Resources

These notes are a resource for putting ActionAid's new Accountability, Learning and Planning System (ALPS) into practice. It is intended for use not only by ActionAid staff but also, where appropriate, by partner organisation staff. The notes assist in considering the implications and thus practical application of ALPS. An important feature is the inclusion of examples of processes to enable efficient utilisation of ALPS; by regularly updating this resource and constructing a corresponding website for interaction, staff will be invited to contribute by identifying what has and what has not worked well, in order to facilitate an efficient system of processes integral to ALPS.

This overview introduces the concept of community-based planning (CBP) looking back at its development and how it has evolved in the light of an increased emphasis on decentralisation in many countries during the 1980s and 90s. In this context it also considers the relevance of community-driven development models, including participatory poverty analysis, being promoted by parts of the World Bank over the last five to ten years, which typically have included a CBP component. It looks at the end uses of CBP in integrated development planning and sectoral planning; in promoting community action and control over development; and to comply with policy or legislation for public participation in planning. It examines approaches and methodologies, with the use of PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) methods; the role of facilitators and training; community managed funds; accountability, monitoring and evaluation; and linkages to local government and higher-level planning. It evaluates the impacts of CBP on different policy levels, the quality of services and community participation and action. The future development of CBP is discussed with a need for an increased effectiveness and widening of the approach. It concludes by linking the topics discussed with the following articles of pla notes 49.

The article describes the state of the water management system in Pakora, Pakistan when the PAR team made forays to assess the situation. Information on the process adopted by the PAR team is recounted and the response from the community is included on key issues such as the committee and transparency and record keeping. The article concludes by providing evidence of improvements to the water management system and assessing the gains made by the community.

This introductory paper defines the most commonly used development terms - participation and empowerment. The theoretical and ideological roots of these concepts and the use, abuse and misuse of these terms in the policy and practice of developmental organisations are reviewed. Drawing on various theoretical and more specific case studies presented in the book, a clear gap is shown between institutional rhetoric and the practice of participatory development. The paper suggests a shift in power within the community and institutions and appeals to both researchers and practitioners involved in participatory development to create an enabling environment in which participatory values are institutionalised.

As part of the special issue of PLA Notes, this article looks at the evolution of the Reflect program pioneered by the INGO ActionAid. Looking back at an issue of PLA Notes on participation, literacy and empowerment in 1998, the authors look at the Reflect approach and its historical links with PRA. The Reflect program began as a fusion of Paulo Freire's theoretical framework on the politics of literacy with the participatory methodologies developed by PRA practitioners. The Reflect approach has now spread through the work of at least 350 different organizations in more than 60 countries, and this article looks at the key moments in the continuing evolution. Some of the main issues addressed in the article include Reflect as a political process; creating democratic spaces; intensive and extensive processes and building from existing experiences; the importance of integrating reflection and action; the role and use of participatory tools; power analysis; coherence; and processes of self-organisation. The authors also look at future directions for Reflect, such as the integration of Reflect with the Stepping Stones approach (a participatory adult education program to address gender relations and HIV/AIDS prevention) to create STAR; linking Reflect to governance and accountability; Reflect and information communication technologies; reflect within institutions and applying Reflect to ourselves.

Participatory action research is presented as a social research method and process and as a goal that social research should always strive to achieve. This paper describes the key features and strengths of participatory action research, and briefly analyses its role in promoting social change through organisational learning in three very different kinds of organisations. It is argued that participatory action research is always an emergent process that can often be intensified and that works effectively to link participation, social action and knowledge generation.