Changing discourse, politics, and the practices of participation in development

ABSTRACT

In this paper, I contend that discussions around what defines participation in development do not capture the multiplicities of activities, relationships, and outcomes understood in individual agency and structure. Instead, I suggest that an insightful way of thinking about participation and its approaches to development is to look at social values and cultural norms to understand how they shape people’s sense of responsibility as participants.

KEYWORDS:

• Participation
• development practice
• culture
• individual agency
• citizen power

Acknowledgement

This article is made possible partly due to the tremendous theoretical guidance of Professor Katherine Ann Snyder, Director of the Master's Program in Development Practice, University of Arizona. Also, I am grateful for the in-depth conversations and guidance from my PhD and Research advisors, Professors Thomas K. Park and Timothy J. Finan.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 For page numbers, the Arnstein 1969/2019 reference is used.

2 The development world is an “invited space” for policymaking and program development where practice and methods of socio-economic development are contested and negotiated.

3 The development industry represents more national and international development processes and ideologies.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Felix Ampadu

Felix Ampadu is a Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology and a Research Associate with the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, University of Arizona. His research broadly focuses on understanding the extractive industry approach to sustainable development, more specifically, the idea of socially responsible mining through participation, stakeholder engagement, and alternative livelihood in the immediate communities of the mine's operations. He holds a master's degree in Anthropology of Education and Globalisation from Aarhus University, Denmark.