Resources

This toolkit draws on the lessons generated from learning projects and case studies supported under the Citizens and Governance programme of the Commonwealth Foundation. It offers practical guidance on how to promote the participation of citizens in governance. The contents of the toolkit include: the meaning of inclusive governance; ways for citizens to organise and engage in governance; strategies for multi-sectoral partnerships; key themes that emerge in governance, such as conflict, gender and power; suggestions for participatory methods in governance, including learning circles, popular theatre and role play; and methods for inclusive governance capacity building of citizens, intermediaries and government officials. Brief summaries of action-learning projects and case studies from the Citizens and Governance Programme from: India, the Caribbean, Vanuatu, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Jamaica, Zimbabwe, UK, New Zeeland, Africa, Malaysia, Canada and Belize; are presented. A toolkit CD-ROM designed to run on Windows 95/98/XP and MacOS9 is also incorporated. The CD-ROM contains the toolkit in an electronic format and has a resource bank of downloadable materials, such as relevant publications, materials used by the project partners and a word bank which provides explanations of, and proverbs illustrating terms common in the debate about civil society and governance which project partners themselves have furnished.

This report is the outcome of organisational strengthening training programmes conducted by The Mel Nathan Institute and Human and Community Development Agency of the United Church in several communities in rural Jamaica. Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) was the primary methodology used. Participants were asked to prepare a list of community needs and to place them in order of priority using priority ranking, voting, scoring and pairwise ranking methods: details for the methods and findings are given.

This report provides an assessment of the conditions in Montserrat by people in Montserrat. It begins by discussing the impact of the start of a volcanic eruption in 1995 on peopleÆs lives and government action. By 1998 a four-year Sustainable Development Plan was set out with a strategy to rebuild Montserrat and its social fabric. The report discusses peopleÆs own perceptions and definitions of poverty and hardship with reference to a wide range of factors. Three groups emerged as being particularly vulnerable: single headed households; the elderly; and the mentally challenged. A discussion is then made of coping strategies people have developed that illustrate a high degree of resilience and resourcefulness. Finally, a discussion is made about how PPA can help the sustainable development process. It is found that it provides a more disaggregated assessment of who is facing what levels of poverty and hardship; it can help to assess the impact of policies on peopleÆs lives; and it provides a more informal channel for feeding peopleÆs views up to the government.

This technical report from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) reviews and draws lessons from recent experiences in participatory planning and management of marine and coastal resources in the Caribbean. The specific areas examined include protected areas (PAs), coastal zone management (CZM), and ecotourism (ET). The review is limited to the insular Caribbean, but the authors believe this region to be representative, and that the lessons drawn from this experience could be widely applicable. A general survey of experiences was undertaken, and scientific experiences of PAs, CZM and ET considered to be the most representative were selected for in depth analysis. Brief case studies of these experiences are presented in separate appendices in the report. The case studies include experiences from Gulf of Paria Fisheries Management Project, Trinidad; St. LuciaÆs Protected Areas System Plan; Samanß Bay Biosphere Reserve Planning, Dominican Republic; Environment and Coastal Resources Project, the OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) countries; the Windward Islands (Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) Nature and Heritage Tourism Project; La Parguera Fisheries Reserve, Puerto Rico; Ecotourism in the Carib Territory, Dominica; Soufriere Marine Management Area, St.Lucia; Negril Environmental Protection Area, Jamaica; and Pointe de Sable National Park, St. Lucia. The report examines the concepts of participation in the context of PAs, CZM and ET, and the evolution of regional experience from the 1970s and onwards. Experiences up to date are reviewed and evaluated. Finally, a synthesising analysis provides lessons learned from the combined experiences

This book examines an approach to evaluation that enables citizens and professionals alike to jointly assess the extent to which the benefits of development are shared - and by whom. It provides a variety of articles from different authors, covering critical themes such as ethics, techniques, case studies, historic reflections, and invitations to action. It addresses the tensions and questions that emerge from the notion of participation such as who has the right to evaluate whom, does the language that makes up the participatory discourse itself limit the practice of participation, etc. It highlights the dangers of evaluations that claim to be participatory but are not, and offers ideas about working in a variety of new directions

This study illustrates the planning of an Implementation Strategy for the revitalisation of Jones Town. The study was requested by the Kingston Restoration Company (KRC) in collaboration with the ODA. The study identified the main issues in the area, undertaking an assessment of poverty, the institutional arrangements that would be needed to improve conditions, a review of community based action, a more detailed consideration of economic and employment conditions alongside a reconsideration of the development potential within the area. Based on this analysis, an Implementation Strategy was developed. The investigation and planning processes involved the use of participatory methods particularly mapping, ranking and group discussions.