DESCRIPCIÓN DE ACTIVIDADES

It has been stated that this study explores the processes that lead the aid recipients into making the development projects relevant. In order to explore these processes, this study has as main questions: how have the modernising development discourse

of the donors and the organising practices of the aid recipients influenced the rele- vance of aid? This main question has been broken down into three sub-questions:

1. How has the modernising development discourse manifested itself in the RNE- DRDPs?

The concept of modernising development discourse has already been discussed in chapter one. It refers to progress as the rationale or story or an explanatory thread behind donors’ engagement in development interventions when addressing the livelihoods of the aid recipients. In the context of the bilateral development coope- ration between the URT and the Netherlands, I use the RNE-DRDPs, as a develop- ment intervention geared towards rural development through development projects, to identify elements of the modernising development discourse. I make analysis of the modernising development discourse in chapter five through the exploration of:

a. The key documents used by the RNE in the planning and implementation of the RNE-DRDPs. This is to set a platform in order to understand in general terms the content of the documents and their centrality in manifesting the concept of modernising development discourse within the RNE-DRDPs. b. The concepts of development, rural development, sustainable development,

and participation. The exploration of these concepts is geared towards ex- huming the characteristics of the modernising development discourse in the RNE-DRDPs.

2. What organising practices of the district officials emerged as a result of the RNE- BDRDP?

The concept of organizing practices was presented in the second chapter; it is about diligent responses of the aid recipients in terms of actions/reactions and socialised behaviour geared towards livelihoods promotion. The district officials are found at the entrance of donor aid at the districts. These are the people who directly deal with the donors, given the structure of the decentralisation system, as I shall discuss in chapter four on the section about the socio-political landscape of Tanzania. Thus, the understanding of the nature of the district officials is crucial because these are the organising practices which are directly linked with the Dutch donors. These organi- sing practices are presented in chapter six through the exploration of:

a. The Perceptions of the people in Bukoba about the Dutch people. The per- ceptions lead to the understanding of how the Dutch donors became per- ceived as powerful people by the people of Bukoba through what they did in the area.

b. Perception of participation by the Dutch RNE-DRDP insiders. This percep- tion assists in providing insights about the non-participatory character of the Dutch development agents. This is important so as to establish that it is not only the “outsiders” who perceive the Dutch agents as non-participatory, but the Dutch agents themselves as well.

c. Livelihoods of the district officials. The understanding of the livelihoods of the district officials laid a foundation to see the reason as to why they en- gaged in organising practices.

d. The organising practices of the district officials in the context of the RNE- BDRDP. This is a part that describes the nature of the organising practices of the district officials who directly deal with the Dutch donors. Their engage- ment in organising practices is a response to their experience with the Dutch and motivated by their quest to promote their livelihoods.

3. What are the organising practices of the village people and its elite within the context of the RNE-BDRDP?

The organising practices of the village people and its elite are studied within the context of the local politics in the negotiations of resources between the village elite and the village people. It is important to bear in mind that the village people and the village elite do not come into direct contact with the donors. These actors are at the lower levels in the decentralisation system of Tanzania where, according to how they should participate in development planning, they cannot have direct contact with the donors. I present a discussion about the organising practices of the village people and its elite in chapter seven through the exploration of:

a. The identification of the village elite. This part is about knowing who the elite are and their characterisations are from the perspective of the village people.

b. The livelihoods of the village elite. c. The livelihoods of the village people.

d. The relationship between the village people and its elite. The organising practices of the village elite and the village people. In the local politics, the village elite and the village people relate through organising practices.

After the presentation of the research questions and their operationalisations, let me now present the data collecting procedures.