Participatory processes for policy change: reflections on the Prajateerpu e-forum

This article provides an overview of the commentaries received during the e-forum on Participatory Processes for Policy Change. Four areas are considered. Firstly, regarding issues of evidence, the debate raised important questions around the positivist versus more reflective views of knowledge in policy making. The second concerns issues of representation. Many actors emphasise the need for the poor to speak for themselves, but questions arise: who are the poor? And are their voices being heard? The third aspect looks at issues of engagement which seek to develop an alternative agenda, and represent a key challenge for deliberative processes. Lastly, issues of accountability are considered through the extent to which deliberative processes offer opportunities for holding the powerful to account. A concern here is whether adequately functioning accountability mechanisms are in place for people to hold stakeholders responsible.