Bolivian project provides some lessons on true North-South collaboration

A UNU-INTECH comparative study on North-South research collaboration has singled out a Dutch funded research programme in Bolivia - Strategic Research Programme of Bolivia ( PIEB ) - for its contribution to institutional innovation in social science research. PIEB was set up in 1995 to build research capacity in social sciences for development in Bolivia and was implemented by a Bolivian NGO with support from the Dutch Ministry for Development Cooperation (DGIS). The programme was funded under a new Dutch policy adopted in 1992 that aimed to move away from short-term projects towards more comprehensive Multi-annual, Multidisciplinary Research Programmes (MMRPs). MMRPs were implemented in nine countries globally with varying degrees of success.

The study found that PIEB had largely succeeded in creating the necessary conditions for, and launching a broad-based programme of research, notable for its inclusion of diverse stakeholders and perspectives. In doing so the project had managed to energise the latent capacity and organisational skills of local actors, who had emerged as important players in the research process. A key factor in the success of the programme was the donor's 'open agenda' from the outset, which left the local partners the autonomy to plan, manage and 'own' their programme. Of equal importance was the ability of the local leadership to create mechanisms for building trust and social accountability, the study noted.

The achievements of the Bolivian programme are echoed in another notable MMRP success - that of the state of Kerala in India, underlining the critical role of social capital in driving locally driven development processes. Both Kerala and Bolivia have strongly rooted social organizations that have played a key role in advocating for political, social and economic change.

The UNU-INTECH study lauds the Dutch policy for its courage in surrendering control over funding at a time when most Northern donors were afraid to cede ownership to their Southern development partners - a situation that still persists today. The question remains, however, whether PIEB will be able to consolidate these achievements and sustain its activities once DGIS stops funding the programme in 2004.

The findings of the study have been analysed and published in a UNU-INTECH discussion paper titled " Building Research Capacity in Social Sciences for Development in Bolivia: A Case of Institutional Innovation ".