Book Review and Commentary

Effective Community Participation in Coastal Development
Mathbor, Golam M. (2008). Chicago, Illinois: Lyceum Books. U.S. $32.95
ISBN 978-1-933478-54-8, 128pp.

Reviewed by Ngoh Tiong Tan, Ph.D., Professor Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.

Community participation is the key to successful community intervention and social work practice. This is a central concept in both the theory and the practice of community work. Participation and the development of social capital, solidarity, and cohesion promote social justice and overall social development (Midgley, 1995; Putnam, 2000; Brueggemann, 2006).

Developing effective social networks becomes the key to community change and growth. The setting of Mathbor's study is Bangladesh and the key reason for focusing on the needs of coastal communities is that they are more likely to face disasters. Recently, coastal areas in Bangladesh and Myanmar, as well as the United States, have faced hurricanes (such as Katrina), cyclones, and floods. The implications of the study for environmental justice cannot be ignored in an era that is prone to the hazards brought about by climate change. This book is essentially a report of Mathbor's study of community participation in Bangladesh, which provided a basis for his development of a 'Needs-based Community Participation Model'. Mathbor, in Chapter 2, provides for the understanding of community participation - the approaches, use and abuse, as well as the evidence of effective community participation. He explores various definitions of participation but leaves it to the readers to provide the synthesis. He also cites the Orangi Pilot Project in Karachi as a way of breaking the "dependent culture", and the Grameen Bank as a successful microcredit cooperative. Critiques of the microcredit program, however, insist that credit is but one of the variables; education, infrastructure, and others are as important for social change (Chowdury, 1996; Rahman, 1999, Putnam, 2000; Bruggemann, 2006). Mathbor asserts that microcredit by itself may "create a debt burden for women" (p. 24).

The researcher utilized a variety of data collection methods, mostly qualitative in nature, including observations, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. A review of documents, such as project proposals, and progress and annual reports, helped with verifying interview data. It is commendable that the triangulation of data through the different modes of data collection and sources, in addition to the triangulation of methods and theory, was attempted. The author had two reasons for the selection of marginalized coastal communities: 1) these areas tend to be overly exploited, and 2) community participation is lacking in these areas.

The four projects which provided empirical data for this study were selected based on the author's decision to "select programs that accent community participation" (p. 49). Only one project selected - the Cyclone Preparedness Program - was sponsored by an international organization. Two of the government's projects, the Coastal Greenbelt Project and Coastal Embankment Rehabilitation Program, as well as the Social Forestry Program (the only nongovernmental organization studied) were included in this study. The context developed by these organizations portrays an integrated view of Bangladesh's coastal region, which is useful for the social study of participation in development. Indeed, the case examples could also provide interesting material on global social development for discussion in classrooms.

The research provided both professional and local citizens' perspectives on coastal development. The "top down" and "bottoms up" approaches were both considered. For example, "it is evident that [while] the capacities of coastal communities with regard to education, social awareness, economic condition, infrastructure, transportation and mass communication need to be strengthened" (p. 83), the beneficiaries believed that "community capacities could be strengthened through income generation activities" while the functionaries believed that "creating awareness among local people about the existing situation" and providing vocational training were the means to capacity building. A comparison of the perspectives provided a more holistic view of community development, as well as the challenges to searching for a more balanced, integrative strategy.

The book advocated a facilitative approach where "local people rise up to the challenge." In other words, the people should be prepared for and active in mitigating the ill-effects of their situations or disasters. Using grounded theory derived from beneficiaries and functionaries, Mathbor explored the typology of community participation and proposed a participative model. The Community Participation Model involves locals in four progressive stages: 1) Information, Education, and Planning Stage; 2) Information, Coordination, and Monitoring Stage; 3) Ownership and Control Stage; 4) Feedback Stage. Central to the model, which is systematically portrayed in the book, is the empowerment, implementation, control, and outcome of community participation. Overall, however, there is 'no new thing under the sun' as the model emphasizes, once again, the inclusive approach, highlights participation, and focuses especially on the vital role of women in developing communities.

The case studies cited in this very readable book provide concrete examples of the process of developing community participation as well as the shortcomings in planning, organizing, and implementing community development projects. I agree with Midgley who noted in the book's foreword that the author's "careful analysis of local people's perceptions of what constitutes effective participation" will render the book interesting "to scholars and practitioners involved in community projects" (p. xii).

While I was disappointed in my quest to learn new and innovative paradigms of community development and change from this text, I was also reassured in that the book emphasized, time and again, the fundamental idea of participation in promoting people and community centered community development. The book's attempt to provide a typology of community participation, albeit sketchy, is commendable. The value of inclusion and ethical collaboration are underscored as essential for community intervention. It is in seeking to empower vulnerable communities that social work can be true to its basic mission.

References

Brueggemann, W. G. (2006). The practice of macro social work (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Higher Education.

Chowdury, A. N. (1989). Let grassroots speak: People's participation, self-help groups and NGOs in Bangladesh. Dhaka, Bangladesh: The University Press.

Midgley, J. (1995). Social development: The developmental perspective in social welfare. London: Sage Publication Inc.

Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Rahman, A. (1999). Micro-credit initiatives for equitable and sustainable development: Who pays? World Development Journal, 27(1), 67-82.