DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Political Entrepreneurs and the Dynamics of Privatization among the Samburu of Kenya-An Analysis Using Experimental Economics

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Institutions are defined as the "rules of the game" that govern interaction among players in a social structure. Successful economic development relies on appropriate institutions and beneficial institutional change. This dissertation research by an anthropology student from Washington University-St. Louis will study institutional change among Kenyan pastoralists and farmers in two locations of Samburu district, Siambu and Mbaringon. Using traditional ethnographic participant observation and sample surveys as well as newer techniques of experimental economics, the student will examine the changes in cooperation and self-serving behavior associated with changing land tenure. Commonly managed land is being converted into privately owned and managed land at the same time that the authority of the traditional elders is being challenged. Hypotheses will be tested about the relative use of ideology and persuasion, social capital from existing social networks, and selective incentives as motivators of political support for changing social and economic institutions. The process is well underway in Siambu and barely begun in Mbaringon so the comparison will shed light on the process. This research will advance our understanding of economic development, the welfare effects of privatization, and the impacts of privatization on individual behavior and adherence to social norms. At the same time it advances our knowledge of this important area of the world and contributes to the training of a young social scientist.