1. Approaches, Strategies and
Policies of Community
Development
Prepared and Presented By:
Roll No: 1-5 BSc. Ag 6th Semester IAAS
Paklihawa Campus
2. Defining Community Development
A group of people in a community
reaching a decision to initiate a social
action process (that is, planned
intervention) to change their economic,
social, cultural, or environmental situation.
» Christenson and Robinson, 1978
Collective Agency
– believe working together can make a
difference
– organize to address their shared needs
collectively
3. Key Qualities of
Community Development
It is always purposive
Its purpose is always positive
It exists in the efforts of people and not
necessarily in goal achievement. Trying is
enough to qualify as community development
It is structure-oriented
4. Development “In” vs. “Of”
the Community
Development in the community is principally
concerned with building the economic or
physical infrastructure of a community.
Development of the community is focused
on building the human capacity to address
local issues and concerns. As such, it affects
the structure of the community.
5. Reasons for Community
Development
Expand participation
Reaction against some proposed
change in the local area that is deemed
as having negative consequences on
residents’ quality of life
Modify severe social, economic or
environmental problems in the
community
Satisfy missing needs or resources
8. Technical Assistance
Characteristics
Usually involves the delivery of programs of
services to a local area by some agency or
organization
It is often a “top-down” approach that involves
the use of experts
The focus is mainly on the task to be
performed
Assumes that answers to community
problems can be arrived at scientifically
9. Technical Assistance
Characteristics
If residents wish to participate, they
must study and understand a great deal
of complex information
Local citizens are defined as consumers
of such development - not participants
in it
The most frequent employers of the
technical assistance model is
government
10. Problems with this Approach
Local community participation is
downplayed due to a greater interest in
realizing efficiency rather than access on
the part of citizens
Some question as to whose values are
influencing development decisions; often
are guided by middle class values of the
government officials and consultants
The assisting group does not always
have a full understanding of the
community
11. Conflict Approach
Primary focus is upon the deliberate use
or creation of confrontation by
professional organizers
The goal is to redistribute power
A major organizing tool is to confront
those forces seen as blocking efforts to
solve problems
In this approach, there is a deep suspicion
of those who have formal community
power
12. Conflict Approach
This perspective assumes that power is
never given away, that it has to be
taken.
Goal is to build a people’s organization
to allow those without power to gain it
through direct action. Their strength is
in numbers -- people working
collectively.
13. Steps in the Conflict Approach
An outside organizer enters the
community, usually at the request of a
local group wanting change. Outside
person usually informs the local leaders,
analyzes the power structure, and
assesses what the major problems are
The organizer and the local allies seek
to build a people’s organization
14. Steps in the Conflict Approach
The coalition engages in direct action
– traditional power structure is confronted
through direct action involving a large number
of people
• publicity or threat: press conferences,
advertising, public hearing
• action: courts, lobbying, sit-ins, strikes,
demonstrations
• pressure: boycott of goods or facilities
People’s organization is then formulized by
developing a permanent organizational
structure (although not always)
15. Criticisms of this Approach
Maintenance of effort: once problem is
solved, hard to maintain commitment
Burn-out: key organizers and volunteer staff
often become burnt out after their initial
organizational efforts
Loss of leaders: professional organizer often
leave after the issue has been addressed;
leaders who remain get tempted to seek local
or external positions in
government/corporations
Finance: hard to keep a reliable source of
funds available to support the group’s work
16. Self-Help Approach
Emphasis is on process -- people within
the community working together to
arrive at group decisions and taking
actions to improve their community
Based on the principle that people can
collaborate in a community to provide
important needs and services
The process is more important than any
particular task or goal
17. In the Self-Help Approach . . .
Want to institutionalize a process of
change based on building community
institutions and strengthening
community relationships, rather than to
achieve any particular objective
18. Self Help Approach Also
Includes
Key Persons & Interpersonal
Relationship Approach
Group Approach
Committee Approach
19. Key Features of the
Self-Help Approach
Project is community controlled
Local needs are clearly defined and action is initiated
by the community
Effective leadership and skills are present; effective
use of volunteers
Good efforts to secure financial resources
Significant cooperation and integration of people and
organizations in the effort
Access to outside support, as needed
Self-sustaining enterprises that can spur other
community improvement efforts
20. Community vs. Economic
Development
Community development is much broader than
economic development
Unlike CD, economic development does not
necessarily involve local citizen action, and it
may not result in an improvement in the quality of
life
If economic development is undertaken without
much community involvement, than there is no
community development
Economic development for community
development has distinctive features that
economic development alone might not have
21. Community vs. Economic
Development
It seeks to increase the resources for
people to meet their needs
It encourages the development of jobs,
services, facilities, and groups that are
needed by the whole community
It seeks to reduce inequality
It provides for and depends upon local
community action and involvement
23. A) Locality Development
Improvements in the well-being of local citizens
through increased resources, facilities, services, etc.,
brought about by the active involvement of citizens.
Examples:
Building a community center, Home renovation
subsidies
B) Social Action
~Seeks a redistribution of power
~Focus is on a specific issue
~Advocacy activities
Examples:
Anti-poverty activists seeking increases to social
assistance rates.
24. C) Social Planning
~Rational problem-solving process to address social
problems
~Involves needs assessments, analysis of service
delivery mechanisms, systems co-ordination and
other technical expertise
~Involvement of community members in
consultation, interpretation of results and service
planning
Examples:
Conducting a needs assessment of people who are
homeless and using the results to plan a new housing
development in needed locations, with appropriate
services on-site.
25. D) Social Reform
Activity by one group on behalf of a relatively
disadvantaged group
Example:
Advocating for community acceptance, supports and
services for people that have a mental illness
E) Community Relations
Focus is on increasing social integration
Often attempts to improve the social status of
minority populations
Examples:
Mediating between community factions, Anti-racism
programs
26. F) Social Capital Formation
~Focus in on connections among individuals - social
networks and the norms of reciprocity and
trustworthiness
~high social capital = effective schools,
governments, lower crime, higher economic
equality, greater tolerance
~includes political engagement, civic and religious
organizations, family gatherings, socializing, group
recreational activities
Examples:
Creating places and opportunities for community
members to gather and network with each other,
Orientation programs to welcome newcomers,
Community activities to develop and/neighborliness.
27. G) Capacity Building
Capacity is the participatory leadership, skills,
resources, knowledge and tools of individuals in
communities and organizations that enable them
to address, and have greater control over,
conditions and factors that affect their quality of
life.
(a) Individual Capacity is the sum of the assets (skills, talents,
experience and knowledge) possessed by an individual that
will help them succeed and contribute to their community.
(b) Organizational Capacity is the participatory decision-
making, program development, planning, research, resources,
tools, skills, education & training, knowledge contained
within an organization
(c) Community Capacity: the combination of a community's
commitment, leadership, resources and skills that can be
deployed to build on community strengths and address
community problems and opportunities.
28. H) Asset-Based Community Development
~Assets are the gifts, skills, resources and abilities of
community residents; sometimes physical resources
are also included
~Every community has a unique combination of
assets upon which to build its future
~Starts with identifying assets rather than needs
~Is internally focused and relationship-driven
Examples:
Some communities have mapped the location of their
community assets and used the data to connect
people with similar interests, or people in need of
help with someone that can provide it. Co-operative
businesses and new volunteer groups have been
established from community mapping projects.
30. National Policies and Legal Provisions for
Community Development
Local Self‐Governance Act, 2055
The Local Self Regulations, 2056 and
The Local Body (Financial
Administration) Regulations, 2064.
Being based on them a new national program
is in operation called LGCDP
31. What is LGCDP????
Local Governance and Community
Development Programme (LGCDP) is a
national programme, managed and
implemented by the Ministry of Local
Development (MLD).
financed by the Government of Nepal
Supported by ADB, CIDA DFID,
DANIDA, GTZ, Norway, SDC, and UN
Agencies including UNDP, UNCDF,
UNICEF, UNFPA, UNV, UNIFEM etc.
32. Programme Components
Policy: Governance Reform
Supply: Service Delivery and Capacity
Development
Demand: Citizens Empowerment
Local Development: Socio-Economic
and Infrastructure Development
33. Programme Goal
To contribute towards poverty reduction
through better local governance and
community development
Programme Outcomes (1st Phase)
Citizens and communities hold their local
governance actors accountable.
Local Bodies are more responsive to citizen's
demand.
All citizens are provided with efficient and
effective local services.
Strengthened policy and institutional
framework for devolution, sub-national
governance and local service delivery