistan has focused at national and provincial level. Less attention has been given to the micro-politics of the village where development practice has played out.

Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme has been rolled out over three phases to cover around NSP 36,100 designated communities (MRRD, 2015). The core of this community development exercise (a total budget of US$2.7 billion over its three phases) and a flagship programme of the MRRD has been a block grant and the formation of Community Development Councils (CDCs). The broad objectives of the programme has been to 'build, strengthen, and maintain CDCs as effective institutions for local governance and social-economic development' (MRRD, 2015:12). Broad claims have been made for the role of NSP including that 'community-driven development strengthens state-society relations in Afghanistan' (World Bank, 2011:133).

Drawing on a study of village context seeking to understand the variability in the relations of responsibility and accountability that exist between customary village leadership, village elites and other households, the paper will investigate the position of 'the village' in the wider network of relationships that exist between the village and authorities and power holders at district and provincial level. Findings on the variability in elite behaviour and in village levels outcomes and on diverse processes of 'bricolage' between the NSP intervention and customary practices raises challenging questions for NSP's ambitions.