Journal ArticleDOI
Participatory development and empowerment: the dangers of localism
Giles Mohan,Kristian Stokke +1 more
TLDR
In this paper, the authors examine the manifestations of this move in four key political arenas: decentralised service delivery, participatory development, social capital formation and local development, and collective actions for "radical democracy".Abstract:
Recent discussions in development have moved away from holistic theorisation towards more localised, empirical and inductive approaches. In development practice there has been a parallel move towards local ‘participation’ and ‘empowerment’, which has produced, albeit with very different agendas, a high level of agreement between actors and institutions of the ‘new’ Left and the ‘new’ Right. This paper examines the manifestations of this move in four key political arenas: decentralised service delivery, participatory development, social capital formation and local development, and collective actions for ‘radical democracy’. We argue that, by focusing so heavily on ‘the local’, the see manifestations tend to underplay both local inequalities and power relations as well as national and transnational economic and political forces. Following from this, we advocate a stronger emphasis on the politics of the local, ie on the political use of ‘the local’ by hegemonic and counter-hegemonic interests.read more
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DissertationDOI
Including the excluded: marginalised poor communities and development practices in rural Nepal
Abstract: The participation of beneficiaries in development programs is widely seen as a potential means for empowerment and inclusion of socially marginalised peoples, and democratisation of the grassroots. International development agencies such as the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program, and critics of conventional centralised ltop-downr development approaches, emphasise the role of participatory practices in social transformation through inclusion and empowerment. However, some empirical studies scrutinising the unequal power relationships between external development experts and marginalised peoples in participatory development processes, point out the potential risks of strengthening unequal power relationships, despite the emphasis on empowerment and inclusion. A key research gap was identified: that the experiences of the socially marginalised people themselves, who have increasingly been involved in participatory development programs are generally underexplored in development research. This research set out to examine whether participatory development programs targeted at socially marginalised poor communities of Nepal did in fact contribute to their inclusion and empowerment.A qualitative multiple case study research design was employed in three highly marginalised rural poor communities n Madhesi Dalits, landless fishersr community (Fishers), and Chepangs of South-Central Nepal. An actor-oriented perspective and social interface analysis approach was adopted to comprehend the marginalised peoplesr experiences of development interventions in their particular contexts. The case study methodology involved in-depth interviews, focus groups and observation.The study findings showed that various state and non-state agencies have increasingly adopted and promoted participatory approaches and invested resources for the socio-economic development of marginalised peoples; however, the equity and empowerment implications of these efforts for the local communities were limited. Collaboration of marginalised peoplesr organisations with external development agencies, particularly non-governmental organisations (NGOs), provided opportunities for them to access development resources, engage in networks and develop leadership. On the other hand, NGOs also contributed to the lprofessionalisationr of community organisations by valuing leaders with professional or academic knowledge, rather than those with indigenous wisdom. In several instances NGOs advocated on behalf of those they considered lignorantr people and displaced them from their prior collective participation in social struggles against systemic discrimination and oppression. Interactions of community groups with NGOs led to the co-option of community leaders, creating elite groups and turning them into local brokers n a different social category n rather than facilitating their roles as active agents to encourage grassroots mobilisation for social transformation.The study results indicated that in their efforts to empower marginalised people, NGOs promoted neoliberal notions of empowerment that focused on individual capacities and needs. The poverty and voicelessness of the marginalised peoples were viewed as an issue of inadequate individual capacity rather than outcomes of a long socio-cultural and historical process of subordination that resulted in reduced power and limited access to resources and opportunities. Local people were encouraged to focus on personal gains rather than the collective welfare. This became an incentive for local leaders and community elites to be co-opted within the existing power structures, where they would derive personal benefits rather than mobilise active citizenry for social transformation. Development programs emphasised managerial and technical solutions for the problems of poverty and exclusion, diverting attention from collective struggles against socio-cultural and political oppression. The individualistic approaches undermined the potential of collective struggles for equity and justice. This, in effect, limited the scope of community development to economic reductionism, ignoring complex socio-cultural and political barriers for empowerment of the marginalised peoples.These effects, though unintended, contributed to marginalised peoples becoming passive recipients of development aid, reduced dissenting voices against socioeconomic inequalities and discrimination, and weakened community solidarity and agency. This reproduced unequal power relations and perpetuated the status quo.n
Journal ArticleDOI
Creating a New Era of Islamic-Western Relations by Supporting Community Development
TL;DR: For example, this paper pointed out that a shortage of economic opportunities is a ticket to despair, combined with rigid political systems, it is a dangerous brew indeed, and the international community, led by the United States, is willing to offer real economic assistance to the poor nations of the Islamic world in the form of aid that directly reaches communities and those most vulnerable to the messages of extremists.
Dissertation
Power sharing in the coastal zone : shifting roles of government in community-based coastal management
TL;DR: In this article, the authors evaluate the role of government in collaborative government-community coastal management initiatives and demonstrate that governments are willing to share selected management responsibilities with non-statutory community-based organizations.
Journal ArticleDOI
Planning for sustainable livelihood development in the context of rural South Africa: A micro-level approach
Menini Gibbens,Carel Schoeman +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the sustainable development discourse, in general, while addressing sustainable rural livelihoods and micro-level planning, in particular, and revealed that, while centralist policies are pursued in South Africa to support sustainable rural development, the actual realisation of sustainable Rural livelihoods may well require microlevel development planning strategies.
Journal ArticleDOI
Peaceful waters: Community action in sustainable scarce resource management in a rural Zimbabwean setting
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored community collation approaches to sustainable water management by a rural Zimbabwean community for social justice and equity with inclusivity. Informants were a convenience sample of 27...
References
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TL;DR: In this paper, Anderson examines the creation and global spread of the 'imagined communities' of nationality and explores the processes that created these communities: the territorialisation of religious faiths, the decline of antique kingship, the interaction between capitalism and print, the development of vernacular languages-of-state, and changing conceptions of time.
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“Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”
TL;DR: Putnam as discussed by the authors showed that crucial factors such as social trust are eroding rapidly in the United States and offered some possible explanations for this erosion and concluded that the work needed to consider these possibilities more fully.
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Bowling alone, america's declining of social capital
TL;DR: The Johns Hopkins University Press is committed to respecting the needs of scholars as discussed by the authors, and return of that respect is requested. But no copies of the below work may be distributed electronically, in whole or in part, outside of their campus network without express permission (permissions@muse.jhu.edu).
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Absolute Voluntarism: Critique of a Post-Marxist Concept of Hegemony@@@Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics
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