My approach to participation
My approach to participation recognises that at the core lies questions of power and influence. Mainstreaming participation must always take into account the fundamental issues of who promotes participation and why, and who participates and why.
What makes people participate?
Do I, for example, attend open parish council meetings in my village, go on protest marches, fill in consultation and feedback surveys, attend focus group discussions, actively engage in participatory workshops? Actually, very rarely.
Thinking about this leads me to conclude that the key elements to my participation are
- a personal interest in the issues
- adequate access to information on the issues around which I may participate
- having opportunities for raising diverse views rather than collusion or consensus
- having opportunities for reflection
- most importantly, the extent of influence my participation may have. 'There is no point in having a voice if there is no one to listen'.
Approaches in practice
We often forget these fundamental requirements when devising participatory approaches and creating space for participation for beneficiaries and partners in our work. This, in turn makes it too easy for others (and sometimes us!) to co-opt participation for their (our) own ends, to 'facipulate' or massage participation and to displace existing legitimate forms of representation.
'Participation by command' or 'ticking the participation box' can be dangerous and can undermine genuine efforts to engage diverse and unheard voices. Even the emerging participatory governance agenda carries risks associated with who is invited to participate, what spaces are provided (and where) and how participation is supported, facilitated and communicated.
Projectisation of development has resulted in institutions relying on participation packages to meet their participation needs, and to pre-empt issues where participation may be supported. What have started as innovations in participatory approaches have frequently lost their edge by routinised and unquestioning adherence to manuals and guidelines, and have gathered opponents who are increasingly sceptical about the superficial nature of many participatory practices.
People-centred development
Rather, it is the underlying principles which are key. It is essential to keep on discovering new ways of finding out and new ways to encourage people to share their opinions and perspectives. There is a need to take risks, to recognise the limitations of participation, and to balance direct and indirect means to achieve people-centred development, which is, after all, what participation is fundamentally all about.
