County Leitrim Partnership Board Link
Interesting page on the Celtic Tiger and community development (May 2000 issue) by the Jesuit centre for Faith and Justice
Community
Development in the Age of the Celtic Tiger
by
Bill Toner, S.J.
Community Development
Community
Development focuses on the fact that many of the interests and problems faced by
certain communities, particularly poor ones, cannot be tackled on an individual
basis, and require collective organization and action. The main objective of
community development is thus seen as the empowerment of local communities to
make a difference to their economic and social environment. An important
requirement for this is seen to be the participation of as many members of the
community as possible in the process.The issue of participation is complex in this context. In practice some of the problems faced by communities could be addressed by a small group of residents or community workers lobbying in concert. For instance such a group may persuade the local authority to improve road cleaning in the area. This group might not be very representative, with participation by residents very limited. However there is a strong body of thought within community development circles that sees the process of community development, with participation as a key component of this, as at least as important as the outcomes. This view has a long lineage, going back even to Aristotle, and is related to the idea of the 'good citizen'. In this view people are not 'fully alive' unless they are taking part in the governance of their country or local area. Thus implicit in contemporary 'community development' is the need for personal development, to the extent that people are enabled to participate fully in deliberations and decisions affecting them. However the process is circular, in that (following the view of the ancient Greeks) participation in civic life is also a means to personal development.
As one aspect of participation, a lot of emphasis is placed on the need for consultation in community development. In practice this is often difficult, because most residents will not attend general meetings or respond to questionnaires. Sometimes it is the format of meetings that is not attractive; better success has been reported at 'house meetings', where residents host people on their own street. Men are more likely to attend meetings of this type. But at best, the response is apathetic.
Residents' committees or other 'representative' groups may also be reluctant to consult because they see it as slowing up the decision-making progress, and the committee may get caught up in local politics where they have to 'horse-trade' on issues at meetings with agencies.
