Abstract
In this chapter, Frediani, Peris, and Boni take a closer look at the evolution of the participatory development movement. They show how participation became embedded in liberation principles during the struggle for independence in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, before becoming trapped within an ‘operational fix’ in the development era, which effectively reduced participation to a technical exercise that leaves power imbalances and structural inequalities unchallenged. To rediscover and safeguard the transformative roots of participation, the approach needs to be grounded within a normative theory of change. The authors draw on field experience to show that the capability approach can provide this framework. Specifically, the capability approach engages with the internal dynamics of deliberation by ensuring that everyone’s voice can be heard and requires that any discussion or decision-making is based on fair and reasonable procedures. It also considers how external influences and power relations shape outcomes and encourages people to act as agents for empowerment and change. The authors also draw on field experience to show how participatory practices can augment the capability approach by emphasizing collective aspects of agency, elaborating on institutional and structural aspects of change, and expanding on the dynamics of empowerment inherent in deliberative processes.
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Frediani, A.A., Peris, J., Boni, A. (2019). Notions of Empowerment and Participation: Contributions from and to the Capability Approach. In: Clark, D.A., Biggeri, M., Frediani, A.A. (eds) The Capability Approach, Empowerment and Participation. Rethinking International Development series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-35230-9_5
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