Resources

This document outlines a card game which can be played during training or a workshop to examine the role of policy in forest management and the benefits of community participation in natural resource management. The game is played using statements written on cards (provided in the document) which relate to policy issues. Players have to decide if they are strong or weak statements and explain their decisions.

The paper identifies that using participatory approaches in World Bank country economic and sector work may involve extra costs, as well as some loss of control over timing and quality of the work. It argues that experience has shown that these costs are more than offset by substantial benefits, which include improvements in the Bank-borrower relationship, speedier acceptance of recommendations both by the Bank and the Borrower, and increase in-country capacity for policy research analysis. These issues are discussed by looking at the costs and benefits of the Participatory Country Economic and Sector Work, P-CESW, the different types of participation involved and the systematic involvement of stakeholders. The paper also discusses the experience of the Bank, by looking at steps involved in a P-CESW, the establishment of a Participatory Environment, the identification of questions for analysis and the participatory data collection and analysis. It also addresses issues on strategy and the doÆs and donÆts for Task Managers. It concludes that P-CESW is both feasible and valuable, in that it is not only fully consistent with the BankÆs growing posture of transparent operations and increased disclosure, but it can enhance the BankÆs status on these issues rapidly because CESW it self is such a crucial part of the BankÆs comparative advantage as an analytical institution.

This paper recognises that the irrigation sector provides a rich source of experience and lessons in user participation. It argues that participation by farmers in system design and management helps to ensure sustainability of the system, reduces the public expenditure burden, and improves efficiency, equity and standards of service. The report further presents that mobilising support at all levels and establishing the participatory process, however, involves costs; this also demands knowledge of the incentives facing each group of stakeholders, and of the essential elements in building effective usersÆ organisations. The paper costs, benefits and limitations involved in participation in this irrigation projects, it looks at the role and the incentives required in engaging the various participants, who are World Bank Task Managers, Policy Makers, Agency Staff, Farmers and others. Lessons learnt in organising Farmer Participation in different contexts is discussed and finally the process of building participation into the projects cycle through identification, preparation, appraisal supervision and evaluation is discussed.

This document is based on a paper written by Davis, S. H and Soeftestad, L. T as a contribution to the World Bank Participation Sourecebook. It states that the characteristics of indigenous groups make participatory approaches especially critical to safeguarding their interests in the development process. Although such approaches, which recognise the right indigenous peoples to participate actively in planning their own futures are supported by major donors and international organisations, they have proved very difficult to implement. It advises that these approaches call for changes in attitudes, policies and legislation to address the key issues: recognising rights to land and natural resources; ensuring culturally appropriate procedures for consultation and communication; and building on the strengths of traditional lifestyles and institutions.

This video briefly describes a process undertaken by a community group on Northern Ireland to obtain a community centre. Through interviews with local people, it shows the need for a community centre (01-03), the process of building contacts between the community group and other agencies (04), consulting local people about what they want (05 -08) and getting people involved in the process (09).