Resources

This article reviews three books written by development professionals about Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approaches. The books reviewed are Who Changes? Institutionalising Participation in Development, (Blackburn, J. and Holland, J. eds), Whose Voice? Participatory Research and Policy Change (Holland, J. and Blackburn, J. eds) and The Myth of Community: Gender Issues in Participatory Development (Gujit, I. and Kaul Shah, M. eds). Through an examination of the above, the author concludes that the new PRA agenda advocates change in 4 areas: in the mindsets of development professionals, in the poor, in development organisations, and in policy and policy-making processes. The author then provides a critique of some aspects of the books arguing, amongst others, that the barriers to true participation caused by gender is not seriously tackled in Who Changes? and Whose Voice? The final section provides a critique of PRA more generally and describes how the authors of the books suggest that a more pragmatic approach to PRA be adopted.

This is the second volume of the series 'Learning to Shareà' in which development practitioners continue to share lessons learnt from the field in the area of community participation. The experiences described in this book are all based in India and cover such topics as participatory eco-restoration, women's food calendar, participatory livestock development, participatory forestry, participatory village profile, bio-diversity monitoring, participatory need assessment, children's perceptions of livelihood and participatory impact assessment. See also, Volume I, shelf location 3171

This paper describes two extremes of participation, labeled by the author as Mild and Strong Participatory Development (PD). Mild PD is seen as compatible with globalization, exists within the established order, and acts most often as a tool of economic efficiency. It is often associated with the transfer of market-oriented business and technical knowledge. Mild PD is a means rather than an end, with the development agency finding an appropriate group to fulfill their need rather than the communities need. On the other hand, Strong PD is more revolutionary, associated with liberation and anti-poverty movements. In terms of economics, it is less concerned with maximizing efficiency and effectiveness and more with ensuring access to economic resources on an equitable and sustainable basis. Participation should be seen as an end rather than a means by development agencies, with the driving force being the local participants, not the development agency. The author also introduces the remaining articles in this issue of Canadian journal of development studies (vol. XXI, 4092, 4093, 4094)

In 1992, an Act was passed which dictated that 1/3 of seats at all levels in the newly formed Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) should be reserved for women. This PRIA (Society for Participatory Research in Asia) publication, Participation and Governance has a special focus on women in Governance and looks back on the years succeeding this act. Included in this volume are the experiences and contributions of women elected to the PRIs, the methods they use to govern and the obstacles they face in both urban and rural governance. The household dynamics and the way in which gender roles are consequently shaped are also discussed with regards to women's bearing on PRIs.

Forms part of a resource kit (see record no. 3377) and comprises 3 films entitled: 1) Participation and the World Bank's work: learning to get better at it. (28.50 mins) Interviews with staff and footage of participatory projects. 2) The poverty experts: a participatory poverty assessment in Tanzania. (44.08 mins) 3) Groundwork: participatory research for girl's education. (35.50 mins) See also record no. 2402 for manual to accompany original separate Groundwork video.

The concept of children participating in politics as citizens in their own right is rarely considered. Due to the wide acceptance that children can not competently contribute to political life, they have been excluded at all levels of political processes in society. A seminar was convened to assess and challenge these widely held notions about children and politics.
The four papers, read at the seminar make up the bulk of this document. Marta Santos Pais paper gives a description of the almost universally ratified United Nations international human rights treaty - the Conventions on the Rights of the Child - which has provided fresh impetus for rethinking the role of children as valuable citizens. Some aspects of the treaty are regarded in more detail and emphasize issues such as participation as a right not a duty, freedom of expression, and a child's right to information.
Judith Ennews paper discusses how one can define citizenship in childhood, with the key question of 'What does it mean (if it means anything at all) to be a child citizen? Thirdly, Roger Hart argues that we need to give more recognition to the informal community structures and processes that support families and children, and to the many ways in which local government can support communities in creating environments that fulfil children's rights.
The final paper, by Emma Rothschild focuses on the political rights of children in historical perspective. By examining earlier disputes over the extension of political rights to children and other marginalized groups, the author suggests that modern discussions on the rights of children may be illuminated.
The final part of the document brings together all of the papers mentioned above in order to establish critical insights gained and emerging issues. Proposals are put forward as to what participation actually is, what it requires, the nature of political participation and children's role in civil society.

This book focuses on civil society's role in international policy debates and global problem solving. Increased citizen action over the last 10 years has enabled citizens groups to be a major force in nonstate participation in the global system. Against this background, case studies from a number of movements and NGO networks are presented, including: campaigns to reform the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; the Jubilee 2000 Campaign, the movement against Free Trade, the Landmine Campaign as well as several other human rights, social justice and environmental movements. The book finishes with a section on lessons learned and challenges for the future. A synopsis of the book and abstracts of each section can be viewed at http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/particip/research/citizen/globcitact.pdf