Knowing Poverty: Critical Reflections on Participatory Research and Policy / Edition 1

by Karen Brock, Rosemary McGee

Overview

The use of participatory research techniques to provide policy-makers with information about poor people's perspectives on poverty became increasingly common in the 1990s. This book focuses on the use of participatory research in poverty reduction policies, and presents a series of participants' reflections on recent and ongoing processes. The 1990s witnessed a shift in the application of participatory methodologies, adding to the project planning approaches of the 1980s a new focus on participatory research for policy. Much of this centres on poverty issues. In this volume, contributions from researchers and practitioners in the field of poverty reduction examine how participatory research has affected the way poverty is understood, and how these understandings have been acted on in policy-making for poverty reduction. Coming from diverse backgrounds, the authors' critical reflections feature various aspects of the relationship between participation and policy, spanning different levels, from the individual researcher to the global institution. They address technical, ethical, operational, political and methodological problems. Through raising their concerns, they highlight lessons to be learnt from current practice, and challenges for the future. These include the balancing of knowledge, action and consciousness in participatory research processes which can effectively influence the development of policy that reflects and responds to the needs and priorities of poor people.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781853838941
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/01/2002
Edition description:	1
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Karen Brock is a researcher at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex. She has carried out research on natural resources management and agro-pastoral livelihoods in Africa, and is currently focusing on policy-making for poverty reduction, and the political economy of knowledge construction. Rosemary McGee is a social development specialist with a background in anthropological research on poverty and policy, poverty assessment methodologies and policy advocacy. She is currently a fellow at IDS, working mainly on civil society participation in policy processes.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Knowing Poverty: Critical Reflections on Participatory Research and Policy * The Self in Participatory Poverty Research * Participatory Analyses of Poverty Dynamics: Reflections on the Myanmar PPA * Learning from Uganda's Efforts to Learn from the Poor: Reflections and Lessons from the Uganda Participatory Poverty Assessment Project * Who is Listening? The Impact of Participatory Poverty Research on Policy * Power, Knowledge and Policy Influence: Reflections on an Experience * Retelling Worlds of Poverty: Reflections on Transforming Participatory Research for a Global Narrative * Conclusion: Participatory Poverty Research: Opening Spaces for Change * Index

Editorial Reviews

'This book earns an important place among the growing number of critiques and auto-critiques of participatory development activities.' 'the authors challenge not only how poor people's perspectives on poverty are given 'voice' through PPR methods, but also perhaps more importantly, how powerful global dvelopment actors 'listen' to these voices.' Canadian Journal of Development Studies

From the Publisher

The use of participatory poverty assessments (PPAs), a research methodology designed to give the poor a voice in policy decisions, has spread in recent years. Brock and McGee (both of the Institute of Development Studies, U. of Sussex) present six chapters that seek to understand how this participatory research has influenced the way that poverty is framed and understood, and also their effect on the policy making processes. Participatory analyses projects from Burma (Myanmar) and Uganda are examined. An overview of policy impact in a number of African, Asian is presented. Finally, the World Bank's PPA, is analyzed. The book is distributed by Stylus. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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