Beyond the Rhetoric of Participation: A Case Study of Participatory Practices and Power in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

<p>This study looks critically at the practices of participatory development by a local NGO in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. In doing so, the Life Skills Training programme is chosen as a case study of potentially participatory development. By exploring people’s experiences, perceptions, and feelings about their participation, the study examines the power dynamics in the programme. To gather data, the study used semi-structured interviews and observations. Interviews were conducted with 14 research participants, who were purposively selected from different backgrounds. The study finds that the approaches of the programme point to lower-level forms of participation, with local people having both minimal involvement and little role in decision-making. Despite the use of the rhetoric of participation, doubts about the quality of participation are raised particularly in relation to gender, age, and religious differences. By scrutinising the ways in which issues of power manifest in the programme, the study demonstrates that issues of power and power relations in participatory development are quite complex. Using the frameworks of power analysis, I argue that issues related to inequalities of power are manifested in the NGO’s domination of decision-making processes, and that these issues were also contributed to by a patriarchal culture and filial piety. More importantly, I argue that people’s participation in the programme is less likely lead to meaningful outcomes if the issues of power imbalances are not addressed. The study provides useful insights into ways to improve the practices of participatory development. An increased understanding of various forms of power and their implications will be useful for development practitioners to exercise their power to make a difference. Moreover, efforts to reduce power imbalances in participatory development will be inadequate without critically examining and attending to power and its dynamics. Without a deeper understanding of power, development programmes that make claims about participation may be less effective in achieving transformative goals for the intended beneficiaries.</p>

Beyond the Rhetoric of Participation: A Case Study of Participatory Practices and Power in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

<p>This study looks critically at the practices of participatory development by a local NGO in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. In doing so, the Life Skills Training programme is chosen as a case study of potentially participatory development. By exploring people’s experiences, perceptions, and feelings about their participation, the study examines the power dynamics in the programme. To gather data, the study used semi-structured interviews and observations. Interviews were conducted with 14 research participants, who were purposively selected from different backgrounds. The study finds that the approaches of the programme point to lower-level forms of participation, with local people having both minimal involvement and little role in decision-making. Despite the use of the rhetoric of participation, doubts about the quality of participation are raised particularly in relation to gender, age, and religious differences. By scrutinising the ways in which issues of power manifest in the programme, the study demonstrates that issues of power and power relations in participatory development are quite complex. Using the frameworks of power analysis, I argue that issues related to inequalities of power are manifested in the NGO’s domination of decision-making processes, and that these issues were also contributed to by a patriarchal culture and filial piety. More importantly, I argue that people’s participation in the programme is less likely lead to meaningful outcomes if the issues of power imbalances are not addressed. The study provides useful insights into ways to improve the practices of participatory development. An increased understanding of various forms of power and their implications will be useful for development practitioners to exercise their power to make a difference. Moreover, efforts to reduce power imbalances in participatory development will be inadequate without critically examining and attending to power and its dynamics. Without a deeper understanding of power, development programmes that make claims about participation may be less effective in achieving transformative goals for the intended beneficiaries.</p>

Subverting the white cis gaze: Towards a pedagogy of discomfort, accountability and care in the anthropology classroom

We write from the starting point of teaching an anthropology course together consisting of predominantly white, middle class cis students. The course collaborated with a local NGO, and the students were given the task to study issues of discrimination and exclusion within youth, leisure activities. This gave us the opportunity to examine, and therefore challenge, what we and our students were taught in terms of ‘the other’, positionality and accountability in anthropological research. We share our journey of creating a norm-critical classroom, which was built on our counter-archive (Haritaworn, Moussa & Ware, 2018) of anti-oppressive, queer, trans, BIPOC1 knowledge. We discuss how we made the students investigate their own positionalities and research interests, through our pedagogy of provoking discomfort by decentering whiteness and cisnormativity. We meditate on what it means to be teachers of anthropology that learn and work from differently marginalized positions within the Academic Industrial Complex (AIC). We honor the treasures we find in anti-oppression knowledge from the margins by joining a collective discussion on how to end epistemic violence within the classroom, the discipline and the broader AIC, while navigating the deeply colonial, cis- and heteronormative fabric of what is considered canon.

From the Fragrant Highlands to the Netherlands: A Case Study on the Evolution of the Adoption of Ethical Value Chains for Kerinci Cinnamon

<p>The concept of ethical value chains emerged as a response to conventional trade that has put a strain on small producers in the resource periphery. The alternative chains are said to allow trade to be carried out in fairer terms and for the benefits to be distributed to all actors in the value chains. This concept however, has not been widely used in the global spice industry. This research aims to investigate the nature and evolution of ethical value chains of an Indonesian cinnamon commodity. As part of the resource periphery, Indonesia is the leading producer of cinnamon, with 66% of the world’s cinnamon supply coming from this country. The cinnamon industry itself has long been an important source of income for the people of Kerinci, the largest cinnamon producing area in Indonesia. Using a qualitative case study, this research examined TAKTIK, a farmers’ group in Kerinci, which is known to have been implementing some form of ethical practices in their value chains. The study found that ethical practices occurred as a result of a value chains intervention programme conducted by an International NGO and a local NGO. Ethical value chains were adopted through the establishment of a farmers’ organisation, adoption of organic farming and certification, and Geographical Indications registration. This study finds that the factors that prompted the adoption of the ethical practices varied among value chain actors. However, there was a common goal of improving the livelihood of farmers and realising more equitable commodity trade. This research enriches the global literature on ethical value chains, particularly on spice commodity and the benefits of adoption for value chain actors.</p>

From the Fragrant Highlands to the Netherlands: A Case Study on the Evolution of the Adoption of Ethical Value Chains for Kerinci Cinnamon

<p>The concept of ethical value chains emerged as a response to conventional trade that has put a strain on small producers in the resource periphery. The alternative chains are said to allow trade to be carried out in fairer terms and for the benefits to be distributed to all actors in the value chains. This concept however, has not been widely used in the global spice industry. This research aims to investigate the nature and evolution of ethical value chains of an Indonesian cinnamon commodity. As part of the resource periphery, Indonesia is the leading producer of cinnamon, with 66% of the world’s cinnamon supply coming from this country. The cinnamon industry itself has long been an important source of income for the people of Kerinci, the largest cinnamon producing area in Indonesia. Using a qualitative case study, this research examined TAKTIK, a farmers’ group in Kerinci, which is known to have been implementing some form of ethical practices in their value chains. The study found that ethical practices occurred as a result of a value chains intervention programme conducted by an International NGO and a local NGO. Ethical value chains were adopted through the establishment of a farmers’ organisation, adoption of organic farming and certification, and Geographical Indications registration. This study finds that the factors that prompted the adoption of the ethical practices varied among value chain actors. However, there was a common goal of improving the livelihood of farmers and realising more equitable commodity trade. This research enriches the global literature on ethical value chains, particularly on spice commodity and the benefits of adoption for value chain actors.</p>

Community Mobilization in Micro Credit as a Tool of Women Empowerment

This article is about community mobilization in microcredit as a tool of women empowerment. It argues that women empowerment is a process and community mobilization is a tool for women empowerment process through micro-credit programs. This article is based on the views of selected key informants’ information through participant observation and a case study at Mahadevsthan Village in Dhading. Three local NGO managers and their three beneficiaries were conveniently selected for the sampling purpose. The main argument of the article shows that most of the females who received microcredit finally got socio-economic empowerment through acquiring access to capital, control over resources, self-esteem, confidence, decision-making power.

Spatial Barriers and the Tendency of the Utilization of Mediated Citizenship by Villagers in Accessing Public Services

This paper aims to discuss the dynamic intersection between the spatial barriers and the tendency of the utilization of "mediated citizenship" by villagers in accessing public services. It is important to map out how villagers interact with authoritative service providers at the local government level, which is not done directly, but through the mediation of a third party, namely a local NGO that is implementing a program in their village. Based on the context of Oi Bura Village, the tendency of the utilization of mediator services of "LAKPESDAM PCNU Kabupaten Bima" in accessing public services (especially the residential identities) began to take shape because it was triggered by the poor people's consideration about the spatial stretch of their village area with the site of the service provider that would have an impact on financial expenses and bureaucratic severity factors that must be passed when accessing these basic services. Although the residential identities should be obtained automatically based on formal status as an Indonesian citizen, in practice the access of the poor villagers to basic services is achieved through a third party mediation role. The limitations of the service providers' responsiveness, accountability and institutional capacity to act proactively in solving the public problems are increasingly opening up the chance for "permanence" of facilitation of the state-citizen interaction by third parties.Keywords: access, citizenship, mediator, service, space AbstrakMakalah ini bertujuan untuk membahas persimpangan dinamis antara hambatan spasial dan kecenderungan pemanfaatan "mediated citizenhip" oleh warga desa dalam mengakses layanan publik. Penting untuk memetakan bagaimana masyarakat desa berinteraksi dengan pemberi layanan otoritatif di tingkat pemerintah daerah, yang tidak dilakukan secara langsung, melainkan melalui mediasi pihak ketiga, yaitu LSM lokal yang melaksanakan program di desanya. Berdasarkan konteks Desa Oi Bura, kecenderungan pemanfaatan jasa mediator “LAKPESDAM PCNU Kabupaten Bima” dalam mengakses pelayanan publik (khususnya identitas permukiman) mulai terbentuk karena dipicu oleh pertimbangan masyarakat miskin terhadap tata ruang. hamparan wilayah desanya dengan lokasi penyedia layanan yang tentunya berdampak pada pengeluaran keuangan dan faktor keparahan birokrasi yang harus dilalui saat mengakses layanan dasar tersebut. Meskipun identitas kependudukan seharusnya diperoleh secara otomatis berdasarkan status formal sebagai warga negara Indonesia, pada praktiknya akses masyarakat miskin terhadap layanan dasar dicapai melalui peran mediasi pihak ketiga. Keterbatasan daya tanggap, akuntabilitas, dan kapasitas kelembagaan penyedia layanan untuk bertindak proaktif dalam menyelesaikan masalah publik semakin membuka peluang untuk "kelanggengan" fasilitasi interaksi negara-warga oleh pihak ketiga.Kata kunci: akses, citizenship, mediator, layanan, ruang.

Reaching Thousands of Children in Low Income Communities With High-Quality ECED Services: A Journey of Perseverance and Creativity

This paper describes a creative and bold way in which a local NGO addressed increasing access and quality of ECED services in Colombia. This case study on Fundacion Carulla's aeioTU early childhood innovation in Colombia contributes to understanding the possibilities for the private sector to spark innovation, and the importance of an open and collaborative strategy in contributing to the ECED sector at large. The critical role of monitoring and evaluation in the provision of services is highlighted. This guided key decisions on different growth phases. After a decade of work, Fundacion Carulla-aeioTU has shown capacity to effectively support children's development in low-income settings through their participation in quality programming. Furthermore, this case study also describes how the organization, having proven its capacity to provide high-quality services directly to children, decided to innovate and bring about different solutions to reach and support other stakeholders in the early childhood development ecosystem.

Using Circles to Cope with the Eruption of Volcán de Fuego un Guatemala

On June 3, 2018 the Volcán de Fuego (Fire Volcano) in Guatemala erupted killing 300 people and leaving close to two thousand people homeless and relocated to temporary shelters. Lava flows buried the towns of Alotenango and San Miguel Los Lotes. El Rodeo was also highly impacted. The government, NGO and international response was focused on relocating villagers to safe locations and providing health care, medicines and food, as well as initiating a formal plan to move entire communities that would not be able to live in those high-risk areas again. However, the emergency response made no effort to listen to the people affected by the eruption or to provide them with a space where they could find emotional support and release some of the emotions around the trauma they suffered. Asociación para el Liderazgo en Guatemala (ALG), a local NGO that trains NGO leaders in the country, offered an intervention that provided a space for both people displaced by the eruption and emergency response teams to find support in the use of restorative circles. This article will examine ALG´s intervention and offer some lessons learned about providing circles to people affected by natural disaster and how this can be helpful in coping with the aftermath of such a traumatic event.

Framing the Material Global: The Grounded Politics of HIV Testing Scale-Up

Drawing on the framework of transnational materiality (Gille, Z. 2014. “Materiality: Transnational Materiality.” In Framing the Global, edited by Kahn, Hilary, 157–81. Bloomington: Indiana University Press), a conceptual contribution from the Framing the Global project (Kahn, H., ed. 2014. Framing the Global, Bloomington: Indiana University Press), the article examines how HIV testing and counselling services became a site of political contestation in Taiwan since expanding service delivery was proposed as a response to the HIV epidemic by global health institutions in the 2000s. This global scheme, the study argues, not only reshaped the organization and practices of HIV service delivery, but also generated vulnerability as these practices connected to HIV-positive people’s lives were largely governed by global models and national programs that may not fully reflect local concerns. In response, local NGO workers politicize service delivery in part by transnationally adopting and promoting practices that attend more carefully to localized forms of vulnerability. Using qualitative data collected in Taiwan, the analysis reveals a grounded politics of HIV service delivery that highlights the materialization of vulnerability and its management.