Saturday 11 August 2007

Is participation the new tyranny?

"Participation has therefore become an act of faith in development, something we believe in and rarely question. This act of faith is based on three main tenets: that participation is intrinsically a 'good thing' (especially for the participants); that a focus on 'getting the techniques right' is the principal way of ensuring the success of such approaches; and that considerations of power and politics on the whole should be avoided as divisive and obstructive. "

(Francis Cleaver, 2001, 'Institutions, agency and the limitations of participatory approaches to development', in Cooke, B. and Kothari, U. (eds.), Participation: The New Tyranny, London, Zed Books, 36-55, page 36).

It rings true more and more in relation to children's participation.....

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