Power and Participation in Development Communication Essay -- Internat

The aim of development is not clean roads, skyscrapers and a well built transport infrastructure. Development requires the removal of major sources of unfreedom: poverty as well as tyranny, poor economic opportunities as well as systematic social deprivation, neglect of public facilities as well as intolerance or over activity of repressive states. (Sen, 1999) And in this process communication plays a pivotal role. A strong tool, if utilized effectively it can mobilize masses and increase awareness thus empowering the poor and the weakest of the society. Development and communication are inextricably linked. Thus, the concept of development communication is not alien to us. Development communication, as the World Bank effectively defines is the ‘Integration of strategic communication in development projects’. However, communication for long has been top-down or in other words linear with no participatory elements, which has led to the failure of many development initia tives. Numerous issues such as who and how are the concerns of the marginalized populations voiced, how are the policy frameworks developed and who is involved in the decision making process began to be highlighted. Beneath these concerns lies the most important and crucial aspect of development communication i.e. Participation. Though technologies possess the potential to improve the lives of many people by giving them a voice, participation becomes a must as it facilitates dialogical communication. This sort of open and free communication is necessary as it allows identification of problems easily and through the experience and knowledge of both the parties in dialogue, solutions are often found. Participation is defined by some stakeholders as ‘mobilization ... ...nd organizations realize the importance of involvement of the communities towards which they are working for and encourage them to be self-reliant and benefit themselves. Works Cited Sen, A (1999). Development as Freedom. New York : Oxford University Press Tufte, T and Mefalopulos, P (2009). Participatory Communication: A Practical Guide. Washington D.C. : World Bank Arnstein, S. (1969) A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Planning Association, 35 (4), pp. 216-224. Arnstein, S. (1969) A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Planning Association, 35 (4), pp. 216-224. Arnstein, S. (1969) A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Planning Association, 35 (4), pp. 216-224. Tufte, T and Mefalopulos, P (2009). Participatory Communication: A Practical Guide. Washington D.C. : World Bank