Participation's place in rural development: Seeking clarity through specificity

Over the past few years, development specialists have expressed increasing concern over the lack of progress in altering the plight of the rural poor. Towards this end they are shifting from the capital-investment growth models of the 1960s to the more people-centred basic- needs approaches that are increasingly dominating development thinking in the 1970s. In the process, they are turning to a number of related development strategies, one of the most important and least understood of which is ‘popular participation’. Increasing numbers of studies and activities are being undertaken to bolster government and donor capacity to promote participation in development programmes. Yet, with all these activities the disturbing fact is that there is little agreement on what participation is or on its basic dimensions. This article seeks to provide some order to the emergence of participatory concerns in the development literature, and to offer a carefully elaborated framework that clarifies the notion of ‘rural-development participation’ and make it applicable to total-development projects.     

Development of scenario conditions as a key stage of economic forecast preparation

Formation of coordinated economic development forecasts is impossible without elaborating hypotheses and assumptions about the development of the world economy, situation in key commodity and exchange markets, parameters of economic policy, etc. The quality of forecasts and their feasibility mainly depend on how well these indices are coordinated. Different approaches to the formation of macroeconomic scenarios are considered in the paper in the framework of preparation of macroeconomic forecasts of Russia’s economic development in the medium- and long-term perspective.     

Beyond community participation? Alternative routes to civil engagement and development in South Africa

Although community participation still enjoys a high level of support across various sectors in South Africa, its practice is fraught with conceptual and practical difficulties. This paper starts out by examining some of the problems and limitations associated with community participation, including the heterogeneity and fragmentation of many poor communities, the lack of social and material resources and community members' expectations of receiving a return from their involvement in development projects. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) or participatory learning and action (PLA) is used as an example to illustrate some of the conceptual and theoretical limitations that characterise most approaches to participatory development. In particular it is argued that approaches such as PRA/PLA lack the theoretical basis for effectively getting to grips with the problems of participatory development. What is needed is a conceptual framework not only to understand the responses of communities, but also to locate such communities within their socio-economic contexts. The second part of the paper therefore examines three developments in social science theory that may be able to contribute to the development of a richer conceptual framework for popular participation. These are the concept of social capital, the asset-based approach to development, and the debate around the role of the state in development.     

宁夏科技金融专项绩效评价体系研究

通过探索科技金融项目及专项的绩效评价方式、体系构建原则、指标的设定等建立了一套适用于宁夏科技金融专项绩效评价的指标体系,为今后科技金融专项绩效评价提供了工具,并为其它科技项目/专项绩效评价提供框架和参考,对促进宁夏科学技术的发展具有积极意义。     

Perspectives on corporate social responsibility as a route to citizen empowerment

The integration of corporate social responsibility in existing government-funded projects geared towards community upliftment is fundamental for the restoration of humanity. The study aims to untangle the intricacies by the citizens in imposing support from government-funded projects while significantly aiming to contribute towards policy considerations, enterprises, institutions and communities. The study was approached from a case study perspective. The lessons from the case study will be integrated and synthesised within the content analytical framework. The findings from the literature review demonstrated that citizen empowerment is a critical factor that could contribute to enhanced efficiency and effectiveness in the provision of goods and services. The study recommends that there is a need for a clear regulatory framework for corporate social responsibility in the public sector. This original article contributes to the body of knowledge within the development context and public policy.     

AN INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION DISPUTES IN TAIWAN: CASES OF “SELF‐RELIEF”

During the late 1980s and early 1990s in Taiwan, people's protests against environmental pollution often took the form of “self‐relief,” meaning that they attempted to fight polluters using their own resources, without relying on legal or administrative procedures. Why did such an extreme form of dispute become so widespread? What institutional changes did these movements bring about? These questions are analyzed using the analytical framework of “law and economics.” Our research shows that self‐relief functioned to a certain extent as a means of realizing quick compensation for victims, and for reflecting the opinions of local people concerning development projects; in addition, it served to promote the formulation of law and administrative systems. However, as it was based on direct negotiations between the parties concerned, the outcome of each dispute only reflected the transient balance of forces, and the experience gained in negotiations was not accumulated as a social norm.     

基于CDM机制下森林碳汇市场空间分析

在京都议定书减少温室气体排放条约中,CDM是唯一涉及到发展中国家,我国仅能采用CDM机制帮助发达国家实现减排任务,同时促进我国的可持续发展。本文基于CDM机制下分析不同减排途径下的社会经济效益,进而通过采用环境库兹涅茨曲线分析CDM机制下造林和再造林项目社会经济环境效益。通过对发达国家减排需求和我国减排项目分布情况来分析得出各种项目的减排市场空间。     

Guyana's second development plan 1972–1976: A macro-economic assessment

Guyana's Second Development Plan 1972–1976 seems to be the product of a great learning process. The Plan envisages an ambitious expenditure programme of G$1,150 million and an annual increase in GNP of 8.5% (a target we feel would be difficult to achieve). The theoretical and structural framework of the Plan is commendable. Conventional approaches were eschewed and the emphasis was placed on people and the society. However, some weaknesses do remain, but despite these weaknesses, the Plan does seem to have some of the ingredients to make it more successful than previous development plans in Guyana.     

SOUTH AFRICA AND THE NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT: ECONOMIC SPIN-OFFS AND LINKAGES

The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is a concerted effort by Africa's political leaders to develop a comprehensive and integrated strategic policy framework to raise current levels of socio‐economic development and reduce high levels of poverty across the African continent. The NEPAD framework recognises the need for African countries to pool their resources together in order to enhance regional development and economic integration. To this end, NEPAD emphasises capacity building and also seeks to solicit and disburse funds towards infrastructural development programmes and poverty alleviation projects, among others. South Africa's involvement with the rest of Africa has increased significantly since 1994. Trade exports, foreign direct investment (both market and resource‐seeking in nature) and public‐private partnerships have mushroomed in many parts of the continent. Many South African firms are providing the financial impetus for the infrastructural development and rehabilitation of African economies. This paper discusses salient economic linkages between South Africa and the rest of Africa within the framework of NEPAD. South Africa is the economic hub of sub‐Saharan Africa (and indeed of the African continent), with significant agricultural, manufacturing and services capacity. South African firms have invested in the development of a number of sectors in the rest of Africa, taking advantage of the new investment incentives offered by the NEPAD framework. The target sectors range from mining, the hospitality industry, engineering and construction, finance to telecommunications. These investments and economic involvements are crucial to the development of African countries and the relevant sectors that are important for the realisation of some of the objectives of NEPAD.     

An integration of the livelihoods and asset-based community development approaches: A South African case study

This study provides an integrated framework and practice model of the sustainable livelihoods (SL) and the asset-based community development (ABCD) approaches. A household survey of a rural village in South Africa is used as a basis of analysis to demonstrate the application of the integrated approach. The results elucidate the vulnerability of the people and a range of inter-locking and multi-dimensional factors contributing to poverty in the community. The results also show people's assets, capabilities and activities which enable them to cope and survive despite constraints and shortcomings. It was found that the integrated SL/ABCD framework is a useful framework to understand the strengths of a vulnerable community in order to plan and implement sustainable community development strategies.     

Community projects: The possibilities in South Africa

The increasing emphasis being accorded by development agents to community participation and involvement in projects highlights the need for a dear conceptual and operational framework if success is to be obtained given the high levels of alienation and suspicion which occur among many ‘communities’. The first part of this paper provides a brief review of community development theory and practice. The second part outlines the key concepts pertaining to community development, while in the last part (the focus of the paper) a strategy is offered for the introduction of community projects in South Africa. It is argued that until more control is devolved to representative and democratic communities the prospects for introducing community projects will be slight, particularly in the more politicized townships and urban environments.     

中国式“荷兰病”与外来直接投资研究

本文从来源于加入WTO后外向型劳动密集型产业繁荣的中国式"荷兰病"理论出发,深入细致地分析了中国式荷兰病通过"支出效应"、"资源转移效应"、"人民币汇率效应"、"体制惰性效应"以及"技术创新效应"等对中国外来直接投资的诸多影响。文章实证研究发现,持续、大规模涌入我国的外来直接投资不仅投资产业和流入方式发生了巨大变化,而且在推动我国对外贸易和贸易顺差迅速扩大的同时,进一步强化了中国式荷兰病和我国出口导向型经济增长方式。文章最后建议制定国家中长期产业发展规划及相关产业政策,及时赋予外商投资企业以国民待遇,适时扩大人民币汇率浮动区间,切实鼓励国内企业对外直接投资,从而确保我国经济增长方式转变与经济增长质量提高。     

移民社区可持续发展指标体系构建与实证研究——以向家坝水电工程四川库区移民为例

文章运用层次分析法,比较全面构建了移民社区可持续发展指标体系,包括经济发展、社会发展、文化发展、政府管理以及移民心理预期水平等5项子系统29个观测点,并以向家坝水电工程四川库区移民社区为研究对象,评价社区可持续发展状态,提出了相关对策。     

Integrated rural development programmes: A historical perspective

The pervasive poverty in rural areas has represented a continuing concern of national governments and development assistance agencies. One response to pervasive poverty has been the design of local institutions to enable rural communities to mobilize their own resources to generate growth and improve the quality of life. Programmes organized under the rubric of ‘community development’ were a major focus of development assistance during the 1950s and early 1960s. During the early 1970s concern about the distributional implications of economic growth again emerged as a major theme in development thought and development policy. This concern gave rise to two new development assistance approaches — ‘integrated rural development’ and ‘basic needs’ programmes. In this paper, I attempt to trace the development, accomplishments and limitations of the community development, integrated rural development and basic needs approaches.     

移民社区可持续发展指标体系构建与实证研究——以向家坝水电工程四川库区移民为例

文章运用层次分析法,比较全面构建了移民社区可持续发展指标体系,包括经济发展、社会发展、文化发展、政府管理以及移民心理预期水平等5项子系统29个观测点,并以向家坝水电工程四川库区移民社区为研究对象,评价社区可持续发展状态,提出了相关对策。     

Community leadership: A comparison between asset-based community-led development (ABCD) and the traditional needs-based approach

A comparison study was undertaken between the asset-based community-led development (ABCD) approaches versus the traditional needs-based approach to community development relating to community leadership. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 24 community projects in South Africa for the study, of which 14 were sensitised to ABCD and 10 were not. The kind of community leadership developed in ABCD communities enabled communities to lead their own development by co-investing their own assets, and leveraging their assets with resources from external agencies. In comparison, although development took place, the leadership that emerged in the needs-oriented projects was more authoritarian in nature, and in some instances, seemed to establish a dependency on external agencies. Community leadership that contributes to projects that were more driven by community members complements the principles of appreciative leadership, which were more evident in ABCD-sensitised communities.     

Participatory multi-criteria decision analysis: a new tool for integrated development planning

This article proposes a new method for implementing integrated development planning as envisioned by the Local Government Municipal Systems Act of South Africa (2000). The method draws together stakeholders who fall into three broad groups: the communities who live in the municipal area, municipal officials and the elected local politicians. It is grounded in the principles of participatory action research, in which the participation of all interested and affected parties is valued. Within this participatory framework, tools of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) are used to support the decision-making process by structuring and quantifying difficult decisions that need to be addressed. Community development measurement scales are formulated by communities, and form the basis for evaluations of proposed projects and ongoing monitoring of these communities' progress.     

建筑节能工程质量治理与监管研究概况

建筑节能的两阶段论决定了建筑节能工程质量治理的两阶段性,建筑节能工程形成的系统复杂性决定了建筑节能工程质量治理体系与治理过程的复杂性,建设工程质量生产者负责制是国际惯例,它内在规定了承包商实施建筑节能工程质量治理的基础性作用.因此,从建筑节能工程质量形成的生产实践过程来看,强化承包商建筑节能工程质量治理是保证建筑节能工程质量的基础.本研究是建设工程质量政府监督管理研究与既有建筑节能改造研究前期成果交叉融合的新成果,基于主体关联的建筑节能工程质量治理与监管互动视角,以建筑节能工程治理生产者负责制和全面质量管理为基本观念,实施建筑节能工程质量的新建建筑外墙节能工程质量承包商治理与既有建筑节能改造工程质量风险管理的分阶段承包商分别治理;基于建设工程质量政府监管有效性视角,以建设工程质量政府监管改善为切入点,围绕建设工程质量政府监管手段信息化平台运行和监督主体多层次激励体系架构,激发监管的积极性与能动性两大基点,形成了建筑节能工程承包商治理与政府监管改善的理论体系.     

Effect of promotion pressure and financial burden on investment in public–private partnership infrastructure projects in China

By identifying the political motives of officials and local governments, this study aims to provide a new political economic analysis framework for understanding China's incentives for investing in public–private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects. Chinese urban panel data for the period 2013–17 were used to examine the mechanisms of promotion pressure and financial burden in relation to investments in PPP infrastructure projects. Based on our findings, the following policy recommendations are proposed: standardise the behaviour of local government officials in promoting PPP projects, establish a lifelong accountability mechanism for PPP project performance, establish a mechanism for local government debt risk assessment and prevention, and avoid the risk of local debt arising from over‐investment in PPP infrastructure projects. Moreover, a match should be formed between local economic infrastructure planning and investment plans to avoid over‐ or under‐investment.     

Understanding China's Economic Growth from a Regional Policy Perspective

There has been ongoing interest in China's economic growth. What were the drivers of China's economic growth in past years? What policies were used to promote China's economic growth? Although different lenses may be used to understand and explain China's economic growth, this paper draws on historical, theoretical, and empirical perspectives to discuss the nexus between China's regional policies and economic growth. First, we review the evolution of China's regional policy and the policy's changing emphasis in different development stages, from balanced, unbalanced, and coordinated development to synergistic development. Then we construct a theoretical model to illustrate the impact of regional policy on the local economy and conduct an empirical examination with a case study of regional policy using regression discontinuity design. This paper analyzes the concept of regional policy and the underpinning logic of economic growth and presents practical approaches to formulate a better regional policy framework.