Sustainable Livelihoods Enhancement and Diversification (SLED)

ut, in practice they may only serve the interests of a particular group for political reasons, and/or because
they are related in some way to the people in charge, and/or because they speak the same language as the
administrators whereas others in the community do not. Therefore particular attention should be paid to the
way these relationships work and who is affected by them.
Like other features of people’s livelihoods, the local institutional environment is dynamic and the information
gathered during this initial phase of SLED on institutions and organisations will need to be constantly
updated and reviewed during the process. In some cases it may be difficult to fully understand these local
institutions right at the beginning of the SLED teams’ work and it may take time and greater familiarity with
the community before everything in the table below can be fully understood. This is particularly the case
where sensitive issues concerned with local politics or power structures are involved.
FORMAT FOR IDENTIFYING SERVICE PROVIDERS AND ENABLERS
Key institutions and
organisations
Formal roles and
functions
Actual roles and
functions
Membership and
participation
Impacts on
livelihoods
The name of the
institution or organisation
What is it
supposed to do?
What does it actually
do?
Who are the
members?
How does it affect the
livelihoods of different
groups in the
community?
What is its
mandate?
What do local people
identify as its mandate?
Who participates
in decisionmaking?
What relationships
does it have with
different groups in the
community?
Who establishes
this?
How has this been
established?
Why?
Is it an enabler or
a service
provider?
How does it “enable”
people in their
livelihoods?
What services does it
provide?
e.g. Village
administration
To ensure the
enforcement of
laws and
regulations
Selective enforcement
of laws and regulations
Almost all
members from the
same local clan
Supportive for groups
which are “allied” with
village leadership
To coordinate
local level
development
Ensures well-being of
particular groups linked
by kinship and/or
political grouping
Limited
participation by
village population
Generally neutral in
relation to other groups
To resolve
conflicts
Effective mobilisation of
resources for
community
infrastructure
Supports interests of
own clan and wealthy
groups in conflicts
e.g. Informal fishing
caste leadership
To resolve
conflicts within
caste group
Same as formal roles
but mostly internal
conflict resolution
All members of
the fishing caste
Very active in day-today
life of fishers
To promote the
interests of the
caste group
Role in fisheries
management decisions
in decline
Important social capital
for fishers dealing with
disputes and conflicts
To make
decisions on local
fisheries
management
Also protection of caste
members from
intimidation by others
Limited effectiveness
in protecting caste
interests v. other
castes or groups
To organise caste
celebrations
Limited political
influence
Etc.
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