9724118 Hyden This dissertation enhancement grant supports a US graduate student, Richard R. Marcus, working under the guidance of Dr. Goran Hyden, Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida, to do field research in Madagascar. During the democratic transition in Madagascar, the government instituted a country-wide conservation program. Many international and local nongovernmental organizations, including USAID and the World Bank, worked with the Malagasy government in the formulation of the program. It is hypothesized that support for democracy in Madagascar is contingent upon positive economic outcomes at the local level. Since donor-supported conservation programs have such a far-reaching influence on local economies, local people will only support democracy in Madagascar if conservation programs lead to an amelioration in the quality of life. Further, it is assumed that the most successful environmental institutions are those that incorporated the concerns and attitudes of the local people, as expressed through their fokonolona (local administrative units) and community organizations, into the project. Mr. Marcus will visit villages in surrounds of Masoala National Park and the Ankarana Protected Area. In each of these areas, villages influenced by Integrated Conservation and Development Project (ICDP) policies and villages beyond the influence of ICDP policies will be selected in an effort to study the activities of donor-funded environmental institutions and local organizations. The strength of the relationship between environmental activity and democracy will be determined by studying the differences between the activities and policies of the fokonolona involved in the ICDP and a social/economic/demographic index, as well as the democratic perceptions of the local Magalasy people. A four- step methodology, consisting of participatory appraisals, interviews with local leaders, a survey, and a series of follow-up interviews, will be used during this study. Staff members at the Universite D'Antananarivo will collaborate with Mr. Marcus on this project. This study will make an important contribution to the understanding of the relationship between international environmental activity and local democratic attitudes in Madagascar specifically, and political transition in Africa generally. The grant will also provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong, independent research career. Funding jointly provided by the Division of International Programs and the Division of Social, Behavioral and Economic Research. ***
