Paradox of Empowerment: Reflections on a Case Study from Northern Ghana
Article Abstract:
In recent years the "development" industry has began to incorporate into its vocabulary notions about the "empowerment of the poor," "participatory democracy," "gender in development" etc. as part of a strategy for poverty alleviation in the developing world. This paper critically examines the notion of participation as the basis of empowerment in the context of a joint Canadian-Ghanaian financed rural development project in the Northern Region of Ghana. The paper argues that because of the inherent goodness of the notion of participation, it has become a substitute for the structural reforms needed for social change. The paper raises questions not just about the terms and mode of participation but further points out that reference to the term "village" or "community" as the basis of participation is simplistic and problematic. The paper also questions the feasibility of the institutional and administrative structures within which such concepts may be realized. c 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Key words -- participation, empowerment and development, Africa, Ghana
Publication Name: World Development
Subject: International relations
ISSN: 0305-750X
Year: 2001
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Building on Poor People's Capacities: The Case of Common Property Resources in India and West Africa
Article Abstract:
This article examines the relation between poor women and men and common property resources (cprs). It locates poor people's use of cprs within a wider focus on sustainable livelihoods, which argues that development initiatives need to build on people's assets and strengths, and identifies cprs as a crucial element of poor people's coping and adaptive strategies. The article considers evidence from India and West Africa with a particular focus on poverty reduction, equity, gender and management issues. Development agencies and governments which have re-focused their attention on poverty in recent years will find that cprs provide an entry point to understanding poor people's perceptions of poverty and for building on their capacities. [C] 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Key words -- India, West Africa, poverty, common property resources, indigenous resource management
Publication Name: World Development
Subject: International relations
ISSN: 0305-750X
Year: 2001
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