Exploring FSTprinciples in Community Development: The ‘Carrot on a Stick’ Early Health Intervention Programme

Abstract

case study is presented to examine the durability of the five principles of feminist systems theory devised to improve community development projects and produce better outcomes for marginalised people and the environment. The development of these principles can be traced to work comparing two emancipatory epistemologies, Critical Systems Thinking and Cultural Ecofeminism (Stephens, Jacobson, King, 2009) and were then exposed to broader literature (Stephens, Jacobson, King, 2010). The principles guide social science and management research. This paper presents a case study of a community based healthy lifestyle intervention programme based in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia. The Carrot on a Stick programme was retrospectively analysed from the perspective of each of the five principles. The principles did not inform the original design of the programme, yet the study reveals that four of the principles are present and inform the implementation of Carrot on a Stick. The study holds implications for the design and evaluation of community intervention programmes, especially when they involve people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.