Resources

Increasingly, governments and donors are advocating the participation of poor communities in the delivery of urban services and infrastructure. Yet local authorities responsible for implementing participatory policies often do not have the skills, organisations or resources needed, or an adequate idea of the capacity required. This sourcebook provides invaluable practical guidance for municipal officials, and others working in urban development and poverty reduction, on the range of issues to be addressed in planning and managing cities with community participation. It explains the key elements of participation, identifies common constraints and opportunities, describes the vehicles for moving participation forward and outlines the capacity building needed for a municipality to achieve participatory goals. Jannelle Plummer is an Urban Poverty Consultant based in South Africa and formerly a development officer with DFID. Contents: Introduction; A Strategic Framework for Municipal Capacity Building; The External Operating Context; The Elements of Participation; The Vehicles of Participation; Internal Capacity of the Municipality; Management Capacity of the Municipality; Framework for Action; Appendix and References

This discussion paper examines key elements of a community development process, of which PRA is but one aspect. The paper firstly gives a brief analysis of the usage and effectiveness of PRA tools. It then goes on to include sections on US Development, What is Community, Building Community, Participation, Levels of Participation, Types of Community Members, Leadership, Facilitation and Analysis of Information Gathered. Finally the paper provides a diagram of the Community Development Maze, a visual aid to understanding the community development process

This article describes the phenomena of children's clubs which have emerged as a new form of institution in Nepal. The authors document the research into this phenomena that they carried for Save the Children Norway and Save the Children US, who themselves support 300 clubs. The research was concerned with general and national patterns and questions of structures and process within the clubs. The article outlines the genesis and growth of children's clubs in Nepal; organisational structure and membership; club activities and impacts of the clubs and recommendations.

This is a step by step explanation of an exercise used to introduce participants to some of the principles of participation. It is especially effective with participants who are in positions of seniority as it highlights the links between empowerment and transparency and sharing.

This book provides practical guidelines for using participatory approaches for planning social development programmes, particularly in the areas of health and education. It explores how information can be used to develop equal partnerships between professionals and the people who are intended to benefit from the programme. It discusses the importance of generating information, encouraging active participation and the subsequent empowerment of local people to give them the confidence needed to make decisions that affect their own lives - the book explores how information is obtained and used. Topics covered include why information is important for planning and empowerment choosing appropriate methods and techniques, carrying out a participatory needs assessment, and investigating particular samples of participatory planning. Drawings, tables and photographs are used to illustrate examples of planning techniques and a list of further reading is included with a select bibliography.

Decentralisation and institutionalised participation have tended to occupy different conceptual spheres in development theory. This paper seeks to redress this by exploring the possibility of a 'bottom-up' approach to decentralisation. In examining whether decentralisation strategies can be a means to enhance people's participation in development, the author takes both a theoretical and a practical approach. Firstly, some of the theoretical issues of decentralisation, participation local institution building are explored. Subsequently, a unique example of people-centred development, the People's Planning Campaign in Kerala, South India, is provided. It is concluded that both theories of decentralisation need to be expanded and that theoretical considerations need to be moderated by practical concerns.