Decentralization and Participatory Rural Development: A Literature Review

Abstract

Most of the developing nations are still struggling for efficient use of their resources. In order to overcome physical and administrative constraints of the development, it is necessary to transfer the power from the central government to local authorities. Distribution of power from improves the management of resources and community participation which is considered key to sustainable development. Advocates of decentralization argue that decentralized government is source to improve community participation in rural development. Decentralized government is considered more responsive towards local needs and development of poor peoples. There are many obstacles to expand the citizen participation in rural areas. There are many approaches for participatory development but all have to face the same challenges. Current paper highlights the literature about Decentralization and participatory rural development. Concept and modalities of Decentralization, dimensions of participation, types of rural participation and obstacles to participation are also the part of this paper

The promises and realities of Ghana's decentralization: a case study from the Wenchi district of Ghana

“…Contrary to the optimistic view of decentralization, experiences of many developing countries demonstrate that decentralization usually results in dominance by a few powerful rich local leaders or elites (Ahmad and Talib 2011). Thus, it cannot be said that more decentralization leads toward greater democracy.…”

“…Further, decentralization engenders more popular participation in governance, which helps to improve both the level and quality of service. Ahmad and Talib (2011) argue that decentralization serves as a platform to improve citizen participation and service delivery. Thus, decentralization provides better opportunities for local residents to participate in decision-making and to hold their elected representatives accountable (Saito 2008;Smith 2007;Smoke 2003).…”

The Bottom-Up Development Model as a Governance Instrument for the Rural Areas. The Cases of Four Local Action Groups (LAGs) in the United Kingdom and in Italy

“…Local authorities have responsibilities in implementing programmes, and in several member states they act as managing authorities of the funds. Decentralization of power to sub-national and local levels in implementing the Structural Funds improves the resource management of the community participation as it has the advantage that local actors know the local needs much better than others for the development of their local areas [21].…”

Blockchain for decentralised rural development and governance

“…Rural areas do not fit neatly into discourses of regional development or innovation policy and are therefore often disregarded or integrated into wider systems in a tokenistic way. Neglect from policymakers and regional development agencies have led to 'self-help' communities forming, who take ownership of their decision-making through more decentralised and participatory forms of governance and development [9,51].…”

“…'Core-periphery' logic still underlies current city-regions models of development [8] whereby the city supports the rural hinterlands. Consequentially, this has led to underdevelopment in rural areas, and the desire to instead self-govern through decentralised forms of governance [9,10]. However, the process of decentralisation has historically been fraught with difficulties [11].…”