Participation for Area-Based Rural Development: Concepts, Situations and Problems

Abstract

Understanding group participation in developing countries is crucial because in those countries groups and networks serve many of the functions that elsewhere are served by formal institutions and market mechanisms (e.g. they provide access to informal insurance, credit, and even jobs). Public participation became a statutory requirement in preparation of development plans. In this regard, area-based rural development structures are seen to foster civic participation. It is based upon the assumption that sustainable development can be achieved only through the involvement of all stakeholders. The motivation of the people for their development is halfway there. One of the common vehicles for community development includes voluntary community organizations such as local groups, youth groups, sporting clubs, and local resident associations. These organizations have certain characteristics that include: a resident’s commitment to their area, voluntary participation of members, and locally initiated groups that address critical community issues. A determining factor for the success of local sustainable development (SD) is the ability to contextualize it, which can be achieved through the involvement of local actors. Stakeholder participation can aid in the design of policies, plans or projects that better respond to the needs of local actors and is therefore useful in promoting SD. Local partnerships are often presented as inclusive in themselves because potentially they bring a wide range of interest groups together. In addition, they are seen as best placed to address social exclusion because of their local knowledge of social problems and local people. Social capital, social inclusion, civic engagement, and participation are all seen as desirable goals, and are sometimes used interchangeably. Strong social networks and civic engagement lead to economic development and improved democracy. This article methodology is based upon literature review on related contexts of its topic namely participation for area-based rural development: concepts, situations and problems. In this regard author gathered and analyzed a huge amount of related articles, books and documents etc... Plus, author utilized field research pictures of his participatory works and observations in the content. Also this article is an abbreviation and short communication of author’s book that published at 2025.

Keywords

• Participation
• Rural people
• Sustainable development
• Environment conservation
• Concepts
• Iran

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