• Empowerment of the poor is one ingredient in effective poverty reduction. • A demand-driven participatory approach enhances effectiveness and efficiency. • Accountability is the central lever for participatory governance. • Capacity building is necessary for making participatory...

Participation Pays argues for the need, in any vibrant democracy, for multiple ways of making development more accountable to excluded communities. In doing so, the book invites an understanding of marginalized people not simply as beneficiaries of technical solutions, but - through the work of...

As never before, international aid is in the hands of ordinary people. Concerned citizens in wealthy countries are starting philanthropy groups, joining giving circles, and traveling internationally to lend support. Yet, they are torn between the feelings that 'something' must be done about...

The public sector of most developing countries is often the target of numerous criticisms - lack of or no infrastructure, absenteeism of service providers like teachers and doctors, poor quality of services, corruption, non-transparency, favoritism, discrimination, etc. While several of these...

It is now increasingly recognized that, alongside the state and the market, civil society is a critical factor in determining the level, pace and equity of a country's economic, social and political development. Civic engagement is the participation of private actors in the public sphere,...

Part I. Conceptual and Historical Perspectives of Decentralization and Local Governance -- Chapter 1. From Deconcentration to Devolution: Tracking the Historical Trajectory of Democratic Decentralization in Ghana -- Chapter 2. Historical Perspectives of Local Governance and Community Development...

Purpose - this study investigates alternative a small-scale social business model that potentially generate sustainable income for households at the base of the pyramid. A comparison of two low-cost housings that have a different geographical condition and local characteristics is examined....