People's Participation: A Framework

Abstract

The concept of peoples’ participation in development endeavor has been defined and implemented differently by different users of the term across the globe. Emphasis on involving local community in development projects started with USAID's Foreign Assistance Act (1966) and has, since then, been followed by all International aid Agencies. However, the parameters of real participation have been debated along with various criteria such as: involvement of the local community in decision making, implementation strategies, sharing of direct and indirect benefits and monitoring and evaluation of the projects. Similarly, the participants’ profile has also been debated based upon the nature of their stakes in the common goals of the community. The functional modalities of participation such as leadership, managerial skills, legal rights and responsibilities are considered, equally, important for invoking meaningful participation. People's participation (PP) as an instrument of social reengineering should, essentially ensure appropriate support conducive to attainment of a community-decided common goal and adaptation of an efficient code of conduct. It should also help the community in integrating cultural diversity and maintaining the social system. Experiences in most of the State-sponsored development projects have shown that the involvement of community is sub-optimal. While this being so, the involvement of NGOs as intermediary agencies is expected to accelerate the pace of project implementation and ensure quality and sustainability. The process of people's participation, therefore, requires a triangular partnership among local community, NGOs and Government Agencies. It is essential that a model is developed to identify the stages of the project cycle and define the role and expectations of the stakeholders at each stage. The scope for re-engineering of the stages and re-positioning of the stakeholders, as per the local requirements would ensure meaningful and sustainable involvement of local people, which will increase the longevity of the development endeavors.