Projects by the African Development Bank and the quality of their applied social policies

Soeren, Krijn van (2024) Projects by the African Development Bank and the quality of their applied social policies. Master thesis.

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Text Final Draft (3) Master Thesis K.L. van Soeren S3514870 PH - 31-1-2024.pdf Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

This thesis analyses the implementation of social policies of the African Development Bank (AfDB), and does so through the main research question; How are the social policies from the AfDB implemented in practice? This question is answered through a focus on discrepancies between the AfDB’s social policies and their implementation, the role of the Independent Recourse Mechanism (IRM) of the AfDB, and recommendations for improvement of the AfDB’s social performance. The paper includes a theoretical framework which elaborates on the functionality of the AfDB. Primary qualitative data has been acquired on a broad number of the most relevant stakeholders in this system. To provide data on how the social policies are put into practice, two case studies have been selected where the IRM is involved in ensuring compliance of the AfDB with its own social policies. Overall, it was found that though the AfDB has strong social policies, in implementation, these policies are not always complied with during project implementation. It was found that project-affected people can experience heavy social impacts from projects; including losing their livelihoods, not being compensated properly, physical assault, and not being informed on their rights. Furthermore, it was found both project-affected people and NGOs staff may be afraid to be critical of project officials or to be involved with the IRM or the AfDB, as they might receive threats or be punished for this act by local officials.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Degree programme:	Environmental & Infrastructure Planning
Supervisor:	Hanna de Almeida Oliveira, P.
Date Deposited:	21 Feb 2024 12:25
Last Modified:	21 Feb 2024 12:25
URI:	https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4472

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