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What do ADB staff members really think about participatory development?

We decided to find out as part of the evaluation of the second small-grant facility for Capacity Building and Participatory Activities Regional Technical Assistance (RETA) Project, which was administered in 2000 and 2001.

We asked the 22 ADB staff members who received grants to share their experiences. We also examined the progress of mainstreaming participation within ADB, and identified the next steps to further strengthen this effort.

The methods employed for the study included reviewing documents, answering questionnaires, and interviewing staff members.

The grants, which ranged from $4,000 to $20,000 and averaged $16,000, were used to augment activities in 14 countries and under two regional initiatives. Sectors included

• agriculture

• health

• education

• trade and finance

• infrastructure

• energy

• urban development

Another built capacity in participatory monitoring and evaluation of resettlement planning in Indonesia. One facilitated dialogue on a free trade agreement between India and Sri Lanka.

Another supported the Indigenous People’s Forum at the 33rd Annual Meeting of ADB in May 2000 in Thailand.

A majority of the initiatives focused on poverty analysis.

In the People’s Republic of China, the State Council’s Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development used RETA support for a national policy workshop to discuss the voices of the poor, gathered from both rural and urban areas through consultation with the local people.

A participatory poverty assessment in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic used RETA support in preparing the Public Investment Plan/Midterm Expenditure Framework and the country strategy and program.

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Staff members were very positive about participatory methods in their interviews and on questionnaires. Their perceptions are best presented in their own words. Some of the most eloquent and convincing comments about using participatory approaches came from nonsocial scientists.

Participation gives voice to stakeholders and facilitates communication. It “clarifies the theoretical framework up front. It parallels the logical framework analysis but it is drawn up with all stakeholders. This gives a ‘voice’ to the larger constituency, the actual users/beneficiaries and future caretakers of the outcomes of the investment.”

It “;brings the human factor into loan processing. It increases contact between ADB staff and the range of stakeholders and, more importantly, among different types of in-country stakeholders.

Participation motivates stakeholders and helps manage conflict. “The contacts bridged a gap among stakeholders that opposed each other. Brainstorming, if professionally facilitated, is extremely important. It excites and motivates participants and makes them productive, and reduces not only the resistance of the government but also the suspicion that it will lead to erosion of their power.”

“Often, there is animosity between parties; forums such as the workshops we organized provide the chance to meet on neutral ground and share each other’s viewpoint. The procedure is almost like a self-development process.”

Participatory development facilitates project processing and enhances project quality. “In the field, the conventional one-on-one meetings are time-consuming, lengthy, repetitive, and do not allow dialogue among stakeholders. It is much easier for ADB to use consultative processes: it helps reach significant numbers of the constituency, and the chances of getting the right feedback increase ownership. Further, because of the numbers, the impact of brainstorming is more substantive and captures larger views.”

“The fund contributed to my project being designated as pro-poor. I would use participatory approaches in subsequent loans because it makes sense.”

“You have to pay money for extracting data from even governments in some of the emerging democracies; participatory processes, however, help gather primary data directly from communities.”

The costs of participation are small compared with the gains. The project is now “demand- rather than supply-driven and this is important in view of the growing evidence that supply-driven projects have not been sustained or achieved the desired social benefits.”

“The costs are absolutely justified; the result is well-received, well-accepted projects. This makes the project fly.”

“Cost is relative; it is to be seen as percentage of total investment. It is like a small battery that drives the starter of a large engine. Now you decide whether the problems outweigh the advantages.”

Trying participatory approaches once made it seem much easier. “Earlier, it was cumbersome to think of integrating participatory processes, but once you experience it, it becomes easier. However, we need more support in planning and integrating these into loan processing.”

RETA administration and support were fully satisfactory. “The administration of the fund was simple and efficient, we received valuable comments from the RETA Committee and support of the Social Development Division as and when needed.”

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The questionnaires probed staff members’ attitudes about challenges they and others face in applying participatory approaches more fully.

They noted that extremely tight schedules for processing loans were a major problem as participatory decision making requires flexibility and sometimes unpredictable amounts of time.

• There is a thorough lack of staff incentives for using participatory methods.
• Funding is not normally available to support participatory activities within the context of regular project or technical assistance processing.
• Project managers are driven by logistics, finance, and construction. They fear that beneficiaries may lose patience with participatory processes or a proposed activity if they (the staff) are unable to match beneficiary demands for discussion time or for substantive inputs to a design.
• Frequent staff changes both within ADB and the developing member countries (DMCs) hamper the continuity and effectiveness of participatory activities.
• Some staff are said to be resistant to trying participation.
• Some countries are not familiar with the more inclusive/participatory ways of working and have limited skills for consultation and poverty analysis. In these especially, participatory activities may be expensive in terms of logistics and travel required by external consultants.
• Clarity about partnerships is lacking: some feel that nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and other social intermediaries should not be treated dif- ferently from other contractors/consultants, while, one respondent stated, NGOs in principle like to be treated as project partners.

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Not one awardee felt that ADB provides incentives or managerial support for using participatory approaches. Ten staff members felt that no such incentives or support exists, and nine were neutral.

They expressed doubts about whether senior managers’ views have changed significantly as a resultof the two RETAs on participation. They felt, however, that there was a glimmer of understanding of the value of consultation. Because participation plays a significant role in the new business processes, a great need exists for broader understanding of this approach among those who may be able to move ADB from rhetoric to practice.

As adults learn primarily through experience, field visits conducted by citizens who are engaged in participatory development activities might be an ideal learning mechanism.

Sixteen of the staff members who obtained support under the RETA said this was not their first exposure to participatory approaches. To reach more staff members with no prior experience in participatory development, some adjustments to the RETA structure would be appropriate.

For example, a quota for “new users” might be stipulated, some of the funding might be linked with a training or coaching program, or a larger sum made available so some very worthy projects that sought funding many months after the funds were expended need not be eliminated because of the largely first-come, first-served basis for selection.

Only one third of project managers discussed plans for using RETA funding with their DMC counterparts. However, depending on the circumstances and available time, greater DMC involvement in planning participatory activities would be desirable.

Some staff expressed doubts whether DMCs are willing to spend loan money to support participatory activities, although it is evident that the project preparation technical assistance funds are indeed being used for consultative workshops.

Inclusion of resident mission and DMC staff in training or coaching programs tied to specific loans or policy reform initiatives might ameliorate this situation by allowing DMC stakeholders to observe and appreciate the efficacy of participatory approaches.

Compiling case studies might be another effective tool for disseminating awareness of these approaches.

Stakeholder workshops were the most common method used for consultation during poverty assessments. The majority of these were conducted at the national level, with participants ranging from 30 to 100.

In a small and medium enterprise project in Indonesia and the Philippines, a series of workshops were held first locally and then regionally.

Overall, greater appreciation of a range of types of forums and tools that may be used in them, especially to ensure sufficient focus on poverty and gender concerns, might be helpful to staff.

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All agree on the operational relevance of participation, on its usefulness in improving project design, and on the need to sustain the momentum toward mainstream participation. Staff diverge on the mechanism to accomplish this, however.

Many support mainstreaming participation along with the new business processes presuming secure budgetary support is made available (see story, p 28).

Among those supporting mainstreaming were many social scientists and others throughout ADB, but they recognize that it would be extremely challenging to take that route. Others feel that without another RETA or similar special funding mechanism, financial support will disappear and all gains in recent years will be lost.

A phased plan for special support for participation in the short run, as well as steps to ensure long-term funding , is suggested. This will not be possible without proactive support from senior ADB management.

If participation is to be fully effective in promoting sustained impacts, it should not be restricted to the design stage. Several project managers mentioned that attention to participation and other critical social themes fades as projects go into implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The need to incorporate methods for tracking participation throughout the project cycle is clear.

Some project managers felt that they need some more convincing evidence that participatory processes really make a difference in project quality and impact realization.

For this, staff members proposed that in-depth longitudinal case studies be commissioned to see what happens, as a result of the participatory activities, over the life of the project and what impact it has on the outcomes.

As one of the awardees stated: “We need to hear success stories from beneficiaries.”

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