Complementary Partners? Attitudes toward Multiactor Development Projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

<p>Although multiactor projects are common in international development, existing research centers on perceptions of individual participants. How do citizens in developing countries perceive international development projects involving multiple actors? Do these actors accumulate credit or blame equally? In this study, we argue that multiactor projects can generate more approval than single-actor projects because of perceived actor complementarity. We assess this claim using evidence from Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We implement a large-scale household survey experiment about an infrastructure project involving an international nongovernmental organization (INGO) and a Chinese state-owned enterprise, along with follow-up focus group discussions and a data quality audit. We find that respondents report higher satisfaction toward multiactor projects, in part due to perceived complementarity between actors. However, the actor with a reputation for more stringent standards—the INGO—is more likely to be credited or blamed for positive or negative externalities created by the project.</p>