Why Does Participation Matter?

Abstract

Summarizes the history of, and recent trends in, fostering local participatory development, which has been proposed as a way to improve poverty targeting, build community-level social capital, and increase demand for good governance by incorporating local knowledge and preferences into the decision-making processes of governments, private providers, and donor agencies. Participation can to lead to better-designed development projects, more effective service delivery, and improvements in the targeting of benefits, which should lead to a more equitable allocation of public resources and reductions in corruption. Proponents hold that it enhances pro-social thinking, strengthens citizenship, and enables more inclusive civic engagement, which can lead to self-reliance and collective action, allowing citizens to hold states and markets accountable and influence decisions that affect their lives. Some skeptics have misgivings about the basic precepts of the approach, however, and others have doubts concerning the practical challenges of implementing large participatory projects on tight timelines.

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