Resources

This report is based on a research study conducted in five communities in the Northern Province using PRA. Both the formal and informal interview methods were used for collecting additional information. A detailed account of the communities under study is provided. It contains an assessment of the needs and problems encountered in the villages as defined and perceived by the community themselves. A large section of the report is devoted to analysing the causes of poverty and identifying and prioritising community needs using PRA methods. Guidelines for drawing up a project proposal are also presented. An appendix (3) contains tables and diagrams prepared by the communities using PRA methods for each village.

This brief note suggests methodological tools that could be used for establishing the validity of investigations made using participatory methods. In doing so, the paper draws on theory of conventional research which uses criteria such as internal and external validity, reliability and objectivity for establishing the trustworthiness of the research. Since these criteria are not amenable to participatory research, the note contends that other equivalent and alternative criteria, such as credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability would help establish the validity of a participatory inquiry. Participatory methods in use such as observation, triangulation, participants' checking of the data and its interpretation enhance the trustworthiness of the participatory enquiry.

This conference paper traces the origins of RRA (and PRA), the rationale behind its emergence and its close affiliations with a number of discipline approaches such as social anthropology, farming systems research, Freirian activism, etc. While defining PRA and outlining its key philosophical elements, the paper contends that the distinctions made between RRA and PRA are merely difference in methods and both (PRA and RRA) can be used in a complementary manner. The paper briefly highlights the length, breadth and the depth of the spread of PRA over the years and the challenges facing PRA, such as institutional and individual values and attitudes which are not conducive to the essence of participatory development. The notable part played by Ethiopia in the evolution of PRA is also mentioned.

This book is the outcome of a workshop on participation organised by Duryog Nivaran, a South-Asian network of individuals and organisations concerned with large scale disruptions in society due either to natural disasters or conflicts. This introductory chapter gives a glimpse of papers included in the above book. The papers come from a group who have not only encountered the notion of participation in different capacities but have also understood it in different ways. Four of the seven papers included in the book look at participation primarily in the context of development and development projects; two of the papers look at the link between participation and political process at the macro level and raise questions about the relationship between development projects and political processes in wider society. Finally, one paper attempts to straddle these two worlds. The book contends that it is important to promote healthy critical debates on the concept and the experience of participation in various contexts. However, the emergence of participation as a new development orthodoxy needs to be questioned.

This brief paper shares the author's experiences of running PRA training and other related activities and their impact on inducing attitudinal change in the participants (trainees). The paper asserts that on the one hand changes in attitudes and behaviour are hard to come by due to structural and cultural barriers in many large organisations, and on the other hand such changes even when visible remain to be in a fluid state of affairs unless supported continuously by follow-up activities.

This brief workshop paper stresses the role of attitudes and behaviour of PRA practitioners towards the overall philosophy of PRA. Any change in the behaviour and attitudes of outside professionals practising PRA should be permanent in nature rather than being merely need-based or temporary. Three broad categories of PRA practitioners based on their quality and convictions are identified. The paper asserts that good quality PRA training would certainly help change the attitudes and behaviour of the PRA practitioners to a great extent, while cultural and institutional barriers and a bad-quality PRA training would do quite the opposite.

This paper looks at participatory management as a basis for bringing about behavioural changes both at the individual and organisational level. The paper draws heavily on various theories of human behaviour, organisational management and their impact in shaping individual behaviour. The paper presents a review of dominant organisation behaviour models and the key events taking place in business management which have relevance to participatory development in general and to development workers in particular. A summary of the constructive approach is provided - the positivist, rationalistic paradigm, which helps to look at and understand the world in different ways.