Agents of order?: Brokerage and empowerment in development and conflict

Sara De Jong; Ward  Berenschot; David Ehrhardt; Oliver Walton

doi:10.1002/jid.3759

Agents of order? Brokerage and empowerment in development and conflict

Sara De Jong, Ward Berenschot, David Ehrhardt, Oliver Walton

Politics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Abstract

To what extent do brokers empower marginalised communities? This pertinent question connects the articles collected in this special issue and is the focus of this introduction. We propose that a comparative analysis of the empowering capacity of brokers involves paying attention to three key dimensions of brokerage, as well as their interaction effects: the characteristics of the broker, the nature of the brokerage network in which the broker operates, and the structural conditions that give rise to a (fluctuating) demand for brokers. We highlight and analyse variation in the degree to which brokers succeed in empowering marginalised communities, while noting that brokerage often functions as a force for order rather than transformation. We conclude that under certain circumstances, brokers can significantly empower communities, but that this impact is curtailed by the systemic constraints inherent in their social context.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	385-400
Number of pages	16
Journal	Journal of International Development
Volume	35
Issue number	3
Early online date	27 Feb 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3759
Publication status	Published - 12 Apr 2023

Bibliographical note

© 2023 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

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Cite this

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