Resources

This article briefly describes the experiences and lessons of community based planning (CBP) in two pilot districts (Gwanda and Chimanimani) in Zimbabwe. The CCP process created the need to revitalise the planning and development structures in the pilot districts and engaged government throughout the process, which resulted in the mainstreaming of community empowerment principles in the decentralisation of the government of Zimbabwe. The article gives a background to governance systems in Zimbabwe and describes the more recent systems for participation and local government, as well as participation in the NGO sector. It explores the evolution of CBP in Zimbabwe naming the key concerns such as the lack of public participation in decision making and development, lack of communication between governing institutions, and domination of top-down strategies; together with the potential benefits of CBP in handling these issues. It illustrates the CBP approach used with an adaptation of the four-countries (a DFID funded project covering Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and South Africa) CBP training manual; training of facilitators; ward planning; community documentation of plans; integration of plans at Rural District Council level; budget allocations; and knowledge sharing. Some of the innovations in the use of participatory methodologies were the setting up of a core facilitation team; the creative involvement of respected community leaders as facilitators; establishment of District Training Teams; a financing system to sustain community participation; and building consensus of divergent groups. The impact and outcomes of the project are accounted for, together with lessons learned and visions for the future.

This article gives account for experiences from the Centre for Alternative Technologies (CTA), an NGO working on alternative futures for and with rural small-scale farmers in Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. CTA staff work with a Local Development Plan (LDP) focussing on developing participatory Municipal Rural Development Plans (MRDP) in three municipalities: Araponga, Tombos, and Acaiaca. This article compares the three municipal planning processes, offering them as an exiting alternative methodology for local development in the Brazilian context. The article starts by describing the study area, CTA's evolution to municipal planning, and CTA's vision for pro-poor municipal planning. It goes on to explain the main building blocks of the CTA-supported MDRP, including participation as a learning process; planning process and methodology; working with new partners giving and giving farmer groups a more prominent role in the process; building accountability structures; non-neutral pro-poor facilitation; and finally learning from diversity, where the importance of differences between the participating communities are and how that forms the process are discussed. The key impacts and challenges are examined, with the problems of standardisation of methodologies in scaling-up of these types of processes. However despite many differences, several elements were found to be effective in all the three cases: the value of PRA (participatory visioning, problems appraisal and solution identification); the importance of some kind of supervision and decision making body; the needed for patience in conflict solving in the group (internally and in interaction with external parties); capacity-building of leadership, facilitation, and negotiation skills; and the need for clear facilitation at the onset of the process with a gradual transformation of the role of external bodies to advisory bodies.

Most major development NGOs dedicate significant resources to advocacy. Many also work to inform and shape public opinion. They argue that fundamental change is not achieved until the policy environment is right, and cannot be sustained with the groundswell of support for reform. In recent years, however, advocacy work has come under increasing criticism. NGOs are challenged on the grounds of legitimacy: whom do they represent, and to whom are they accountable? What practical impact does high-level advocacy have on the lives of people living in poverty, and who is to judge this? Should NGOs try to combine funding and advocacy, or do these demand different kinds of North-South relationship? Are NGOs too readily seduced by agencies like the World Bank or by the corporate sector? When does constructive engagement with these powerful bodies turn into co-option by them? As international grassroots advocacy is becoming more vocal, thanks to new communication technologies, what is the appropriate role for Northern NGOs? This collection brings together papers from the international journal Development in Practice, by writers with experience of NGO advocacy. Together they attempt to answer some of these uncomfortable questions.

Volume 1 of the proceedings from the 1990 First World Congress on Action Research and Process Management covers workshops and papers related to Action Learning, Action Research and Process Management Theory and Praxis Frameworks. Volume 2 includes papers that describe case studies and experiences of the application of Action Learning, Action Research and Process Management. Part 1 of this book concentrates on Action Learning and Research with papers on experimental learning, teaching action research and putting praxis into action, with applications in networking, postmerger integration, graduate management research programmes education, and academic management. One paper also discusses the legitimisation and implementation of action learning and research in the future. The second part of the book focuses around process management with papers on information transfer within agricultural systems, training and development, organisational effectiveness and structure, and the analyses general constraints and benefits of process management.

This journal, published by PRIA (Participatory Research in Asia) in New Delhi, focuses on the facilitation of citizenÆs participation in development and democratic governance. This volume presents 7 articles where of 3 are based directly on experiences from practice in case studies, and many are based on experiences from workshops organised by PRIA. Tandon and Mohanty examine the role of civil society initiatives in influencing public policy in India (Influencing public policy: civil society and governance in India). Poverty eradication and democratic governance in South Asia by Sen, is based on the deliberations and concerns that emerged out of the first module, ôUnderstanding the Macro-Policy frameworkö in the second course of Regional Advocacy Training programme held at PRIA. Sen also describes the Status of Baisis in the contemporary context: a study in the Deogarh district of JharkhandI, which is a tiered traditional system of self-governance. Dwivedi contributes with the Challenges of leadership in Voluntary Development Organisations and a discussion of Participatory impact Assessment in South Asia, a pilot project initiated by New Zeeland VASS (Voluntary Agency Support Scheme). Anand write about Experiences and lessons of strengthening citizenÆs monitoring in Jharkand: A citizenship perspective, and Mohanty analyses Research practice engagement for social development. The journal also includes four book reviews on: Internatinoal prespective on voluntary action- Reshaping the third sector edited by Lewis; Complex responsive processes in organisations- Learning and knowledge creation by Staecy; Participation of the poor in Development Initiatives- Taking their rightful place by Long; and Roles and relevance- Development NGOs and the challenge of change by Lewis and Wallace.

The objectives of this study produced for DFID (Department for International Development, UK) East Africa is to identify CSOs (Civil Society Organisations) in Uganda that are active in policy dialogue and advocacy; identify the extent of civil society involvement in policy formulation, implementation and monitoring; and assist CSOs in drawing key lessons from their engagement in policy advocacy in order to strengthen engagement in the future. Interviews were held with 125 people in Kampala, Pallisa and Gulu in Uganda with a focus on: election monitoring; processes around the Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA); and policy processes around health issues. Feedback workshops were held in Pallisa and Kampala. Overall, the study found that CSO engagement with government in policy processes has been increasing and that the shift by donors to sector-wide approaches (SWAPs) and budget support, and the resulting sub-contracting by government of CSOs, is fundamentally affecting the role of CSOs. The article goes on to assess the role of civil society in policy processes examining CSO roles and influence, tensions and synergies in the multiple roles of CSOs, and constraints experienced and the responses from civil society. The article is concluded with specific recommendations relating to each of the above topics, The central outcome of the study comes with a recommendation that all actors- CSOs, government and donors- should adopt a more integrated view on policy processes, analysing the interplay between different roles at different stages, and then working towards ensuring the appropriate space, recognition and mechanisms for CSOs to play different roles effectively.

The report is the result of research into the impact of children's participation on development programmes and how such participation can be facilitated. The report also assesses how large international organisations with complex systems and hierarchical management structures can respond sensitively and flexibly to the challenges that will emerge when children are given a voice. It brings together the findings of a literature review of current thinking about children's participation and its evaluation with a field study undertaken in three different countries (Ecuador, India and Kenya). It is also enriched by discussion at a one-day conference in London in November 2003, which was hosted by Plan UK to review findings from the research. The report raises questions about the way that participation is understood by development agencies, arguing that the conceptualisation of children's participation by each organisation will reflect their underlying philosophies. It also focuses on the changes - both positive and negative - that children's participation may bring about, and discusses various issues relating to evaluation. Possible tools and methods are described and consideration is given to the manner in which evaluation activities are conducted. Particular emphasis is also given to ethical issues in relation to evaluation practice. The report considers the challenges for agencies in seeking to develop children's participation further, and the introduction of a participatory approach to evaluation itself.