The political economy of land law and policy reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo: an institutional bricolage approach

This article provides an overview of the contemporary land reform process in the Democratic Republic of Congo and presents strategies used by various local, national and international actors to influence the reform. It also indicates how initiatives in the forestry and agriculture sectors influence land reform. Using a conceptual framework of institutional bricolage, we avoid simple notions of "policy failure" in order to indicate how spaces may be opened up for different actors. We argue that despite extensive external involvement in the reform process, it is characterised by debates over local and national issues, as much as by global narratives.