Issues of Power in Participatory Development
Schleipman, Samuel F.
2019
- Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Participatory development is centered upon communities having decision-making ability in the programs affecting their lives. However, this dissemination of power is greatly influenced by two major parties: local elites and development agencies themselves. Elites can ... read morecapture programs to secure benefits intended to be enjoyed by the entire community or a specific disadvantaged subset of the population, or sabotage programs they fear might undermine their personal interests. The degree to which elites may attempt to manipulate development projects is closely tied to the type of problem the program is addressing; the greater the potential for a redistribution of power, the greater the opposition the program will encounter. Elites are more likely to support programs that offer universal benefits or the possibility of capture. Development actors determine the parameters and extent to which their programs are participatory. The type of participation in which they engage is a range between full local control over projects, to the compelled validation of imposed programs. This choice of participation type, the degree to which it is supported, and the development actors’ approach to handling local elites has a great effect on the experience of locals engaged in their programs, and the ultimate results of their combined efforts. These issues are explored through a theoretical framework focusing on the power of elites and implementers, and then examined in practice through multiple case studies. From these studies, several key lessons are gleaned. It can be exceedingly difficult to prevent disproportionate elite involvement in development programs, but how elites influence a program can be mitigated and steered by the enforcement of democratic accountability mechanisms. Active oversight and project support from development agencies is critical not only in this area, but also in helping to ensure that agencies’ own field staff fully implement participatory methods in their work. Though many actors only use token participation as a way to have communities validate preconceived programs, it is within the power of development agencies to choose the degree to which they engage in true participation.read less
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