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Guest Editors: Ian Scoones, John Thompson
Ordering information

Summary

This special issue reports in depth into the debate that followed the publication of a report into a citizen's jury experiment, Prajateerpu , in Andhar Pradesh in southern India. This programme of scenario workshops and juries focused on farming and food policy, with its ultimate aim of identifying the key areas that were of importance to the poor and marginalized groups. To do this members of the jury were hand picked, rather than selected randomly, from various groups that would perhaps be over looked or drowned out in normal participatory processes; women; landless poor; lower castes; marginal farmers. The debate that followed the publication of the report into the workshop was heated, with many people involved in participatory work around the world becoming involved. In an attempt to manage this debate and to use this exchange of views to develop the participation field, an e-forum was established, with people encouraged to contribute their views and opinions. This edition of PLA notes is a direct result of that e-forum, with articles from a variety of the contributors; the original workshop facilitators and report editors; academics working in the field; researchers carrying out other research in the same region of India; UK Government Officials; and the people that established the e-forum. The findings of the Prajateerpu report are discussed, but within the wider context of participatory methods in development.

Also included in this issue are more general articles, Tips for Trainers, and our usual In Touch section, which includes book reviews, events, and e-participation.

Editorial

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SPECIAL ISSUE:

Participatory processes for policy change

1. Learning from experiments in deliberate democracy: an e-forum on participatory processes for policy change

Ian Scoones and John Thompson

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Abstract

Providing the background to this issue, the authors detail the increased awareness of Deliberative and Inclusionary Processes (DIPs) that came about through issue 40 of PLA Notes, the use of these methods in a workshop in southern India and the international debate that followed the publishing of the workshop report. This debate led to an e-forum, with many of the contributors contributing to this issue.  

2. Glossary of terms

Provides definition of words and phrases commonly used in participatory papers

3. An introduction to Prajateerpu : a citizens' jury/scenario workshop on food and farming futures in Andhra Pradesh, India

Michel Pimbert and Tom Wakeford

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Abstract

In this article the authors describe the Prajateerpu workshop on rural development in Southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where the emphasis was firmly placed on the inclusion of the extreme poor and marginalized groups. The main outcomes of the workshop are outlined, with the debate that followed the publishing of the workshop reports.

E-forum on participatory approaches for policy change: contributions

4. Contributions on issues of representation in citizens' juries and similar participatory approaches

Andy Stirling, John Gaventa, Vinita Suryanarayanan, Dominic Glover, L. David Brown, Priya Deshingkar and Craig Johnson, Biksham Gujja, Jules Pretty, Francisco Sagasti, Keith Bezanson and Nigel Cross, and Paul Richards

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Abstract

The publishing of the Prajateerpu report of a workshop in southern India provoked a huge debate amongst people involved in participatory practices throughout the world. This article reports some contributor's opinions on the use of citizens' juries in participatory research and problems with representation within the juries, as expressed in an e-forum after the publication of the report.  

5. Contributions on issues of evidence, legitimacy, and authenticity

Robert Chambers, Brian Wynne, Biksham Gujja, Francisco Sagasti, Keith Bezanson and Nigel Cross

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Abstract

The publishing of the Prajateerpu report of a workshop in southern India provoked a huge debate amongst people involved in participatory practices throughout the world. This article reports some contributor's opinions on the issues of evidence and legitimacy within the citizen jury process, as expressed in an e-forum after the publication of the report.  

6. Contributions on issues of engagement with the policy process

Carine Pionetti, Peter Reason, Vinita Suryanarayanan, Brian Wynne, Biksham Gujja, Francisco Sagasti, and Lindsey Colbourne

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Abstract

The publishing of the Prajateerpu report of a workshop in southern India provoked a huge debate amongst people involved in participatory practices throughout the world. This article reports some contributor's opinions on if and how citizens' juries can be used to influence policy and encourage dialogue between different parties, as expressed in an e-forum after the publication of the report.  

7.Contributions on issues of accountability and transparency

Peter Newell, Chengal Reddy Peddireddy, Anne Marie Goetz, Brian Wynne, Biksham Gujja, and Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend

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Abstract

The publishing of the Prajateerpu report of a workshop in southern India provoked a huge debate amongst people involved in participatory practices throughout the world. This article reports some contributor's opinions on whether citizens' juries can be used to make governments, donor agencies and similar groups more accountable for their actions, as expressed in an e-forum after the publication of the report.  

8. Reflections on the e-forum and Prajateerpu report by the UK Department for International Development, India

Robert Graham-Harrison

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Abstract

In this article the author, the Head of Office for DFID in India, offers reflection on the Prajateerpu report and the subsequent e-forum, focusing on the comments made of DFID's involvement in development projects in Andhra Pradesh, and providing responses to criticisms that were in the report.  

9. Reflections on the e-forum on participatory approaches for policy change by the authors of the Prajateerpu report

Michel Pimbert and Tom Wakeford

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Abstract

Reflecting on both the design of the Prajateerpu workshop and the debate that followed the publication of the workshop report, the authors identify areas of mis-conception or ambiguity in the report, as well as the achievements of the workshop, the contributions of e-forum participants and issues surrounding development and participation that still need addressing.

10. Participatory processes for policy change: reflections on the Prajateerpu e-forum

Ian Scoones and John Thompson

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Abstract

In the final article in this special issue, the editors draw together the comments and opinions of the contributors to the e-forum in an attempt to provide an overview to the whole topic. The authors also reflect on the effect that the Prajateerpu paper has had on the participation field and the need for further debate.

General Section

11. Drugs, AIDS, and PLA in Myanmar/Burma

Ditch Townsend and Anne Garrow

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Abstract

Working with people who are marginalized or at the fringes of society can be difficult and challenging. This paper uses drug users in northern Myanmar/Burma as an example of one such group, and describes how the use of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) techniques help change some of the participants attitude to their health and to drugs

12. Using participatory learning and action (PLA) in understanding and planning an adolescent life planning and reproductive health programme in Nigeria

Gbenga Ishola, Wumi Adekunle, Temple Jagha, Bola Adedimeji, Yemi Olawale, and Lucy Eniola

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Abstract

This paper looks at the use of participatory techniques to assess the behaviour and sexual health of adolescents in Nigeria, and how the information generated was used to influence both the teaching methods used and the topics covered in the curriculum to ensure the greatest impact.

13. A participatory approach to the assessment of built heritage: an example from Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand

Michael Hartfield and Sara Kindon

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Abstract

In New Zealand the preservation of the built environment is important for cultural reasons, as well as aiding urban renewal. However, the people that select which buildings are protected often come from, the white middle-classes. This paper discusses the use of participation to involve indigenous and ethnic groups in the decision making process.

14. Diagnosing priorities for rural women's welfare through participatory approaches in the Punjab, Pakistan

Bashir Ahmad, Nazia Tabassum, and Parsa Arbab Gill

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Abstract

Women in rural areas are the most disadvantaged group in Pakistan, with low incomes and status. Both can be improved by making women earners in the household, with knock-on effects to other areas like child health and education. This article details the use of participation to identify barriers to female income-generation and how these can be surmounted.

15. The seventh helper: the vertical dimension feedback from a training exercise in Vietnam

Giacomo Rambaldi and Le Van Lanh

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Abstract

Participatory 3-D models have become an important tool in natural resource management planning in South-East Asia. In this article the author describes the advantages of using this technique, and details an experience of using the models in Vietnam for gathering socio-economic and environmental data from communities within a protected forest area.

Tips for Trainers

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Abstract

This Tips for Trainers describes the use of drawing shields in participation workshops and courses for a range of functions, from an icebreaker to a means of expression. Examples of four applications are given.

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