The Socio-cultural Dimension in Norwegian Development Assistance in Africa

One basic argument in this report is that the design and management of new development cannot be viewed in isolation from those aspects of life which already exist, and that all types of programmes are implemented in specific sociocultural environments which will affect the realization of goals. The contribution of social and cultural analysis to development is to limit the margin of error in project formulation and planning, and to challenge and clarify assumptions held by those responsible for development interventions, about the impact of their interventions on income, asset distribution, employment, health, nutrition, environment, social relationships, and the distribution of power. Such analysis may be applied to issues in many sectors; to all stages of planning, implementation, and evaluation; and over a wide range of development objectives.