ASC awarded two research grants on Inclusive Development

The African Studies Centre has been awarded two research grants in the framework of the NWO-WOTRO programme on Inclusive Development. The first research project focuses on increasing the political leverage of informal and formal workers’ organisations for inclusive development in Ghana and Benin. The second research project explores how Dutch multinationals can help promote sustainable productive employment and inclusive growth in Sub-Sahara Africa, in particular Kenya and Nigeria.

Increasing the political leverage of informal and formal workers’ organisations for inclusive development: The cases of Ghana and Benin

This research focuses on the role of trade unions and informal workers’ organisations as strategic actors for inclusive development in Ghana and Benin by investigating their political influence regarding decent work for informal workers. It analyses why the latter has been difficult, and studies. the conditions under which, and the possible coalitions through which, informal workers’ organisations and trade unions can be more effective in this field. The outcomes of this interdisciplinary multi-stakeholder research will assist donors in creating effective support structures and enable trade unions and informal workers’ organisations to better fulfil their roles as strategic actors for inclusive development by the effective promotion of decent work for all workers.
(Photo: Gina Gleeson / Wikimedia Commons)

Inclusive development: Productive employment

Using Kenya as its main case study and Nigeria as a comparative, this research project explores mechanisms through which Dutch multinationals, with assistance from the Dutch government, can help promote sustainable productive employment and inclusive growth in Sub-Sahara Africa.
A recurrent source of tension between multinational businesses and their host states in post-independence Africa is the variance in expectations with respect to the role of such businesses in the development and promotion of labour and entrepreneurial skills amongst the indigenous population. Multinational businesses usually prefer to use suppliers and labour that are conversant with their home country rules and standards; host country governments tend to downplay the fact that their infrastructural, operating and business support environment do not always encourage the development of skilled indigenous workforce and entrepreneurs. This makes it difficult for multinational businesses to efficiently engage local labour and integrate local businesses in their supply chain.

The research will deepen our understanding of the dynamics of the institutional relationships between multinational businesses and their home and host governments and how it impacts on the ability of such multinationals to influence productive employment and inclusive growth in their host territories. Read more about this project on the website of INCLUDE, platform on inclusive development.
(Photo: Quadell / Wikimedia Commons)