| Anthropologists have studied development for many decades. While a great deal of anthropological research has focused on particular development projects and their recipients, there has been less attention devoted to the developers themselves, both individual workers and the organisations they represent. The anthropological literature on development also identifies a need for greater consideration of policy processes and the interconnections between trade, investment and development. Taking these gaps in the literature as its starting point, this thesis seeks to explore the factors that influence the formulation, implementation, and sustainment of Canada's international development policies, using the Canadian International Development Agency's (CIDA) Private Sector Development (PSD) policy as a case study. Drawing on an actor-oriented approach, the thesis explores developers' perspectives on and involvement with policy decision-making at CIDA. The thesis also deconstructs the discourses of neoliberal development apparent in the PSD policy to examine their compatibility with poverty reduction objectives. |
