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| ==Community participation in development==
| | #redirect[[:Category:Community participation ]] |
| In recent years development work has shifted from a top-down approach to a bottom-up approach. While sometimes this is rhetoric, there is also a recognition that participation (and preferably initiation) by the community is essential to an effective project.
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| This approach is more costly and time-consuming, but is also more cost-effective as it gives much better and longer-lasting results.
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| ==Three caveats==
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| Three warnings regarding participation:<ref>based on [http://www.southbound.com.my/communication/parcom.htm] Participatory Communication for Development], 2004, citing White, S.A. (1994). "The concept of participation: transforming rhetoric to reality" in White, S.A. et al (1994) Participatory communication: working for change and development. New Delhi, India: Sage Publications. p.18</ref>
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| *Participation is not a panacea, and does not suit every circumstance. The mother of a child dying of diarrhea does not want to "participate".
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| *Beware of manipulation - conscious or unconscious, e.g. when a "participatory social communicator" has preconceived ideas.
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| *Remember the opportunity cost - villagers do not have endless free time, and may be giving up time on productive work in order to participate.
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| == Community power in Turkmenistan ==
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| :<tt>In [[Turkmenistan]]'s Karra Kum desert, one of the themes to emerge from early participatory video work was a strong local desire for electricity to improve people's lifestyles and enable them to stay in the desert. Participatory video is again being used as a tool for documenting the challenges and decision-making processes involved in the community-led installation of solar power within different shepherding villages. The solar panels are neither sold nor given to the communities; instead, villagers decided that each family should exchange one ewe and one female lamb for their solar lighting system - these animals become the collective property of the village and are used as a "community action fund"...</tt><ref>from [http://www.comminit.com The Communication Initiative]'s newsletter, ''Environment & Communication - DB Click'', October 31 2006. For more, see [http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2006/experiences-3896.html Programme Experiences: Solar Power = Community Power - Turkmenistan], 2006</ref>
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| ==Links==
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| *[[Wikipedia:Participation (decision making)]]
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| *[[Wikipedia:Orangi Pilot Project]]
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| *[http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sourcebook/sbhome.htm The World Bank Participation Sourcebook]
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| ==References==
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| <references/>
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| [[Category:Community]]
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| [[Category:Principles of development]]
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