Tuesday, 23 February 2021, 6:46 am
Participatory community movements found a contemporary
impetus in post-World War II reconstruction of Europe and
decolonization, primarily in Africa. The approach of locally
managed change, however, was highly distrusted during these
initial years, during which the dominant view was that
central-level policy makers are in a better position than
the people to make highly productive decisions regarding
development projects.
The Foreign Assistance Act of
1961, passed under the leadership of President John Kennedy,
marked an attempt to de-link U.S. development assistance
from the nation’s military, political, and economic
interests. The Act emphasized “maximum participation” on
the part of the people in their own