Resources

This synthesis offers a review of experiences in applying participatory approaches to macro-level policy formulation, implementation and monitoring in poverty reduction. The participatory experiences are drawn from research initiatives, donors' country strategies, aid coordination processes, policy advocacy campaigns, institutional change processes, budgetary analysis and formulation and citizens' monitoring mechanisms. The review highlights significant challenges that must be overcome in order to establish participatory, sustainable, country-owned poverty reduction strategies.

This article describes the use of PLA as a tool to facilitate process-oriented, participant evaluation for a project that focussed on drug prevention psychiatry in Norway. It describes how PLA tools have been used in three phases of the evaluation: evaluation of the pre-project phase, evaluation mid-way and at the end of the project period. The results of the project and the lessons learnt are also discussed.

In 1997, four US union health and safety training programmes entered into a three-year, multi-union learning-action-research collaborative, the Self-sufficiency Research and Evaluation Pilot Project (SREPP). This initiative sought to build the research and evaluation capacities of the participating unions trainings by offering a new model of participatory learning and action in the area of worker health and safety. Existing examples of participatory action research in this field have tended to concentrate on single worksites and start with a stakeholder labour management model. By contrast this project has sought to foster participatory learning across programmes from a union perspective. It uses and expends on the peer training model to institutionalise a new base of worker produced knowledge. During the last of SREPP's four training workshops participants reflected on their experiences in the project through a series of participatory activities. In this article the background to the project is followed by the words of SREPP participants describing what it takes to learn about and do participatory evaluation in the context of union-based, worker-led health and safety training programmes. This includes a look at what was learned, and how, as well as supports and barriers to participatory evaluation and the model that they have developed.

This working paper provides an evaluation and a critique of participatory research, specifically in the field of social sciences and agronomy (Agriculture, Nutrition, Alimentation). Reviewing the relevant literature, it summarises the basic participatory methodologies and investigates the limits of participatory research. The potential participatory research offers to the CRDI is brought forwards, notably as regards project evaluation.

Ce document de groupe de travail fournit une Úvaluation et une critique de la recherche participative, et ce spÚcifiquement dans les sciences sociales et l'agronomie (Agriculture, Nutrition, Alimentation). Passant en revue la littÚrature sur la recherche participative et sur son origine, ce document rÚsume les mÚthodologies participatives fondamentales et souligne leurs limites. Les implications de la recherche participative pour le CRDI sont mises en avant, notamment leurs apport en termes d'Úvaluation de projets.

This folder, produced by the Jamaican Social Investment Fund, consists of seven short handbooks on CBOs . They are the result of observation of many Jamaican CBOs and they seek to address some of the common problems addressed by these organisations. These practical handbooks cover a number of topics: 1 The Community Based Organisation: looks at issues such as what a CBO is, how to get started, membership types, CBO structure, how to encourage new people, principles of evaluation and accountability, and registration. 2 Leadership and Motivation: here several issues are considered such as who the organisation belongs to, the constitution, job descriptions, meetings, how to stimulate creativity, building consensus and decision making, delegating and dealing with conflict. 3 Money Management and Fundraising: this handbook looks at the role of the Treasurer, the types of funds needed, different ways to raise funds, budgeting, accounting, financial reports, audit, credit and investment. 4 Planning Community Projects: various issues are considered such as developing a vision, identifying priorities, analysing the problem, analysing resources, analysing the past, analysing alternative solutions, analysing risk, planning activities and writing project proposals 5 Implementing Community Projects: this handbook takes the community project further by addressing implementation challenges, identifying beneficiaries, mobilising people to provide services, detailing the action plan, identifying the best time for implementation and monitoring of the project. 6 Evaluation of Community Projects: the issues around evaluating projects are looked at in this handbook and include questions such as why evaluate, who should evaluate, what should be evaluated and how should it be done. Evaluating people, planning and reporting are also addressed. 7 CBO Publicity and Networking; this last handbook looks at promoting the image the CBO through newsletters, press releases, presentations and by phone then goes on to consider communication in meetings, invitations and requests, and representation outside the community.

This document comprises three sections: an overview of the literature, discussion and reflection on the wider issues relating to participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) in Latin America, and an annotated bibliography. The overview provides a broad scan of the literature, which is divided into references that look at case study examples and conceptual issues, tools and methodologies, reviews of experiences in PM&E, and documents that look at PM&E in a broader sense. It then outlines the gaps in the literature. The second section discusses the more important issues as they relate to Latin America, the trends in PM&E work currently observed and some reflections on the methodologies employed. The bibliography sources and abstracts literature relating to PM&E in Latin America.

This document comprises three sections: an overview of the literature, discussion and reflection on the wider issues relating to participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) in Latin America, and an annotated bibliography. The overview provides a broad scan of the literature, which is divided into references that look at case study examples and conceptual issues, tools and methodologies, reviews of experiences in PM&E, and documents that look at PM&E in a broader sense. It then outlines the gaps in the literature. The second section discusses the more important issues as they relate to Latin America, the trends in PM&E work currently observed and some reflections on the methodologies employed. The bibliography sources and abstracts literature relating to PM&E in Latin America.