A Framework for Sustaining Rural Development Program: Evidence from Micro-Panel Data in Nigeria

Abstract

The jettisoning of virtually all rural development programs in Nigeria is a clear testimony to their unsustainable execution and the non-functionality of current methodology used in achieving sustainable rural development (SRD). This paper develops a basic framework for sustainable rural development projects execution based on a neo-concept of participation. We conceptualize that sustainable rural development is a function of institutional framework, managerial capacity, stakeholders’ participation, training and monitoring. The paper develops quantifiable proxies for an objective specification and went on to estimate our novel model of SRD.  The findings from the study indicate that the index of managerial or entrepreneurial skill, stakeholders’ participation and training are the three most fundamental determinants of project sustainability.

Keywords: Sustainable Rural Development, Random Effect Model, Participation