PLA 46: Participatory processes for policy change

This edition of PLA notes reports on the debate that followed the publication of a report into a citizen's jury experiment, 'Prajateerpu', in Andhar Pradesh in southern India.

Article, 01 February 2003
Collection
Participatory Learning and Action
A journal for newcomers and experienced practitioners alike.

February 2003

Guest Editors: Ian Scoones, John Thompson

The jury experiment included scenario workshops and juries focused on farming and food policy. The ultimate aim was to identify 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.


This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. Content can be freely reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided the source is fully acknowledged. 

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Contents

Editorial 
Holly Ashley

Learning from experiments in deliberate democracy: an e-forum on participatory processes
Ian Scoones and John Thompson

Glossary of terms

An introduction to Prajateerpu : a citizens’ jury/scenario workshop on food and farming futures in Andhra Pradesh, India
Michel Pimbert and Tom Wakeford

E-forum on participatory approaches for policy change: contributions

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

Contributions on issues of evidence, legitimacy, and authenticity
Robert Chambers, Brian Wynne, Biksham Gujja, Francisco Sagasti, Keith Bezanson and Nigel Cross

Contributions on issues of engagement with the policy process
Carine Pionetti, Peter Reason, Vinita Suryanarayanan, Brian Wynne, Biksham Gujja, Francisco Sagasti, and Lindsey Colbourne

Contributions on issues of accountability and transparency
Peter Newell, Chengal Reddy Peddireddy, Anne Marie Goetz, Brian Wynne, Biksham Gujja, and Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend

Reflections on the e-forum and Prajateerpu report by the UK Department for International Development, India
Robert Graham-Harrison

Reflections on the e-forum on participatory approaches for policy change by the authors of the Prajateerpu report
Michel Pimbert and Tom Wakeford

Participatory processes for policy change: reflections on the Prajateerpu e-forum 
Ian Scoones and John Thompson

General Section

Drugs, AIDS, and PLA in Myanmar/Burma
Ditch Townsend and Anne Garrow

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

A participatory approach to the assessment of built heritage: an example from Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Michael Hartfield and Sara Kindon

Diagnosing priorities for rural women’s welfare through participatory approaches in the Punjab, Pakistan
Bashir Ahmad, Nazia Tabassum, and Parsa Arbab Gill

The seventh helper: the vertical dimension feedback from a training exercise in Vietnam
Giacomo Rambaldi and Le Van Lanh

Tips for Trainers