ABSTRACT Since independence in 1966, centralized development planning has ensured the availability of basic facilities and services in rural areas of Botswana but has also contributed to over-reliance on the government for the majority of rural people. The consequence of this centralized and accelerated approach to rural development has been the exclusion of rural communities from planning and implementation of facilities meant to benefit them. The international debate on sustainable rural development led the Botswana government to re-think its rural development policy with a view to establishing more effective strategies for rural development. The Community Based Strategy for Rural Development, introduced in 1997 emphasizes the important role of communities in their own development, by promoting Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). This study sought to discover insights into the implementation of PRA in Botswana by questioning extension workers and community members in four villages about the application and impact of PRA on their communities. The research uses the frameworks of qualitative research and critical adult education theory to enquire into the basis for participatory rural development in Botswana and the implementation of Community Action Plans (CAPs). Case studies of the four villages were conducted to illuminate problematic areas of programme design and implementation. Interviews with thirty-two people and observations were the main methods of collecting data. Documents, reports and records on PRA training and application in the four villages and from outside were consulted. The research results show that the application of PRA in the participating villages has had negligible impact in reversing the state-dominated approach to development. PRA facilitators seem disinterested in its application and sustenance. However, the findings also suggest that PRA application in Botswana is not hopeless, but needs a different kind of investment, for example, introducing measures of accountability, addressing paternalistic attitudes among development workers, and exploiting key principles of adult education.

This paper applies New Growth Theory (NGT) to the economic development plan of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) for the Dan River region. New Growth Theory is summarized into five concepts: knowledge and human capital, technology, flexible production and innovation, and the institutional environment. The IALR program demonstrates this NGT framework. The IALR program seeks to promote growth by attracting exogenous demand for innovation and high tech. Endogenously, the program plans to create an institutional support environment and human capital infrastructure. The New Growth Theory supports the IALR in developing a knowledge based economy. However, the New Growth Theory has limitations in application for economic development. It assumes that the targeted economy has some physical and social infrastructure. The Dan River region lacks transportation infrastructure and a history of valuing higher education. The New Growth Theory assumes that using knowledge as a factor will insure against diminishing returns. However, growth from high tech is risky and uneven. The IALR program is an example of an under-educated region trying to transform its economy by using high tech. What may happen is an increased gap between the lower and higher income population, with skilled knowledge labor being recruited and the existing human capital not able to keep up with the new skill requirements. Finally, while the Dan River region has a need to work on quality of life aspects, such as living conditions, equity, the environment, health and civic infrastructure, New Growth Theory does not consider these aspects. / Master of Public and International Affairs

O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar a relação de causalidade entre crédito rural e produto agropecuário. Utilizando dados municipais do período 1999-2004, aplicou-se a metodologia de Granger e Huang (1997), que permite identificar o sentido da causalidade entre duas variáveis em um contexto de painel. Contrariamente à grande parte da literatura que estudou as relações de causalidade entre sistema financeiro e crescimento econômico, este trabalho não identificou a causalidade partindo da variável financeira para o produto. Em geral, os resultados apontaram causalidade unidirecional, partindo do Produto Interno Bruto da agropecuária para o crédito rural. / The main goal of this essay is to evaluate the causal relations between rural credit and agricultural output. Using municipal data for the period 1999-2004, we have implemented the Granger and Huang (1997) methodology, which allows us to identify the causality direction between two variables in a data panel context. Differently from a large part of the literature that has studied causal relations between finance and growth, this work did not find causality from the financial variable towards output. Instead, the results draw attention to unidirectional causality from agricultural output to rural credit.

Li, Hang. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-282). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in Chinese.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / The study sought to evaluate the challenges and opportunities for effective community participation in rural development projects in Zimbabwe through one case-study, and in turn to test the credibility of the popularized supposition that almost all contemporary development efforts characteristically embrace local participation. This matters as public participation is widely assumed to be an essential ingredient for the fruition of rural development efforts. The case examined was to achieve this aim. The research made use of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies in which various data gathering instruments were used. Among them were unstructured interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires. The discussion and analysis of data was enabled by the use of People-Centered Development (PCD) as a conceptual framework. Among other findings, a key insight of the research was that the level of community participation in this case is not only minimal, but it is also top down. This has much to do with the negative perceptions by facilitating agents of local people as passive recipients of externally crafted models of development and other factors such as the power dynamics within and between the community and other stakeholders. The research also found out other obstacles that militate against effective participation such as preferential treatment of other tribal groups by the facilitating agent, intra group conflicts and bureaucratic and political influence. Based on these findings, and consistent with the wider literature, a key recommendation of the research is that the nature of community engagement should be based on the principle of equal partnership among all stakeholders as this would encourage full cooperation and thus effective participation.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 156-163. / by Kit Fong Teoh. / M.C.P.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND DEWEY. / Bibliography: leaves 410-416. / by Khalid Saeed. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-120). / A new community is developing in central-western Ohio at the administrative and educational facilities of The Way International, a world-wide non-denominational biblical research ministry. Since 1961 this community has grown from only a few families to over 300 persons living either at or near the site. By 1985 this figure is expected to more than double. This paper shows how the design and planning methods used to date have not been totally successful in dealing with this rapid growth. These methods have resulted in space shortages at times, conflicting use relationships, and unsatisfactory building forms and appearances. A more systematic approach to site design is examined as an aid to resolving some of these problems. This systematic approach focuses on the issues of density standards, block sizes, building configurations, open space planning, and architectural design, drawing rules and concepts from the patterns found in the historic and traditional rural context. Thus, a coherent, unifying "rural atmosphere" for this growing community is the guiding concept behind this system. The issue of uncertainty of future growth is handled by first defining likely phases or increments of growth. Next, the derived design system is shown to be able to handle this range of likely growth increments. Finally, a schematic site plan for developing a portion of the property is designed to demonstrate the use of the system, and to advocate a first step towards preserving the rich rural heritage of this place. / by Mark William Ranyak. / M.Arch.

Thesis. 1977. M.C.P.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography : leaf 75. / by Stephen Klein. / M.C.P.

This publication is not intended to be a scientific study and in fact does not pretend to be as such. It merely poses various perspectives and issues that reflect on the development and growth of the co-operative movement. A great deal of information grows out of personal and other experiences that have been shared at various levels, both individual, group, workshop/conferences and visits of actual co-operatives at work. The main people who have shared these experiences have helped, in one way or another to shape this publication. To them, and they know who they are, a very warm and special word of thanks. A particular note of appreciation for Sonja Sleigh and the members of the Peace Centre, who spent many hours in the typesetting and actual compilation of the publication. It is hoped that at the end of the day, that the questions and issues posed in this publication will serve towards enriching the growth process; the growth toward a richer and more human society.