Community Development Journal - current issue

Editorial

Taylor, P., Mayo, M. — 2008-06-20

Unpacking 'Participation': models, meanings and practices

Cornwall, A. — 2008-06-20

The world over, public institutions appear to be responding to the calls voiced by activists, development practitioners and progressive thinkers for greater public involvement in making the decisions that matter and holding governments to account for following through on their commitments. Yet what exactly ‘participation’ means to these different actors can vary enormously. This article explores some of the meanings and practices associated with participation, in theory and in practice. It suggests that it is vital to pay closer attention to who is participating, in what and for whose benefit. Vagueness about what participation means may have helped the promise of public involvement gain purchase, but it may be time for more of what Cohen and Uphoff term ‘clarity through specificity’ if the call for more participation is to realize its democratizing promise.

Participation, citizenship and democracy: reflections on 25 years' of PRIA

Tandon, R. — 2008-06-20

When participation was first introduced in development discourse thirty years ago, it was seen as a marginal concept, to be piloted at small scale by non-governmental organizations. Since then, participation has been mainstreamed; and, it has been coopted to mean different things. The last decade has seen re-connections between political aspects of participation with its developmental dimensions in the framework of democracy and citizenship. Participatory democracy and active citizenship have organized principles of claiming rights and securing entitlements by the poor and the excluded. This paper traces the historical evolution of this journey of ideas, and recounts the trajectory of PRIA as a civil society actor in this period. In so doing, it poses questions for the re-imagination of democracy as an exercise of citizen power.

Community development and engagement with local governance in South Africa

Buccus, I., Hemson, D., Hicks, J., Piper, L. — 2008-06-20

The issue of public participation is receiving increasing attention in South Africa, from both government and civil society sectors. We are witnessing acknowledgement from a wide range of public institutions that insufficient consideration has been paid to public participation, and that existing policy frameworks, institutional mechanisms and programme interventions are failing to comply with government's constitutional and statutory obligations in this regard. This article examines actual practice in one key ‘invited space’: the policy and legislative framework for public participation in municipal processes. The article also highlights community experiences of attempting to engage with municipalities in development planning and policy processes, and their aspirations and expectations in this regard. We conclude with a set of recommendations on how participatory development at the local level can be transformed to ensure that municipal planning and programme implementation processes are truly accessible, participatory and empowering for local communities.

Moving up and down the ladder: community-based participation in public dialogue and deliberation in Bolivia and Guatemala

Eguren, I. R. — 2008-06-20

This article analyses how communities and its representatives have been involved in public dialogue and deliberation processes in Bolivia and Guatemala. It draws on my own experience and personal reflection in supporting and facilitating community participation in public dialogue initiatives in these countries. First, I comment briefly on the origin and current role of dialogue and deliberation in Latin America. Then, I reflect upon my own experience to illustrate two cases where communities and their organizations have been involved in these processes, both at local and national level. On the basis of these cases, I conclude with some key lessons and challenges to consider when supporting multi-stakeholder dialogic processes wherein communities are involved.

Participatory village and commune development planning (VDP/CDP) and its contribution to local community development in Vietnam

Yen, N. T. K., Van Luong, P. — 2008-06-20

Village development and commune development planning (VDP/CDP) encourages the participation of local people in analyzing their problems and opportunities, and finding out solutions. This method contributes to community development by improving capacity of local people and strengthening the roles of commune leaders; promoting local participation and ensuring transparency and equity among different community groups and contributing to efficient and effective use of resources in community development. To achieve sustainability of the approach, some agencies responsible for its introduction have considered integrating it into the governmental system. However, major challenges include complexity of the method, high costs (time and resources) and lack of skilled community facilitators. Experience shows that this method needs leadership that is dynamic and initiative taking at various levels. Lessons learned show that much can be achieved by simplifying the planning method, concentrating on capacity building measures and developing monitoring and financial mechanisms to help improvement of socioeconomic development planning, and thus community development.

Participatory approaches in developing farmer education and community ownership of training in Kyrgyzstan

Messerli, S., Abdykaparov, M. — 2008-06-20

Education is one of the main driving forces of community development. This article argues that in transition countries, community participation in developing rural vocational education systems is a prerequisite for bringing about change at local level. The reform of vocational education and training (VET) for farmers in Kyrgyzstan shows that pragmatic approaches to participation yield best results in terms of financial and operational sustainability of a training system. Following a brief description of the challenges faced by communities in transition countries, the article lists factors making participatory approaches indispensable for adapting the existing vocational education system to the realities of a market economy. Two examples demonstrate how the Agricultural and Rural Vocational Education Project of the Swiss NGO Helvetas uses participatory curriculum development processes in order to empower the communities to develop locally adapted training courses and how self-governance and co-financing of VET can be strengthened through the creation of Local Vocational Training Funds. The article ends with lessons learnt on the use of participatory approaches in VET for both Kyrgyzstan and other transition countries.

Where crocodiles find their power: learning and teaching participation for community development

Taylor, P. — 2008-06-20

For community development, facilitators of change processes need to work with the community collectively and reflexively if they are to achieve their vision and goals for development. This paper considers the attributes required of community development facilitators to use participatory approaches and methods that enable them to engage effectively and reflexively within communities. Exploring the learning needs associated with these attributes, it draws on several examples of novel university education programmes before drawing conclusions for practice. It highlights the need for higher education institutions to become inclusive and democratic spaces where critical analysis of social issues is fostered. Basing learning, teaching and curriculum development processes on the principles and values of participation, empowerment and the democracy of citizenship seems essential if we are to bring significant change to decision-making processes, strategies and operations of our institutions of higher learning. This will require a greater ideological solidarity among educators, with close attention given to our assumptions about how change happens.

Active learning for active citizenship: participatory approaches to evaluating a programme to promote citizen participation in England

Mayo, M., Rooke, A. — 2008-06-20

This article begins by exploring the contested notions of participatory approaches to monitoring and evaluation, identifying some of the possible pitfalls, including the dangers of tokenism, if participatory evaluation means little more than the occasional use of particular techniques. The potential scope as well as the potential limitations of participative approaches are then explored through a case study of the UK programme to promote ‘Active Learning for Active Citizenship’. Valuing the potential benefits of participative approaches as well as the inherent limitations, the article concludes by identifying some of the parallels with experiences of participative evaluation in the global South.

Whose view matters? Using participatory processes to evaluate Reflect in Nigeria

Newman, K. — 2008-06-20

On the basis of a documentation and evaluation process of Reflect in Nigeria, this article raises some issues relating to participatory evaluation. It explores the tensions between the desire to be participatory and the reality of an evaluation process serving multiple and at times conflicting objectives. Placing emphasis on understanding power relations and participation in relation to social justice, the article suggests that in order for participatory evaluation to be a useful concept for diverse stakeholders, it is important to be honest about its limitations and recognize the benefit of balancing participatory techniques with other methodologies, grounded in clear values, aims and vision.