Community User Groups : Vehicles for Collective Action - or Personal Gain?

A study of three user groups in India suggests that such groups rarely perform as expected. The note is based on such study, which comprised the performance of 100 community user groups, involved in the collective management of natural resources in three Bank-supported projects in the country. Two aspects of performance were evaluated: groups achievement, and group functioning. Among the issues analyzed were member perceptions of group's achievement of formal, and member objectives, participation in different group activities, realization of benefits, group transparency, and, internal accountability. Despite the hierarchical, social context, distribution of benefits was not biased toward any social, or economic group. However, women played almost no role in group affairs - regardless of their caste or class. In all three cases, members knew very little about group governance, and, regardless of awareness, accountability mechanisms were rarely - if ever - applied. The note emphasizes that low transparency can destroy a group's ability to promote cooperation, and collective action, while project designers, and implementers need to better understand member objectives, be more pragmatic with expectations of local organizations, and functions, and, be more realistic about accomplishments given the resource management available vs. required.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Aslop, Ruth, Forusz, Samantha
Format: Brief biblioteca
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2002-07
Subjects:ACHIEVEMENT, COLLECTIVE ACTION, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, CORRUPTION, DECISIONMAKING, DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE, GROUP ACTIVITIES, INCOME, INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY, LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, NATURAL RESOURCES, PLAYING, POLITICAL ACTIVITIES, POVERTY REDUCTION, PROJECT DESIGN, PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, STAKEHOLDERS, TRANSPARENCY, USER GROUPS, USER PARTICIPATION, VILLAGE USER GROUPS, COMMUNITY-BASED METHOD, PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, EVALUATION OF PROJECTS, GROUP BEHAVIOR, GROUP DECISION-MAKING, PARTICIPATORY METHODS, SOCIAL CLASSES, CASTE, SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS, GENDER BIAS, GOVERNANCE CAPACITY, COLLECTIVE ACTIONS,
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2002/07/2013072/community-user-groups-vehicles-collective-action-or-personal-gain
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11340
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spelling dig-okr-10986113402021-06-14T10:59:39Z Community User Groups : Vehicles for Collective Action - or Personal Gain? Aslop, Ruth Forusz, Samantha ACHIEVEMENT COLLECTIVE ACTION COMMUNITY MEMBERS COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION CORRUPTION DECISIONMAKING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE GROUP ACTIVITIES INCOME INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS NATURAL RESOURCES PLAYING POLITICAL ACTIVITIES POVERTY REDUCTION PROJECT DESIGN PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT STAKEHOLDERS TRANSPARENCY USER GROUPS USER PARTICIPATION VILLAGE USER GROUPS COMMUNITY-BASED METHOD PERFORMANCE INDICATORS NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT EVALUATION OF PROJECTS GROUP BEHAVIOR GROUP DECISION-MAKING PARTICIPATORY METHODS SOCIAL CLASSES CASTE SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS GENDER BIAS GOVERNANCE CAPACITY COLLECTIVE ACTIONS PROJECT DESIGN LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS A study of three user groups in India suggests that such groups rarely perform as expected. The note is based on such study, which comprised the performance of 100 community user groups, involved in the collective management of natural resources in three Bank-supported projects in the country. Two aspects of performance were evaluated: groups achievement, and group functioning. Among the issues analyzed were member perceptions of group's achievement of formal, and member objectives, participation in different group activities, realization of benefits, group transparency, and, internal accountability. Despite the hierarchical, social context, distribution of benefits was not biased toward any social, or economic group. However, women played almost no role in group affairs - regardless of their caste or class. In all three cases, members knew very little about group governance, and, regardless of awareness, accountability mechanisms were rarely - if ever - applied. The note emphasizes that low transparency can destroy a group's ability to promote cooperation, and collective action, while project designers, and implementers need to better understand member objectives, be more pragmatic with expectations of local organizations, and functions, and, be more realistic about accomplishments given the resource management available vs. required. 2012-08-13T14:48:12Z 2012-08-13T14:48:12Z 2002-07 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2002/07/2013072/community-user-groups-vehicles-collective-action-or-personal-gain http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11340 English PREM Notes; No. 72 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Brief Publications & Research South Asia India
institution Banco Mundial
collection DSpace
country Estados Unidos
countrycode US
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tag biblioteca
region America del Norte
libraryname Biblioteca del Banco Mundial
language English
topic ACHIEVEMENT
COLLECTIVE ACTION
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
CORRUPTION
DECISIONMAKING
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
GROUP ACTIVITIES
INCOME
INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATURAL RESOURCES
PLAYING
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
POVERTY REDUCTION
PROJECT DESIGN
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
STAKEHOLDERS
TRANSPARENCY
USER GROUPS
USER PARTICIPATION
VILLAGE USER GROUPS
COMMUNITY-BASED METHOD
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
EVALUATION OF PROJECTS
GROUP BEHAVIOR
GROUP DECISION-MAKING
PARTICIPATORY METHODS
SOCIAL CLASSES
CASTE
SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS
GENDER BIAS
GOVERNANCE CAPACITY
COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
PROJECT DESIGN
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
ACHIEVEMENT
COLLECTIVE ACTION
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
CORRUPTION
DECISIONMAKING
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
GROUP ACTIVITIES
INCOME
INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATURAL RESOURCES
PLAYING
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
POVERTY REDUCTION
PROJECT DESIGN
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
STAKEHOLDERS
TRANSPARENCY
USER GROUPS
USER PARTICIPATION
VILLAGE USER GROUPS
COMMUNITY-BASED METHOD
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
EVALUATION OF PROJECTS
GROUP BEHAVIOR
GROUP DECISION-MAKING
PARTICIPATORY METHODS
SOCIAL CLASSES
CASTE
SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS
GENDER BIAS
GOVERNANCE CAPACITY
COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
PROJECT DESIGN
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
spellingShingle ACHIEVEMENT
COLLECTIVE ACTION
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
CORRUPTION
DECISIONMAKING
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
GROUP ACTIVITIES
INCOME
INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATURAL RESOURCES
PLAYING
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
POVERTY REDUCTION
PROJECT DESIGN
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
STAKEHOLDERS
TRANSPARENCY
USER GROUPS
USER PARTICIPATION
VILLAGE USER GROUPS
COMMUNITY-BASED METHOD
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
EVALUATION OF PROJECTS
GROUP BEHAVIOR
GROUP DECISION-MAKING
PARTICIPATORY METHODS
SOCIAL CLASSES
CASTE
SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS
GENDER BIAS
GOVERNANCE CAPACITY
COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
PROJECT DESIGN
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
ACHIEVEMENT
COLLECTIVE ACTION
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
CORRUPTION
DECISIONMAKING
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
GROUP ACTIVITIES
INCOME
INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATURAL RESOURCES
PLAYING
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
POVERTY REDUCTION
PROJECT DESIGN
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
STAKEHOLDERS
TRANSPARENCY
USER GROUPS
USER PARTICIPATION
VILLAGE USER GROUPS
COMMUNITY-BASED METHOD
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
EVALUATION OF PROJECTS
GROUP BEHAVIOR
GROUP DECISION-MAKING
PARTICIPATORY METHODS
SOCIAL CLASSES
CASTE
SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS
GENDER BIAS
GOVERNANCE CAPACITY
COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
PROJECT DESIGN
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Aslop, Ruth
Forusz, Samantha
Community User Groups : Vehicles for Collective Action - or Personal Gain?
description A study of three user groups in India suggests that such groups rarely perform as expected. The note is based on such study, which comprised the performance of 100 community user groups, involved in the collective management of natural resources in three Bank-supported projects in the country. Two aspects of performance were evaluated: groups achievement, and group functioning. Among the issues analyzed were member perceptions of group's achievement of formal, and member objectives, participation in different group activities, realization of benefits, group transparency, and, internal accountability. Despite the hierarchical, social context, distribution of benefits was not biased toward any social, or economic group. However, women played almost no role in group affairs - regardless of their caste or class. In all three cases, members knew very little about group governance, and, regardless of awareness, accountability mechanisms were rarely - if ever - applied. The note emphasizes that low transparency can destroy a group's ability to promote cooperation, and collective action, while project designers, and implementers need to better understand member objectives, be more pragmatic with expectations of local organizations, and functions, and, be more realistic about accomplishments given the resource management available vs. required.
format Publications & Research :: Brief
topic_facet ACHIEVEMENT
COLLECTIVE ACTION
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
CORRUPTION
DECISIONMAKING
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
GROUP ACTIVITIES
INCOME
INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATURAL RESOURCES
PLAYING
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
POVERTY REDUCTION
PROJECT DESIGN
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
STAKEHOLDERS
TRANSPARENCY
USER GROUPS
USER PARTICIPATION
VILLAGE USER GROUPS
COMMUNITY-BASED METHOD
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
EVALUATION OF PROJECTS
GROUP BEHAVIOR
GROUP DECISION-MAKING
PARTICIPATORY METHODS
SOCIAL CLASSES
CASTE
SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS
GENDER BIAS
GOVERNANCE CAPACITY
COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
PROJECT DESIGN
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
author Aslop, Ruth
Forusz, Samantha
author_facet Aslop, Ruth
Forusz, Samantha
author_sort Aslop, Ruth
title Community User Groups : Vehicles for Collective Action - or Personal Gain?
title_short Community User Groups : Vehicles for Collective Action - or Personal Gain?
title_full Community User Groups : Vehicles for Collective Action - or Personal Gain?
title_fullStr Community User Groups : Vehicles for Collective Action - or Personal Gain?
title_full_unstemmed Community User Groups : Vehicles for Collective Action - or Personal Gain?
title_sort community user groups : vehicles for collective action - or personal gain?
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2002-07
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2002/07/2013072/community-user-groups-vehicles-collective-action-or-personal-gain
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11340
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