Public Authority and the Governance of Informal Cross-Border Trade in Eastern DRC, 2023

Bashi Rudahindwa, Jonathan (2026). Public Authority and the Governance of Informal Cross-Border Trade in Eastern DRC, 2023. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-858281

This research seeks to highlight the importance of designing good trade policies that take into account informal
trade flows, which may allow these trade flows to be brought under the umbrella of regional trade policies.
Building on pre-existing research, the project will use the case study of small cross-border traders in Eastern
DRC to explore border dynamics in informal cross-border trade, including exogenous and endogenous forces
and multiple layers of public authority influencing this trade. Focusing on the Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa (COMESA) Simplified Trade Regime (STR) – a regional trade policy designed to help small
cross-border traders benefit from the preferential tariffs applicable between the COMESA Member States –
the proposed research will examine the need for good institutional design of regional trade policies that are
better adjusted to the particular circumstances of their targeted beneficiaries, and thus, have a broader
coverage of trade agreements.

Data description (abstract)

This dataset contains qualitative interview data collected as part of the research project Public Authority and the Governance of Informal Cross-Border Trade in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (PAGICBT).

The data consist of anonymised semi-structured interviews with small-scale cross-border traders (predominantly women), representatives of cross-border traders’ associations, border and customs officials, and development actors operating along the DRC–Rwanda and DRC–Uganda trade corridors, with fieldwork conducted in Goma (North Kivu) and Bukavu (South Kivu) in 2023.

The interviews explore trading practices, legal recognition, collective economic organisation, access to finance, dispute resolution, and the interaction between informal trade practices and regional trade governance, including the COMESA Simplified Trade Regime.

The dataset supports socio-legal, law-and-development, and political economy research on informality, legal pluralism, gender, and regional integration in Africa.

Data creators:

Creator Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Bashi Rudahindwa Jonathan	SOAS University of London	https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2576-9081

Sponsors:

British Academy/Leverhulme

Grant reference:

SRG2223\230717

Topic classification:

Law, crime and legal systems
Trade, industry and markets
Society and culture

Keywords:

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, GENDER ROLE, LEGAL SYSTEMS

Project title:

Public Authority and the Governance of Informal Cross-Border Trade in Eastern DRC

Alternative title:

PAGICBT

Grant holders:

Jonathan Bashi Rudahindwa

Project dates:

From	To
3 April 2023	31 July 2024

Date published:

10 Feb 2026 16:51

Last modified:

10 Feb 2026 16:51

Coverage and Methodology

Access and Administration

Data sourcing, processing and preparation:

The data were generated through original qualitative fieldwork conducted by the principal investigator in North and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, in July–August 2023. Data consist of semi-structured interview transcripts with small-scale cross-border traders, representatives of cross-border traders’ associations, and development and institutional actors. All transcripts were anonymised prior to deposit. Direct identifiers (names, precise locations, organisational identifiers where disclosure would be harmful) were removed or replaced with pseudonyms. Consent was obtained verbally in most cases and in written form where feasible. Transcripts were reviewed to remove disclosive information and standardised for consistency prior to submission.

Rights owners: