Opportunity lost? Victorian Labor's enactment of community development 1999-2006

The idea of community development has been evoked by Australian governments over many decades. The expressions of community have differed widely, often as a result of politics rather than informed policy. In 1999, after seven years of radical neo-liberal restructuring in Victoria, the Bracks government found itself unexpectedly elected to power. They faced new challenges such as a diminished public sector, growing social inequality and climate change. The first two terms of Victorian Labor were a seminal period in terms of the role they would invoke for ‘community’. Did grass roots participation take a central place, or did rhetoric rule over substance? The evidence points to a government maintaining a neo-liberal trajectory, and thereby losing an opportunity to enable an active citizenry.

Understanding pentecostal motivations for undertaking community development in South East Asia : evidence of an expanded understanding of holistic mission

A shift has been observed in the activities of by Western-based, pentecostal mission organisations in mainland South East Asia. Where once these mission organisations avoided formal community development programs as a distraction to their understanding of mission, the funding for and implementation of such programs has increased dramatically in recent times. This shift in focus is best understood by considering motivations and changing pentecostal perceptions of mission. The research is based on new primary data collected through interviews with long-term and senior pentecostal mission practitioners engaging in development projects in mainland South East Asia. It explores their motivations for engaging in community development, and in particular the extent to which community development programs are seen as a strategy for proselytisation as compared the extent to which they are conducted out of other humanitarian motivations. Analysis of this data challenges preconceived notions of proselytisation being the primary motive of pentecostal mission agencies, and demonstrates a more holistic idea of mission.

Community development in Indonesia : westernization or doing it their way?

This paper considers the claim that ideas and practices of international development, including community development, are embedded in Western notions of how to organize society. It elucidates some of the main precepts of the westernization thesis, and drawing on several studies of community development projects in Indonesia, it investigates what elements might be considered as ‘Western’ and whether the adoption of so-called Western ways is the result of the dominating power of international agencies or a pragmatic choice of active agents. The paper argues that the westernization thesis is problematic and does little to help us understand the complex interactions involving change at the community level. From a community development perspective, the question of whether the themes of westernization are appropriate is not a matter of the views of outside experts, but whether they are of use to the people at the grassroots in their collective endeavours.

An assessment of empowerment through highly participatory asset-based community development in Myanmar

Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a highly participatory approach to development that seeks to empower communities to draw on tangible and social community assets to manage their own development. The strength of ABCD is its ability to facilitate people imagining their world differently, resulting in action to change their circumstances. Previous research has shown international non-government organisations have found highly participatory, community-led approaches to development to have been particularly effective forms of poverty mitigation and community empowerment within Myanmar, even before the current reforms, which is surprising given the restrictive socio-political context created by authoritarian rule by a regime with an international reputation for human rights violations. 

This paper documents ABCD programs within Myanmar, one of the poorest countries in Asia suffering major underdevelopment and ranking poorly across a wide range of socioeconomic indicators. It explores the operation, effectiveness and reasons behind the success of ABCD programs in this environment, and reflects on the role of outsiders in ABCD in the light of underlying theory and this contemporary experience. This research draws largely on recent field interviews and personal experience working in this sector within Myanmar, as well as surveying a number of evaluation reports which have been made publically available.

Developing a monitoring and evaluation system for Instituto Palmas: a network of community development banks in Brazil

Bancos comunitários de desenvolvimento no Brasil são instituições únicas que operam de acordo com os princípios da economia solidária em função da inclusão financeira de comunidades carentes. O Instituto Palmas, a instituição que assessora e coordena a rede destes bancos, pediu à Universidade de São Paulo e à Universidade de Columbia em Nova York para desenvolver um conjunto de indicadores que pudesse demonstrar o impacto social e o desempenho institucional dos bancos. Esse relatório apresenta os indicadores, a metodologia utilizada na sua formação, e recomendações para sua utilização. Na medida em que resultados e impacto estão analisados através do uso desses indicadores, a rede dos bancos comunitários e outros interessados terão mais clareza sobre suas funções, seu desempenho, e suas áreas que precisam ser melhoradas para cumprir sua missão – superar a pobreza urbana através da economia solidária.