Where the power lies: multiple stakeholder politics over natural ...

Developing the framework
in Zimbabwe
To develop an appropriate and easy to apply framework for analysing micro-politics in
multiple stakeholder groups we held consultations with experienced field practitioners
working on research or developing projects in Zimbabwe and Indonesia. These consultations
were held for a number of reasons:
i) To identify demand or need for an analytical framework to assess micro-politics
among people who work with multiple stakeholder groups;
ii) To establish existing experience and gaps in analytical tools for such an analysis;
iii) To collect experience and opinions on some of the critical methodological issues
when conducting this type of analysis;
iv) To get some ideas of what the form, structure, and language should be used to
describe the framework;
v) To identify existing situations where the framework or aspects of it could be
developed; and
vi) To review the draft outline of the framework.
The framework was developed on the basis of work undertaken on two unrelated projects
in Zimbabwe that involve multiple stakeholders. One is a joint forestry management
project involving local and external stakeholders in managing a state forest (Sithole and
Kozanayi 2000). The other is a component of a larger multiple institutional development
and research project involving three villages cooperating in the management of a
microcredit scheme. In both the projects some of the steps of the framework were
developed and refined. The data collected during the development of the framework
was directly relevant to the projects in question and has been incorporated as inputs to
work in progress.
In each of the projects used, some process notes are included indicating which methods
were used highlighting sequencing and methodological issues that may have arisen. For
each project, the needs identified for this type of analysis within the project are identified.
Data collected to address the concerns is highlighted. An analysis of the relations among
the stakeholders is presented at the end of each project.
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