This dissertation provides a critical analysis of the differences between the theoretical and practical aspects of social capital as applied in international development cooperation projects, with a focus on Western social capital discourse. Additiona...
This dissertation provides a critical analysis of the differences between the theoretical and practical aspects of social capital as applied in international development cooperation projects, with a focus on Western social capital discourse. Additionally, it seeks to identify the key factors influencing the formation of social capital in developing countries. Based on this analysis, the study aims to understand the nature of social capital created through the Saemaul Undong Official Development Assistance (ODA) as a Korean rural development cooperation model. The research investigates the creation, activation, and enhancement of social capital in four communities—Kigarama, Gihogwe, Mushimba, and Gasharu-Raro—under the 'Rwanda Saemaul Pilot Villages Project,' examining the fundamental contexts and conditions of social capital formation.
The theory of social capital mobilized in international development cooperation reflects Western perceptions, making it challenging to rigorously consider the economic, political, and cultural backgrounds, as well as the multidimensional and complex social structures and relationships at the regional level in developing countries. Instead, it generally emphasizes the importance of social connections and interactions, broadly encompassing various situations. This lack of consideration for the practical realities of developing countries, particularly from the perspective of women, who are central to household and community livelihoods and care work, hinders an accurate reflection of these environments. To this end, the study presents a conceptual definition and indicators of social capital from the perspectives of the 'developing country context' and the 'gender perspective' to approach the social capital formation process manifested in international development cooperation. Based on this conceptual framework, the research focuses on the actual, experiential, and concrete emergence processes on the ground to observe the unique formation process of social capital in developing countries, emphasizing the voices of female beneficiaries to identify the factors of social capital formation.
The study conducted a multi-case analysis of the Saemaul Pilot Villages Project in Rwanda's four communities, drawing upon literature review, preliminary investigation, in-depth domestic interviews, field research (on-site visits, direct observation, document collection, and in-depth international interviews), and supplementary investigations.
First, the study explored the characteristics, structure, and forms of social capital manifested in the four communities of the Saemaul Pilot Villages Project in Rwanda, detailing the unique social capital formation and accumulation process distinct from Western social capital. Communities participated in the Saemaul Project driven by an 'economic motivation' for the survival of themselves and their children, resulting in the comprehensive participation of over 90% of the residents being lifted out of poverty. Beyond alleviating absolute poverty, modern ways of thinking and acting emerged in the residents' lives, mitigating capacity poverty. Through participation in village meetings, educational training, and cooperatives organized by the Saemaul Project, residents grew as agents of regional development and experienced the strengthening of community-led local development. Residents' participation in the Saemaul Project frequently generated interactions and everyday interactions, establishing new norms of neighbor cooperation, collective action, and mutual assistance. The Saemaul Hall served as a relational space where the activities of the residents overlapped, acting as a venue for frequent discussions, negotiations, and mediations concerning local issues among the participants of the Saemaul Project. The local community developed a communication mechanism among the stakeholders involved in the Saemaul Project, including the local governments of Kamonyi and Nyamagabe, Saemaul Overseas Volunteers, village leaders, Saemaul leaders, and residents. This mechanism established an organized platform for stakeholders to continuously share updates, convey and reflect opinions, and promptly exchange information, thereby serving as a development network for the community. Communities like Gihogwe, Mushimba, and Gasharu-Raro, feeling the development progress through the Saemaul Project, began voluntarily spreading the Saemaul Project and education to nearby villages. In a post-genocide context with inherent potential violence, threats, uncertainty, instability, and fear, efforts to communicate and improve relations among neighbors laid the foundation for trust. Furthermore, reducing conflicts, illegal acts, and crimes within the community, along with accumulating reciprocal experiences in personal and commercial relationships, while not significantly contributing to social justice and general welfare, established a foundation of predictability, stability, and sustainability in relationships. The emergence of savings habits and village fund in these rural Rwandan communities can be seen as a revolutionary trust phenomenon. In Gihogwe, Mushimba, and Gasharu-Raro, social capital became a crucial means for local development, with social capital elements of participation, networks, and trust being closely interconnected, reinforcing each other's roles.
Second, the study aimed to interpret the fundamental factors of social capital formation in developing countries by exploring the contexts and conditions under which social capital emerged and increased in the four Rwandan communities. The social capital potential of the Rwanda Saemaul Undong ODA can be understood as the growth and empowerment of women, who are central to household and community production and reproduction. Gyeongsangbuk-do did not consciously or deliberately plan empowerment projects focusing on women, but the Saemaul education and projects induced changes in women's thinking and behavior, positioning them as key agents in economic activities and income generation. Additionally, social capital can be explained as a result of emphasizing the emergence on the ground based on the community. The Saemaul education and projects in the four communities, based on an open and flexible structure, responded to the needs and priorities of the field and the complex interactions with local members, deriving a new structure, order, and outcomes separate from the original Saemaul Undong model. As a result, the Saemaul Undong ODA was reborn as tailored education and projects for the four Rwandan communities, with rice farming projects, although not specified in the official action plan, forming an essential foundation for expanding social capital in three communities as a result of field responsiveness. Rice farming was promoted in a 'Rwandan style' suited to the local environment, climate, and situation, acting as an appropriate technology to alleviate absolute poverty. Furthermore, the emergence of social capital can be seen as resulting from the Rwanda Saemaul Undong ODA aiming for overall regional development rather than as a standalone project or program. The Saemaul Overseas Volunteers adopted a bottom-up approach from the discovery stage of the project, ensuring that the actual needs of residents in the four communities were intensively reflected in the Saemaul Project. This strategy, allowing residents to plan and execute the projects themselves, diverged from unilateral and uniform aid systems, leading to dynamic, organic, and integrated approaches that brought forth improvised measures and solutions harmonizing with the residents' living environments.
On the other hand, the study highlighted the structural limitations of the Saemaul Undong ODA in the case of Kigarama. As a settlement for immigrants, Kigarama exhibited a lack of embedded social capital compared to the other three communities. Differences in the socioeconomic backgrounds, sense of unity, and community consciousness of Kigarama residents compared to the other communities resulted in passive participation, difficulties in government cooperation and conflict resolution, and a lack of mutual assistance or volunteer spirit among members. Furthermore, as Kigarama was the first project site for Gyeongsangbuk-do, the Saemaul Project was initiated with insufficient experience in design and execution, leading to repeated trial and error throughout the project. Particularly, unlike the other three communities, Kigarama did not pursue the rice farming project, limiting the formation of social capital.
In conclusion, the study suggests that the Rwanda Saemaul Undong ODA emerged as a 'modern rural enlightenment movement' in the four rural communities. The social capital formed through the Saemaul Undong ODA led to a transformation of perception into modern individuals based on the mental enlightenment and economic development of women, emphasizing the awakening of rural community women who had been marginalized in the public economic and social spheres. The Saemaul education and projects induced women to think and act in modern ways, becoming a starting point for being recognized as agents in the modern sense. Additionally, the study captured the emergent transformation of the Saemaul Undong ODA in the four communities on-site. The social capital outcomes of the Rwanda Saemaul Pilot Villages Project can be interpreted as demonstrating new value by transforming in interaction with local knowledge rather than adhering to the original model of the Saemaul Undong. This social capital continuously adapted to the unique socioeconomic environments of the field from creation to enhancement, evolving through the situations, conditions, and needs of the four communities. Particularly, the entire process of rice farming was a continuous sequence of open and dynamic processes adapting actively to the field, and the social capital activated through this dynamically led to regional development.
This dissertation is significant in its attempt to establish a new conceptual framework of the developing country context and the gender perspective, providing a basis for the operation of social capital in causal factors, contextual relationships, and strategic conditions based on the realities of developing countries, which Western-centric social capital discourse has failed to explain. It is also valuable in extending qualitative research methods in the study of social capital in international development cooperation to provide deep insights into meaningful regional and social phenomena from the beneficiaries' perspectives. Particularly, it identified that mental enlightenment and economic development of women, previously not considered urgent or significant in the existing international development cooperation social capital discourse, acted as factors strengthening social capital, presenting theoretical and policy implications. Lastly, the study aims to contribute to expanding the academic and practical foundation of Saemaul Undong ODA research by highlighting the emergent transformation process of Saemaul Undong ODA within the social capital discourse of international development cooperation.
keywords : International Development Cooperation, Developing Country Regional Development, Social Capital, Saemaul Undong ODA, Women's Empowerment, Emergent Transformation, Rwanda, Qualitative Research
Student Number : 2017-31457