Participation In Development Process Research Articles

دور المشارکة المجتمعیة فى تنمیة وتطویر المجتمع المحلى

Achieving sustainable development in all its aspects (economic, environmental and social) requires a stekholders participation of the development process (government sector, the private sector and civil society). Community participation is a major focus for building development projects for the society in light of the growth and development witnessed by the societies that adopt it. In the absence of interest - at the official level - to involve the local community in urban development projects (planning and architectural), and the role of participation of some civil society institutions are often limited to decision making process of the project. The research aims to encourage the participation of individuals within their communities through sound methodologies adopted by the stakeholders to the development process in their communities. The research prposes a framework with specific phases to achieve effective participation which will reflect positively on sustainability success for project development. The research methodology follow the theoretical inductive approach through a literature review of global and local development initiatives to derive different tools and phases that constitute the operational framework for the participatory development process. It also follows the case study approach in order to monitor the effectiveness of the role of community participation in the development of urban aspects as well as the role of the stakeholders in activating the participatory process and implementing it with the appropriate tools within existing cases. The research consists of a theoretical background dealing with an introduction to participatory development in the local community and its presence within the global framework for sustainable development. It also includes a review of the Egyptian policies and laws in support of participatory development. The field study was based on rigorous observations and interviews in data collection and analysis in the relation to the case studies selected. The research concluded: the direct correlation between individuals participation in projects, a sense of ownership of the development process is achieved by involving the local community in identifying its needs, and that a decentralized framework for decision-making and resource allocation was proven effective when implemented to the local community .

Participatory youth-led community development: A child-centered visual SWOT analysis in India

In India, 27.5% of the population is youth in the age group of 15–29 years and 67.5% of the Indian population lives in rural and semi-urban areas. Youth civic engagements and youth-led initiatives are crucial for community development. The purpose of this paper is to examine how well youth-led initiatives are creating a positive impact in the community, as well as how these initiatives are recognized by their own community members and key stakeholders. This paper describes how youth-led visual technology and media-based community development processes transformed a nomadic tribal community in India with a focus on promoting child rights. The project “INaGi: A Child-Centered Visual SWOT” (Ilaingargaludan Nagaramum Giramamum, Tamil for “Youth with Urban and Rural Areas”) was executed by Trust for Youth and Child Leadership (TYCL), a youth-led organization based in Pondicherry, India. The project offered visual technology and media tools to local youth to capture the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the tribal community and provided space for them to reflect, connect, and act for mutual social transformation. This process recognizes indigenous knowledge, co-creation, and the power of young people and new age technology, and it enables local people to innovate local solutions for local problems. Furthermore, this paper discusses a youth-led bottom-up approach for the planning and execution of child-centered community development, as particularly distinct from a donor-driven project approach. Visual-based participatory action research methods were adopted to engage youth, community members, and other key stakeholders of the project. This paper captures the participatory youth-led community development process, its positive outcomes, and lessons learned from the process and put forth recommendations for key stakeholders.

Entwicklung eines Indikatorensets zur Evaluation der Integrierten Versorgung Gesundes Kinzigtal

IntroductionThe project “INTEGRAL−10-year evaluation of the population-based integrated health care model ‘Gesundes Kinzigtal’ (Healthy Kinzigtal)” (ICM-GK) is funded by the Innovation Committee of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) (grant no. 01VSF16002). The evaluation is to be based on a set of indicators that can be captured in routine data. On the one hand, they can be used to assess ICM-GK programs that are program-specific and geared towards prevention and disease management. On the other hand, possible negative side effects of the ICM-GK, which is designed as a “shared savings contract”, are to be examined by also observing care needs not covered by the ICM-GK contract. Since an indicator set for the evaluation of regional integrated care (IC) programs in Germany is not yet available, a suitable indicator set should be developed. Methods1.Defining a methodological framework for the development of indicators based on concepts from the literature2.Searching for potential quality indicators (QIs) a) in the literature (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase) and b) in indicator databases3.Conducting document analysis of the ICM-GK programs4.Conducting focus groups with patients, doctors and ICM-GK stakeholders5.Merging QIs from the various sources, removing duplicates, comparing the indicators with the data basis of routine statutory health insurance data6.Allocating indicators to disease categories, care needs and quality dimensions according to OECD and Donabedian7.Evaluating and consenting the indicators by a multidisciplinary group of experts using the modified RAND-UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM) based on the relevance and feasibility of the indicators ResultsThe methodological framework links the OECD concept for quality assessment of health systems with Kessner's tracer methodology. Disease groups with a high prevalence (“common diseases”), prevention potential and potential for improvement through IC were selected as tracers. The literature search resulted in 239 QIs and the QI database search in 293 QIs, which were supplemented by 21 QIs from the focus groups. Out of a total of 553 QIs, 251 QIs remained after removal of duplicates and comparison with the data basis. This preliminary QI set was reduced to 101 QIs by consensus. In addition, 48 health reporting indicators were supplemented which serve to classify regional quality results. The final QI set maps the following 19 disease categories/tracers: heart failure (16 QIs), myocardial infarction (4 QIs), CHD (10 QIs), stroke (6 QIs), metabolic syndrome (7 QIs of which 5 were diabetes-related), COPD (6 QIs), asthma (3 QIs), chronic pain (5 QIs), back pain (3 QIs), geriatrics (7 QIs), dementia (8 QIs), osteoporosis (3 QIs), rheumatism (3 QIs), multiple sclerosis (2 QIs), depression (4 QIs), antibiotic therapy (3 QIs), drug safety (1 QI), child care (5 QIs), early detection/prevention (5 QIs). 33 of these QIs are dedicated to five tracers that are not explicitly ICM-GK programs. Most QIs assess aspects of the effectiveness of care for the chronically ill and measure process quality. DiscussionThe set of indicators initially enables the quality assessment of regional, cross-indication care quality in the population-based integrated health care model ‘Gesundes Kinzigtal’ on the basis of routine data. Although the QI set focuses on effectiveness and process quality, it also includes QIs for preventive and acute care, coordination of care, patient orientation and safety, and outcomes. In contrast to other QI sets, both primary care and specialist health care and integrated, cross-sectoral and cross-professional care aspects have been considered. The benefits of the QI set for comparisons of regional quality and the evaluation of different IC programs remain to be tested. ConclusionOn the basis of a broadly based research and participatory development process, a set of indicators has been developed that enables comprehensive evaluation of the regional quality of care of cross-indication, integrated care models focusing on common diseases. In order to be able to increasingly evaluate aspects of care coordination and patient orientation, health promotion as well as nursing, palliative and emergency care in the future, it would be helpful if routine data were collected or made accessible in these areas as well.

Climate Services for Agricultural and Livestock Producers: What have we learned?

Climate services are scientifically based products that enhance users’ understanding on the impacts of climate on their decisions and actions. Decision Support Systems (DSSs) are programs that use models and other information to make site-specific recommendations for farm management-related activities. Climate variability is a source of production risk worldwide and is associated with other risks such as pest and disease incidence. Extreme climate events such as drought, intense precipitations, and pest or disease outbreak can also affect commodity prices and increase marketing risk. However, climate forecasts alone usually do not provide actionable information for improving decisions and policy. Climate forecasts are the basis for co-development of DSSs to support improved decisions at different scales to maximize profits and input use, and to minimize climate risks, and negative environmental externalities. Major advances in developing DSSs occurred through design, diffusion, and adoption made possible through continuous interaction among scientists, boundary organizations and end users in a participatory research and development process. This article describes the evolution of this process and addresses issues of co-development, participation, scale, and future research needs through a case study that highlights commonalities and differences between producer needs, perceptions, and adoption at two research sites (one in Florida, USA and the other in southeastern Paraguay).

Participatory Environmentally Friendly Message Design: Influence of Message Features and User Characteristics.

Labels and declarations are one of the tools of environmental management aimed at improving human behavior with regard to the environment. The development process of environmental labels and declarations has been strongly recommended to include participatory consultation with users. Research studies on participatory design of environmentally friendly messages, however, have never been seen. The purpose of this study was to examine participatory environmentally friendly message design with consideration for the effects of message characteristics and user factors. Forty Hong Kong Chinese people adopted a participatory draw-and-tell approach by drawing 26 environmentally friendly messages related to eco-products, energy conservation, and recycling and waste management, and then verbally described their design drawings. The results showed that environmentally friendly messages which were familiar, concrete, easy to visualize, and contained clear context were favored by users, and users with high object imagery preference benefited most from the participatory design through the draw-and-tell approach. This study fills the gap in the literature about participatory design in environmental labels and declarations which are used for promoting eco-friendly behavior in daily life. The findings should help facilitate the participatory development process of environmentally friendly messages for conveying pro-environmental actions.

Addressing Cancer Health Disparities in the Pacific Peoples of Hawai'i, Guam, and the US Associated Pacific Islands Through Pacific-Focused Research Capacity Building.

Sociocultural, geographic, and biologic factors contribute to cancer health disparities (CHDs) in Indigenous Pacific peoples (IPPs) in Guam, Hawai‘i, and the US Associated Pacific Islands (USAPI). IPPs experience a greater burden of CHDs that are associated with late-stage diagnosis and poor survival outcomes compared with majority populations in the United States. A 16-year partnership between the University of Guam (UOG) and University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center (UHCC) aims to advance health equity in Guam, Hawai‘i, and the USAPI through cancer research, training, and outreach. Investigators at collaborating institutions study issues of regional and cultural relevance in IPPs, including breast, cervical, liver, and oral cancers and use of tobacco and betel nuts (Areca nuts). Junior faculty with IPP ancestry or those who are focused on CHDs in IPPs receive mentorship and career development opportunities, academic fellowships are provided for graduate students, and Pacific Island communities are engaged through a participatory development process. The partnership has generated more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, more than 100 abstracts, and 11 grant awards. Thirty graduate scholars from under-represented minorities have been trained, including two who are now UOG faculty and are conducting independent research, contributing to the partnership, and mentoring scientists of tomorrow. Participatory community engagement has contributed to the passage of significant cancer prevention and control legislation in Hawai‘i, Guam, and Saipan. Research capacity at UOG has increased significantly, and research at UHCC has expanded to address issues unique to IPPs. Graduate students from under-represented minorities are pursuing careers in cancer research. A regional research infrastructure has been established to support team science, and research findings are informing public health policy and planning.

The role of social innovation for a knowledge-based local development: insights from the literature review

This paper presents a comprehensive structured literature review of papers published with a focus on 'social innovation for knowledge-based local development'. The papers published in journals in the range 1997-2019 are analysed to derive insights and implications about the role of social innovation for local development according to a knowledge-based perspective. The analysis of the literature highlights the lack of a homogenous investigation of the relationships between social innovation and knowledge-based local development. However, findings show the growing importance of the theme and underline some relevant research streams: 1) Dynamics of social innovation for territorial development; 2) Promoting participatory development processes for interactive learning, networking and knowledge exchange; and 3) The role of institutions to promote, sustain and develop knowledge-based territorial development systems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the open questions for future research.

Developing sustainability learning in business school curricula – productive boundary objects and participatory processes

Sustainability learning is holistic and complex as it draws on diverse disciplines and can be interpreted differently within individual pedagogies. Embedding sustainability across and within business schools relies on developing suitable boundary objects. These may include representations such as models, frameworks or classificatory schemes that are malleable enough to be adapted for use within the disparate disciplines and pedagogies, yet durable enough to be recognisable and to maintain consistency across them. Boundary objects thus allow the sharing of ways of knowing or practice across various social boundaries. This paper outlines how participatory curriculum development processes can enable sustainability to be embedded in a business school curriculum. Distinct phases of the process were marked by different ways of knowing, as disciplinary-specific academics developed and embedded sustainability into and across curricula. Boundary objects were both outcomes and productive facilitators of this process. They acted as catalysts and attracted ongoing processes of dialogue, debate and meaning-making between these academics. The institutional context provided enabling conditions to legitimize outcomes from the participatory process. The process may be replicable in other business schools by the use of boundary objects.

Part 1: Active learning and intercultural competence

CASA-Sevilla is a study abroad programme for US university students with an advanced level of Spanish. In recent years, new patterns of social behaviour among students (mainly the use of technology and low-cost flights) aggravated their difficulties in establishing contacts with the local society, which often resulted in the perpetuation of stereotypes. The programme goals of cultural immersion and language improvement were therefore at risk. Through an action research and a participatory organisational development process, CASA-Sevilla stakeholders carried out a profound reform of the programme, based on the principles of active pedagogy, mentoring and community-engaged learning. This section illustrates this reform process, with its highlights and shadows.

Participation and decision-making at community development meetings: An appraisal of a subtle style in Luganda

This paper is based on corpus data from a study that was conducted in Uganda by the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED). Using a multi-perspective approach to spoken discourse analysis, the paper discusses the manifestations and patterns of participation and decision-making as they emerge through evaluation and appraisal in the context of participatory community development processes. Taking the discourse of farmer group meetings as a genre of business meetings, the paper explores how participants use Luganda to express assessment and make decisions during interactive discourse. In this paper, I discuss the manifestations of the subtle decision-making style, which demonstrates a culturally constructed concept of participation in Luganda. I refer to this culturally unique discursive process as the non-explicit style of participation and decision-making. The main characteristic of subtle decision-making discussions is that participants reach a consensus or take a spontaneous implicit group position on a matter without anyone formally announcing the decision.

A protocol to develop Shared Socio-economic Pathways for European agriculture

Moving towards a more sustainable future requires concerted actions, particularly in the context of global climate change. Integrated assessments of agricultural systems (IAAS) are considered valuable tools to provide sound information for policy and decision-making. IAAS use storylines to define socio-economic and environmental framework assumptions. While a set of qualitative global storylines, known as the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs), is available to inform integrated assessments at large scales, their spatial resolution and scope is insufficient for regional studies in agriculture. We present a protocol to operationalize the development of Shared Socio-economic Pathways for European agriculture – Eur-Agri-SSPs – to support IAAS. The proposed design of the storyline development process is based on six quality criteria: plausibility, vertical and horizontal consistency, salience, legitimacy, richness and creativity. Trade-offs between these criteria may occur. The process is science-driven and iterative to enhance plausibility and horizontal consistency. A nested approach is suggested to link storylines across scales while maintaining vertical consistency. Plausibility, legitimacy, salience, richness and creativity shall be stimulated in a participatory and interdisciplinary storyline development process. The quality criteria and process design requirements are combined in the protocol to increase conceptual and methodological transparency. The protocol specifies nine working steps. For each step, suitable methods are proposed and the intended level and format of stakeholder engagement are discussed. A key methodological challenge is to link global SSPs with regional perspectives provided by the stakeholders, while maintaining vertical consistency and stakeholder buy-in. We conclude that the protocol facilitates systematic development and evaluation of storylines, which can be transferred to other regions, sectors and scales and supports inter-comparisons of IAAS.

The Importance of Systematically Reporting and Reflecting on eHealth Development: Participatory Development Process of a Virtual Reality Application for Forensic Mental Health Care

BackgroundThe use of electronic health (eHealth) technologies in practice often is lower than expected, mostly because there is no optimal fit among a technology, the characteristics of prospective users, and their context. To improve this fit, a thorough systematic development process is recommended. However, more knowledge about suitable development methods is necessary to create a tool kit that guides researchers in choosing development methods that are appropriate for their context and users. In addition, there is a need for reflection on the existing frameworks for eHealth development to be able to constantly improve them.ObjectiveThe two main objectives of this case study were to present and reflect on the (1) methods used in the development process of a virtual reality application for forensic mental health care and (2) development model that was used: the CeHRes Roadmap (the Centre for eHealth Research Roadmap).MethodsIn the development process, multiple methods were used to operationalize the first 2 phases of the CeHRes Roadmap: the contextual inquiry and value specification. To summarize the most relevant information for the goals of this study, the following information was extracted per method: (1) research goal, (2) explanation of the method used, (3) main results, (4) main conclusions, and (5) lessons learned about the method.ResultsInformation on 10 methods used is presented in a structured manner. These 10 methods were stakeholder identification, project team composition, focus groups, literature study, semistructured interviews, idea generation with scenarios, Web-based questionnaire, value specification, idea generation with prototyping, and a second round of interviews. The lessons learned showed that although each method added new insights to the development process, not every method appeared to be the most appropriate for each research goal.ConclusionsReflection on the methods used pointed out that brief methods with concrete examples or scenarios fit the forensic psychiatric patients the best, among other things, because of difficulties with abstract reasoning and low motivation to invest much time in participating in research. Formulating clear research questions based on a model’s underlying principles and composing a multidisciplinary project team with prospective end users appeared to be important in this study. The research questions supported the project team in keeping the complex development processes structured and prevented tunnel vision. With regard to the CeHRes Roadmap, continuous stakeholder involvement and formative evaluations were evaluated as strong points. A suggestion to further improve the Roadmap is to explicitly integrate the use of domain-specific theories and models. To create a tool kit with a broad range of methods for eHealth development and further improve development models, studies that report and reflect on development processes in a consistent and structured manner are needed.

The role of institutional actors and their interactions in the land use policy making process in Ethiopia

This study investigates the role of the different institutional actors involved in the development and implementation of land use policies in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The work is based on interviews with key informants from different administrative levels and these results are compared to the relevant policy documents. While the constitution prescribes a participatory policy development process, our results show that in reality policies are made at the highest level and implemented in a top-down approach from the higher to the lower administrative levels. Moreover, the institutional network mainly consists of institutions that are hierarchically linked, while horizontal and diagonal relations are less common and less important. Consistently, higher level institutions are mostly involved in the development of land use policies, while the roles of lower level institutions are predominantly in the implementation thereof. This lack of participation by lower level institutions, in addition to a lack of capacity and absence of clear institutional mandates, hampers the effectiveness of land use policies. Our results also provide suggestions to improve the development, communication, and eventually the acceptability of land use policies towards sustainable land management.

التفاعل المتبادل بین أنشطة السوق والساحة الحضریة– دراسة حالة متعمقة لشارع المعز فی القاهرة اإلسالمیة

The open-air markets are one of the activities related to urban spaces, while due to the weakness of the supervisory role of the state and the increasing demand for these markets -whether by traders or buyers- this resulted in the emergence of many physical, social, environmental and security problems. These markets cause obstruction and disruption of traffic, increasing rates of violent crime, and the occupation of public urban plazas by vendors, which has a negative impact on the right of citizens to public space. The research explores the problem of the presence of markets in urban public spaces based on an intrinsic case study of ‘Al Moez LiDin Allah Al???Fatimi’ street in Islamic Cairo. It investigates the mutual impact between these markets activities and the use of the street as an urban plaza with reference to three concepts: Public Space, Public Good, and Public Sphere. It aims at finding out how specialized markets can be integrated within the public urban areas without affecting the characteristics of the public space, thus contributing to the efficiency of urban spaces within cities. The research depends on a mixed methods case study; a users’ satisfaction survey was conducted, also data was collected by observation and semi-structured interviews. The main results indicate that the more attention to the physical environment of the street, the lower the impact of the market on the right of the rest of the users, while the less management and follow-up to the street, this leads to dominate market activities. Additionally, the lack of community participation in development processes negatively affects the use of the street, and reflects the gap between policy makers and users.

Analisis Implementasi Pembangunan Partisipatif dalam Program Kota Tanpa Kumuh ( KOTAKU ) Studi Komparatif : Desa Bligo Kecamatan Candi dan Desa Jiken, Kecamatan Tulangan, Kabupaten Sidoarjo, Jawa Timur

The phenomenon of slum settlements has been increasingly occurring in Indonesia. President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo having a vision to implement the development program known as Kota Tanpa Kumuh. This program is conducted in more than 100 districts in Indonesia. However, Sidoarjo regency becomes the public spotlight due to its development. Unfortunately, there are two slum villages having different development results. Bligo becomes a successful village in establishing development. Meanwhile, Jiken Village fails in achieving the development. Although two villages have same characteristics and regional regulatory support, it’s not sufficient to support the success of development. This research applying qualitative descriptive approach to obtain the importance of participation in development process. It’s also important to explain the forms and the factors that influence participation.With applying the Eight Rungs of Citizen Participation, can determine that Bligo village is in citizen control, in which the community plays a full role in program implementation. Contrastingly, Jiken village only in the of Informing stage, where the public only get information from the government without any community empowerment. The participation is crucial to the success of the development program. This is due to the existence of self-belonging exerting the ability to create sustainable development achievement

Participatory Technology Development to Enhance Community Resilience.

To assess the feasibility of a novel, partnered technology development process to co-create mobile health applications (apps) addressing community health priorities, using psychoeducation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles for enhancing resilience as an example. Stakeholder engagement, workgroups, pilot feasibility study using mixed methods during October 2013 through January 2016 over three phases: 1) defining the vision of the project and increasing technical capacity, 2) co-development and pilot testing of the app, and 3) planning for sustainability. An academic-community partnership in South Los Angeles, California. Eight stakeholders; 30 pilot participants from the community. Qualitative analysis of audio-recordings of the app development process and stakeholder interviews, surveys of stakeholders' perception of the development process, app use data, and feedback from pilot participants. The participatory technology development process resulted in creation and pilot-testing of a resiliency-focused text messaging app. Of the 1,107 messages sent, 23 out of 30 (77%) app users responded to explore interactive content. Stakeholders reported increased perceived competency in creating mobile apps and that the process fostered a culture of co-leadership. There was also sustained engagement in mobile app development by stakeholders beyond the initial project period. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to demonstrate the feasibility of participatory technology development, an approach involving direct participation in the development, tailoring and maintenance of a mobile app by a broad set of stakeholders with high representation from racial/ethnic minorities from an under-resourced community. Participatory technology development is a promising approach for creating sustainable, relevant and engaging health technologies across different technological, clinical and community settings.

Silence and voice in participatory processes – causes, meanings and implications for empowerment

AbstractThe empowerment-related outcomes of participation in development rely on community members contributing intellectually to deliberative processes. However, people are entitled to remain silent. Silence is conceptualized both as a form of resistance and a type of structured self-censorship. In participatory development, these divergent conceptualizations manifest as the incongruent recommendations to ‘give voice’ and ‘tolerate silence’. My aim is to advance understandings of the causes and meanings of silence in participatory development and discuss the implications for deliberative processes. I do this through an interpretive analysis of ethnographic data detailing a process of co-designing participatory action research (PAR) about health, which I facilitated. The analysis is informed by Bourdieu’s theory of social power relations and Nussbaum’s capabilities approach. The co-researcher participants often remained silent when provided an opportunity to contribute their voices because they were afraid, for example, of getting the wrong answer. The silences frustrated the co-researchers because they valued having a voice. They frustrated me because I expected and needed the co-researchers to contribute their voice to make the research design process participatory. I used a variety of strategies to disrupt silences, which when successful generated lived experiences through which the co-researchers could imagine themselves as important people, with entitlement and competence to speak. The study demonstrates the importance of considering the structural barriers to marginalized people contributing their voices, and incorporating strategies for disrupting marginalized silences into PAR and other participatory development processes.

Development of the Pediatric Disability Inventory-Patient Reported Outcome (PEDI-PRO) measurement conceptual framework and item candidates

Background: To address the gap in patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) of functional performance appropriate for youth and young adults with developmental disabilities (DD) we developed the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Patient Reported Outcome (PEDI-PRO).Aim/Objective: We used a participatory process to: (1) Develop the measurement conceptual framework; (2) Identify discrete functional tasks to include in the PEDI-PRO; and (3) Refine item candidates.Methods: We collaborated with eight youth with DD over 33 months. These youth and university researchers explored the construct of functional performance, developed and refined items, and collected and analyzed data. We also conducted focus groups with youth with DD (n = 62) and rehabilitation professionals (n = 26), and consulted with PEDI measurement experts (n = 3).Results: Youth’s understanding of their functional performance is embedded in their experiences participating in everyday life situations. We developed 78 Daily Activities, 65 Social/Cognitive, and 52 Mobility item candidates that are linked to 11 everyday life situations to assess discrete functional tasks important to youth with DD and rehabilitation professionals.Conclusion and Implications: As a result of our participatory development process, the PEDI-PRO’s proposed conceptual framework and item candidates are grounded in the lived experience of youth with DD.

Community Access and Participation in Community Radio Broadcast: Case of Radio Gaakii, Ghana

This paper draws on the theory of participatory development communication to understand the nature and philosophy of community participation in development processes. It explored the symbiotic relationship between Carpentier (2011) and Arnstein’s (1969) theses on participation to propose four major indicators in evaluating the levels of community participation in Radio Gaakii’s broadcast. The paper also investigates the frequency of community members’ participation in the stations broadcast and ascertained the levels of satisfaction (or otherwise) of their participation in the radio broadcast. The study was based on cross sectional survey design. Multistage sampling was used in the sampling processes and 150 respondents across five listening communities were recruited for the purposes of data collection and analysis. The study found out that community participation in Radio Gaakii’s broadcast is limited to the radio programme listening stage and community members mostly participate through the use of mobile phones during specific programme phone-in segments of the broadcast. The study recommends establishing Radio Gaakii Listening Clubs to facilitate community’s participation in management, governance, programming and financing decisions to give true meaning to participation, create a sense of community ownership and ultimately, ensure sustainability of the Station. Key Words : Radio Gaakii, community radio, access, community participation, rural development, participatory development

Sources of complexity in participatory curriculum development: an activity system and stakeholder analysis approach to the analyses of tensions and contradictions

The purpose of this article is to contribute to a better understanding of the nature of participatory curriculum development in higher education institutions. We conducted a longitudinal case study that scrutinized an international participatory curriculum development process. Our research spanned six universities across four countries in Africa. We used cultural-historical activity theory as a theoretical lens to identify the critical tensions underlying the curriculum development activity. Six primary contradictions and four secondary contradictions were identified. These tensions were mainly rooted in issues concerning stakeholder relations, rule rigidity, and resource availability. We integrate a stakeholder perspective and discuss how practitioners who seek to design and implement effective participatory curriculum development processes can benefit from applying a combination of activity system and stakeholder analyses during planning as well as implementation stages.