Participatory development in social funds: a case study of the Peruvian Social Fund

Abstract

This research aims to assess the role of Social Funds' organizational and institutional characteristics for community participation processes in development projects. The research is based on a case study of the Peruvian Social Fund, FONCODES, and utilizes a qualitative data collection approach. It mainly relies on semi-structured interviews with FONCODES' staff and community members, unstructured interviews with experts, and analysis of operational documents. The research concludes that several organizational and institutional characteristics affect community participation in FONCODES projects but the direction of this influence depends on how specific areas of the organization's context are structured as well as on political variables in the institutional environment.