Discusses the increased interest in community development and the support for community-development training. Describes community-development training aimed at practitioners in the professional sector and at public servants in the bureaucratic sector. (JOW)

The author presents an account of participatory research and argues for its relevance and development in Europe. He includes two illustrations showing that the knowledge that people themselves produce opposes abstract theories about them. The author concludes that the two main types of participatory research are those of professional intervention…

The application of adult education principles to community development is only possible under certain conditions relating to power relationships, institutional structures, community dynamics, and the role of the community organizer. (JOW)

The author states that there are inherent contradictions and assumptions in community development (CD) theory and practice. Contradictions spring from a tendency to apply CD on an inappropriate level and for incorrect purposes. Assumptions spring from CD's Western cultural origins. (CH)

Argues that community development is an appropriate arena for using participatory research techniques, since community development depends strongly on citizen involvement. Features a case study of use of the participatory research technique in a project aimed at attacking rural poverty in Nigeria. (CH)

An instrumental/technocratic approach to evaluation of social development relies on primarily quantitative methods. An interpretive approach resists claims to legitimacy and authority of "experts" and questions existing interpretations. The latter approach is characterized by cultural relativism and subjectivity. (SK)

Contrasts activities and organizational structures of two Canadian community development initiatives: the Antigonish Movement and the Family of Cape Breton community development corporations. Finds ideological differences in the view of property and profit, governance and accountability, and role of education. Concludes that Antigonish is more…

Describes a recent community education pilot scheme organized by Islington Adult Education Institute in North London. Also discusses the process of learning in adults, economic factors affecting a neighborhood, criticisms of community work, the "process" view of learning, and the challenge for adult educators. (CT)

An information-based rather than a knowledge-based approach to evaluation of social development programs has two advantages: (1) relative objectivity and (2) equity. Increasingly equitable flows of information are one indicator of social development. (SK)

This paper describes an education project to train religious leaders in Cleveland's inner city to become community advocates and change agents. Includes results of a followup survey of participants indicating how their acquired skills are benefitting the community. (SK)

Outlines the participatory self-evaluation methods of the People's Participation Programme of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. Benefits, six steps for introducing the method, and problems of language, comparability of numbers, and objectivity are described. (SK)

Examines the relationship between adult education and community development by means of a comparison of the SA (social action) and CD (community development) programs. Some general observations concerning the links between adult education and development in the west of Ireland are advanced. Also presents an overview of the curricula of the SA and…

The case study examines the work of a coalition between certain women's groups in India and a nongovernmental charitable trust. The mission of the coalition is to empower Indian women, who generally possess neither land nor power, to care for their livestock. (CH)

Discusses the major breakthrough in the provision of adult education for working class communities which has taken place in the Liverpool (England) Educational Priority Area during the past two years. (Author)

In Ecuador, field workers are trained in community organizing and hygiene education methods to promote maintenance of water and sanitation systems. Workshops based on a community development approach teach workers how to gain entry into communities, collect and analyze information, and develop community education programs. (SK)