Community-based welfare provision in the Caucasus and Central Asia

Dr Babajanian's post-doctoral work programme addresses the issue of the effectiveness, accountability and legitimacy of community-based actors in delivering social welfare within the political, social and institutional context of the Caucasus (Armenia) and Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan). In particular, it examines how community-based formal and informal institutions mediate access to important public infrastructure and services, resources and opportunities and draws implications for broader poverty reduction strategies. The work programme draws upon the author's doctoral research. In his doctoral fieldwork in 2002-2004, the author gathered rich qualitative data on various aspects of institutional and social organisation in rural communities in post-Soviet Armenia. In order to introduce a comparative aspect to the topic, the author carried out additional research in Kyrgyzstan. The research has two main themes: It examines the implications of decentralised governance for poverty reduction in rural Kyrgyzstan. It examines the effectiveness and relevance of the World Bank funded community-driven Village Investment Project in promoting "good governance" within the social, political and institutional context of rural Kyrgyzstan.