{"id":7126,"key":"Community_participation","title":"Community participation","latest":{"id":1209683,"timestamp":"2025-11-28T02:59:08Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"In recent years development work has shifted from a [[top-down]] approach to a [[Glossary of sustainability terms#B|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.\n\nThis approach is more costly and time-consuming, but is also more cost-effective as it gives much better and longer-lasting results.\n\n== Participatory rural appraisal ==\n\n'''Participatory rural appraisal''' is a term describing the incorporation of the knowledge and opinions of rural people in the planning and management of development projects and programs. Robert Chambers, a Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (UK),<ref name=\"IISD\">See the IIDS page [http://web.archive.org/web/20150407105639/http://www.iisd.org/casl/caslguide/pra.htm Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)].</ref> has written on this topic, and it is described in the World Bank Participation Sourcebook.<ref>[http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sourcebook/sba104.htm Participatory Rural Appraisal. Collaborative Decisionmaking: Community-Based Method]. (From ''[http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sourcebook/sbhome.htm The World Bank Participation Sourcebook], [http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sourcebook/sba1.htm Appendix I: Methods and Tools].''</ref>\n\nThe Institute of Development Studies explains that it builds on rapid rural appraisal (RRA),[http://web.archive.org/web/20130621223212/http://www.iisd.org/casl/CASLGuide/RapidRuralAppraisal.htm][http://www.fao.org/docrep/W3241E/w3241e09.htm] and highlights five central additional concepts and three dangers and drawbacks.<ref name=\"IISD\" />\nThe five central additional concepts are\n\n* Empowerment\n* Respect\n* Localization\n* Enjoyment - the emphasis is no longer on being \"rapid\" but on the process.\n* Inclusiveness\n\nDangers and drawbacks\n\n* \"Hijacking\" - being used to create legitimacy for an external party.\n* Formalism - an abrupt and exploitative approach is common where there is a deadline to meet.\n* Disappointment - when expectations are raised and nothing tangible emerges.\n\nSee [[Wikipedia:Participatory rural appraisal|the Wikipedia article]] for more information and links.\n\n''See also [[Wikipedia:Participatory rural appraisal]]''\n\n== Three caveats ==\n\nThree 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>\n\n* Participation is not a panacea, and does not suit every circumstance. The mother of a child dying of diarrhea does not want to \"participate\".\n* Beware of manipulation - conscious or unconscious, e.g. when a \"participatory social communicator\" has preconceived ideas.\n* Remember the opportunity cost - villagers do not have endless free time, and may be giving up time on productive work in order to participate.\n\n== Community power in Turkmenistan ==\n\n:<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://web.archive.org/web/20081006174158/http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2006/experiences-3896.html Programme Experiences: Solar Power = Community Power - Turkmenistan], 2006</ref>\n\n== References ==\n\n<references />\n\n== See also ==\n\n* [[How to fake a good process]]\n* [[Deep-democracy]]\n\n== External links ==\n\n* [[Wikipedia:Participation (decision making)]]\n* [[Wikipedia:Orangi Pilot Project]]\n* [http://web.archive.org/web/20090114020844/http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sourcebook/sbhome.htm The World Bank Participation Sourcebook] (archived web pages, via ''Archive.org'')\n* [http://www.scn.org/cmp/modules/a-mod.htm Communities Empowerment]\n* [http://www.how-matters.org/2010/09/13/spotting-community-ownership/ Spotting Community Ownership] and [http://www.how-matters.org/2011/04/27/not-your-project/ Sorry but it's not YOUR project] which contains a useful community participation ladder on [http://www.how-matters.org how-matters.org]\n* [http://web.archive.org/web/20200723111511/http://www.how-matters.org/links-resources/ Links & resources on working with community-based organizations] on [http://www.how-matters.org how-matters.org]\n* [http://web.archive.org/web/20111026185051/http://www.gsb.uct.ac.za/clpv/default.asp?intPageNr=37 The Poor philanthropist: how and why the poor help each other], research monograph and tools to value in-kind contributions from community members\n* [http://www.crin.org/docs/testoftime.pdf Community action and the test of time: Learning from community experiences and perceptions], case studies of community mobilization and capacity building to benefit vulnerable children in Malawi and Zambia\n\n{{Page data\n| license = CC-BY-SA-3.0\n| description = Participation drives progress. Appropedia shares how community involvement makes development more lasting and fair.\n}}\n\n[[Category:Community]]\n[[Category:Principles of development]]\n[[Category:Participation]]\n[[Category:Community participation]]"}