If we look at different health and development projects, we can see that their
approaches to community participation range between two opposites:
Participation
as a way to
control people
Participation
as a way for
people to gain control
6-13
Between these two opposites there are many intermediate stages. These vary
according to . . .
(1) who really does the participating,
(2) the function of the participation, and
(3) the center of power.
We can get an idea of the degree to which participation is controlled by those
at the top (the upper class) or by those on the bottom (the poor) by looking at the
program’s community-level participants—health workers, committee members,
and others. We can ask:
• How were these community representatives selected?
• What is their social background? How wealthy are their families compared to
the rest of the community?
• What are their links to those in positions of power or authority, both inside and
outside the community?
• How physically big, fat, or well dressed are they compared to most of the
people in the village or community?