This is a report based on studies using RRA methods, the aim of which was to assess the implementation of agricultural policies in Bangladesh and to establish a benchmark for future impact analyses. It presents analysis of trends in the delivery and use of key agricultural inputs (fertiliser, seeds, irrigation, pesticides, credit and extension service). Major constraints are discussed and conclusions and recommendations are made. Six local studies are presented in an appendix.
Findings from research carried out in residential communities adjacent to chemical industries in Durban. The purpose of the research was to begin the process of developing community-based quality of life indicators for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the industries. This was done using a range of participatory methods with men and women in community groups, and was part of a wider set of Local Agenda 21 activities within the city.
This diary comprises part of a participatory mionitoring and evaluation system called an internal learning system for grassroots livelihoods and micro-finance programs. The diary is bsed on a pictorial record of the development experiences of a poor woman who is a member of a self help savings and credit group and enables the user to collect information on changes in livelihood variables such as health, education, savings etc using symbols. The accuracy of data entry is carried out using simple cross checks with fellow group members in a mutual learning process. The diary enables the direction and reasons for change in the data to be analysed and facilitates the making of plans based on the findings.
This training manual is part of the "Internal Learning System" which is a participatory monitoring and evaluation system for grassroots livelihoods and micro-finance programmes, developed in India. Accompanying the member level diary, this manual gives pictorial direction of a series of exercises for member training meetings. It includes topics such as looking at socio-economic conditions, collecting and analysing data and using loans effectively.
Counter hegemonic globalisation occurs today in many forms and many settings and deals with a variety of issues from land and labour rights to sexual equality to biodiversity and the environment. This paper examines one urban experiment developed to resist the social exclusion that is an undeniable result of the globalisation process by redistributing city resources in favour of the more vulnerable social groups by means of participatory democracy. The experiment was the participatory budget established in 1989 in the city of Porto Alegre.
The first part of the paper describes basic information and the recent history of the city and its government, contextualising both within the Brazilian political system. The second part details a description of the main features of the institutions and processes of the participatory budget and of participation as well as the criteria and methodology for the distribution of resources. The third part examines the development of the participatory budget. The final part analyses the processes of the participatory budget with regards to its efficiency in redistribution, its accountability and quality of representation in a participatory democracy, the notion of dual powers and competing legitimacies and its relationship with the legislative body that formally approves budget.
By the end of the 1990s good governance (GG) was the new catch phrase in development and public policy circles. Good governance is increasingly viewed as a panacea to persisting problems of development and government. Donors, governments (central and local), academe, NGOs and other civil society groups are calling for GG as a requisite for making development programmes and interventions successful. This review examines indicators of local GG. It gives a historical background to GG and overviews the GG agenda. Emerging concepts of good governance are presented with specific references to different literature; and the way forwards towards a framework for defining GG is discussed, with focus on means toward good governance and decentralisation. Key measures of good governance are examined such as participation; new styles of leadership; accountability and transparency; capable public management in economic management, service delivery, sustainable natural resource management and fiscal administration; and respect for law and human rights. The author goes on to propose a manner of constructing a data base of indicators of GG: describing methodology and how to classify the indicators. This is followed by a discussion on who develops and who uses indicators of GG, and emerging issues in defining good local governance. The paper is concluded with some final remarks on the processes of measuring and defining GG.
This paper argues that transnational corporation ventures ought to factor in and mainstream accountability at the early stages of a project, implying that corporate accountability is a process to be nurtured over time. It also outlines a role for civil society actors as being instrumental in creating spaces for engagement with diverse stakeholders. It also draws emphasis to the role of advocacy in combating exploitation and human rights violations. The paper is based on a case study from the Titanium Mining Campaign in Kwale, Kenya. Some of the key lessons learnt from this paper include: ways in which the campaign brought together diverse players working against major obstacles in a bid to counter Tiomin and its allies; effective poverty eradication strategies will warrant a review and harmonisation of government policies to facilitate equitable access and control of productive resource by the immediate owners; the newly enacted Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act of 1999 needs to review observed inconsistencies and loopholes, particularly those requiring Environmental Impact Assessments be undertaken by project proponents to undertake EIAs for proposed developments; advocacy is most effective when backed up by a solid information base; as International NGOs continue to demand for accountability, they ought to focus on developing local capacities for engagement. This paper can be found at http://www.eldis.org/
