| ID | 082097 |
| Title Proper | Striving for growth, bypassing the poor? a critical review of Rwanda's rural sector policies |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Ansoms, An |
| Publication | 2008. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This paper studies the Rwandan case to address some of the challenges and pitfalls in defining pro-poor strategies. The paper first looks at the danger of a purely growth-led development focus (as in Rwanda's first PRSP), and evaluates the extent to which the agricultural sector has been a pro-poor growth engine. It then studies Rwanda's current rural policies, which aim to modernise and 'professionalise' the rural sector. There is a high risk that these rural policy measures will be at the expense of the large mass of small-scale peasants. This paper stresses that the real challenge to transform the rural sector into a true pro-poor growth engine will be to value and incorporate the capacity and potential of small-scale 'non-professional' peasants into the core strategies for rural development. The lessons drawn from the Rwandan case should inspire policy makers and international donors worldwide to shift their focus away from a purely output-led logic towards distribution-oriented rural development policies. In other words, the challenge is to reconcile efficiency in creating economic growth with equity, and perhaps, to put equity first. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Modern African Studies Vol. 46, No.1; Mar 2008: p1-32 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Modern African Studies Vol. 46, No.1; Mar 2008: p1-32 |
| Key Words | Rwanda ; Economic Growth ; Development |