Sustaining community infrastructure through community-based governance (the social practice of collective design policy)

Abstract

PurposeThis paper empirically provides information on community-driven infrastructure provision through the collective efforts of community-based organizations (CBOs). It offers an insight into emerging events on community-based infrastructure procurement, scholarship and, creating gaps for new frontiers of knowledge on community development research agenda in the emerging economies.Design/methodology/approachIt is drawn upon community-based associations, herein referred to as landlords-landladies community association (LLCAs) – representatives of households in the communities. After interviewing the key members of the groups, we administered copies of the semi-structured questionnaire randomly on the enumerated regular members of sampled seventeen LLCAs. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsPlanning for a sustainable community, protection and security necessity and Government inadequate attention on emerging communities over the years are the main reasons for the joint decision. Electrification, drainage and road top the lists of the projects executed. Major challenges included diversity and inclusiveness. Development projects' design, execution and commission contribute to performance. Also, LLCAs' clarity of duties and purposes and tenure/duration of officials contribute to the overall membership satisfaction on governance structure and leadership.Research limitations/implicationsIt is limited to the specific reasons for collective efforts, challenges of the participatory movement, membership satisfaction on governance and infrastructure recently procured in the communities. Frontier of studies should be extended to enabling factors.Practical implicationsFindings from this study indicate that community-driven governance with the support of the government enhances community-based infrastructure.Social implicationsPotential values of collective action embellished in the concepts of a social movement, active engagement, communalism, grassroots efforts, social cohesion and planning in bringing peoples of diversities together for common goals with less rigorous formalization.Originality/valueThe novelty of the research is the exposition on the evidence-based innovative concept of integrating the social practice of participatory design, representing a bottom-up model into infrastructure procurement in community settings.