CHALLENGES TO PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT IN A RURAL CROSS-BORDER AREA OF THE WESTERN BALKANS
Keywords:
Participatory mechanisms, Target area definition, cross-border local and rural development, Western Balkans.Abstract
The World Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), USAID and the International Relief/Development Project (IRDP) concluded in different reports that participatory development programs are invariably more effective at addressing local needs and interventions are more often sustained given the engagement of local actors. The main objective of this paper is to present a detailed appraisal of the implementation process of a well-known participatory approach (the UNDP-designed Area-Based Development - ABD) in the challenging context of a rural, cross-border area (in the Western Balkans).
Besides reviewing the theoretical and empirical advantages of participatory and endogenous development, this case study reflects the practical shortcomings related to the selection process of a target area and to obtaining commitment from different agents in a post-conflict zone. This article also highlights that adequate implementation of participatory practices is crucial to obtain accurate quantitative and qualitative data (to guide the development agenda) and secure the involvement of both local and (inter)national actors.
The latter is an important factor in fostering long-term engagement to development strategies and the achievement of results that are relevant for the local community and in harmony with national policies and international agreements.
Downloads
References
2. Botes, L., van Rensburg, D. (2000): Community participation in development: nice plagues and twelve commandments, Community Development Journal, Jan 2000, vol. 35, no. 1, Social Science Module.
3. Curran, D., Gleeson, J. (2009): Cross-border population accessibility and regional growth: an Irish border region case-study, National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA), Working paper series, no. 54, 1-24.
4. Faguet, J. P. (2004): Does decentralization increase government responsiveness to local needs? Evidence from Bolivia, Journal of Public Economics, no. 88, pg. 867–893.
5. FAO (2007): An approach to rural development: participatory and negotiated territorial development (PNTD), In: Cristoiu, A., Ratinger, T., Gomez y Paloma, S. (2007): Sustainability of the Farming Systems: Global issues, modelling approaches and policy implications, Seville: EU JRC IPTS, pg. 33-52.
6. Harfst, J. (2006): A practitioner's Guide to Area-Based Development Programming, UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe & CIS.
7. Hoff, K., Stiglitz, J. E. (2001): Modern Economic Theory and Development, In: Gerald, M., Meier, J. E. Stiglitz (eds.), Frontiers of development economics: the future in perspective.
8. North, D. (1990): Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
9. OECD (2006): Policy Brief: Reinventing Rural Policy, OECD Observer, October 2006.
10.OÏR (2006): Managementdienste Gmbh – Synthesis of mid-term evaluations of LEADER+ programmes.
11.Putnam, R. (1995): Bowling alone: America's Declining Social Capital, Journal of Democracy, vol. 6(1), pg. 65-78.
12.Santini, F., Saravia-Matus, S., Louwagie, G., Guri, G., Bogdanov, N., Gomez y Paloma, S. (2012): Facilitating an área-based development approach in rural regions in the Western Balkans, European Commission, JRC Scientific and Policy Report, Report EUR 25240 EN, available at: http://ipts.jrc.ec.europa.eu/publications/pub.cfm?id=5180
13.Sen, A. (1999): Development as freedom, New York. Knopf. pg. 366.
14.Shortall, S., Shucksmith, M. (1998): Integrated Rural Development: Issues Arising from the Scottish Experience, European Planning Studies, vol. 6(1), pg. 73-88.
15.Vrbensky, R. (2008): Can development prevent conflict? Integrated area-based development in the Western Balkans – theory, practice and policy recommendations, Working paper WP02/2008, Centre for the study of Global Governance, London School of Economics.
16.Wallis, J. J., Oates, W. E. (1988): Decentralization in the public sector: an empirical study of state and local government, In: Rosen, H. S. (Ed.): Fiscal Federalism: Quantitative Studies, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pg. 5-32.
