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Empowering communities : participatory techniques for community-based programme development vol 1 : trainer's manual

DE NEGRI, Bérengère
et al
December 1998

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This manual presents a two-week course (suggested length) for the staff of organisations aiming to encourage community participation in health or other related sectors. Participants are ideally those who work directly with the communities involved in their programmes. This course trains participants to work with communities to improve their well-being through the use of participatory learning and action (PLA). While the course focuses heavily on the health sector, the skills that are taught can be applied to other development sectors, such as education or environment. The course covers the participatory programme development process; attitudes, behaviours and skills of successful PLA trainers; and specific techniques. The course includes a field component, and consideration of planning, monitoring and evaluation, as well as reflection on the experience

Empowering communities : participatory techniques for community-based programme development vol 2 : participant's handbook

DE NEGRI, Bérengère
et al
December 1998

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The purpose of this handbook is to provide course participants with key points for each session, case studies, exercises and a structured format for keeping notes during their field experience. Therefore, the handbook is not meant to serve as a stand-alone guide to participatory programme development (PPD), but as a hands-on tool for use during the course. The handbook is divided into three main sections: key points from the training sessions; case studies, exercises and PLA resources; and field notes

Participatory monitoring and evaluation : learning from change

GUIJT, Irene
GAVENTA, John
November 1998

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A concise summary outlining the basic case for participatory methods and summarising the key principles underlying participatory approaches. The briefing includes details of some commonly used techniques and methods, and discusses the selection of appropriate indicators. Also highlighted some common assumptions and mistakes relating to participatory approaches

Social capital and poverty

COLLIER, Paul
November 1998

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This paper attempts to "map" the idea of social capital, which relates different types of evidence and theories originating from different disciplines. After an introduction, it attempts to define social capital from basic economic theory, answering the questions 'what is social about it?' and 'what makes it capital?'. Section 3 extends the theoretical analysis by answering the question 'how does it work?'. It thus disaggregates social capital according to the types of social interaction which form it, the way they form it, and how it raises incomes. Section 4 discusses "endoginising" social capital, and Section 5 distinguishes social capital generated by civil society and that supplied by government. It then turns to the measurement and empirical application of the analytic concepts, at the micro-level of household and firm studies (Section 6), and at the aggregate level of regressions on internationally comparable data (Section 7). The final three sections turn to policy. Section 8 discusses examples of when social capital can be damaging. Section 9 considers how policy should respond to the more usual case of when civil social capital is useful but under-provided. Section 10 focuses on the implications for poverty

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