Elite Power and Institutional Performance: A Comparative Case Study of the Power Configurations in the Political Settlements of  Rwanda and Burundi

The central role of institutions in development is strongly established in the literature. Many countries in the developing world struggle with institutional performance. A ‘postinstitutional turn’ in the developmental literature emphasises that the reason is political. The burgeoning field of Political Settlement Analysis contends that institutions are the product of a political settlement that reflects the power configurations and interests of powerful groups. Within Political Settlement Analysis, whether power configurations have explanatory power in explaining institutional performance is contested. This thesis tests this by investigating how power configurations affect institutional performance through a most similar system analysis of the ‘false twins’ Rwanda and Burundi. In line with theoretical expectations, the results of the analysis indicates that concentrated power configurations had a positive effects on institutional performance (Rwanda), while more dispersed power...Show moreThe central role of institutions in development is strongly established in the literature. Many countries in the developing world struggle with institutional performance. A ‘postinstitutional turn’ in the developmental literature emphasises that the reason is political. The burgeoning field of Political Settlement Analysis contends that institutions are the product of a political settlement that reflects the power configurations and interests of powerful groups. Within Political Settlement Analysis, whether power configurations have explanatory power in explaining institutional performance is contested. This thesis tests this by investigating how power configurations affect institutional performance through a most similar system analysis of the ‘false twins’ Rwanda and Burundi. In line with theoretical expectations, the results of the analysis indicates that concentrated power configurations had a positive effects on institutional performance (Rwanda), while more dispersed power configurations did not (Burundi)Show less

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Elite Power and Institutional Performance: A Comparative Case Study of the Power Configurations in the Political Settlements of Rwanda and Burundi