Summarizes the chapters of this theme issue on youth participatory evaluation. The overarching theme from this collection is the shift from a focus on youth as defective to a view of youth as assets in community development. (SLD)

Relates three classical theories (structural functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism) to fundamental concerns of community development (structure, power, and shared meaning). Links these theories to Giddens' structuration theory, which connects macro and micro structures and community influence on change through cultural norms.…

During the past 25 years, when Northern Ireland has been a divided society in which structures and processes have broken down, the country has witnessed tremendous growth in community growth in both Catholic and Protestant communities. The Ulster People's College combats social deprivation and exclusion through community development and education.…

Women in Nigeria are often treated as second-class citizens and relegated to the background. Many women are denied education and are subjected to difficult conditions because of sex discrimination, cultural bias, early marriage, and religious beliefs and practices. (Author/JOW)

Both community development and sustainable livelihood approaches ignore value contestations that underlie people's interests and experiences. A case from Bolivia demonstrates that local values, social relations, actions, and language strategies must underlie policy and method in development. (Contains 28 references.) (SK)

Discusses the elements useful for developing a conceptual framework for social change efforts: the characteristics of the social problem, the target unit, the nature and intensity of purposes for change, and the appropriate change methods. (Author/JOW)

Rural reflation is a term for a small-scale socioeconomic approach to building livable economics in both depressed rural communities and rapid growth areas. With public participation, informed leadership, and organizational entrepreneurship, leaders can help citizens develop their community's niche in the world economy. (Author)

Discusses a study of burnout among 25 community development practitioners. Indicates that those experiencing more severe forms of burnout were employed in grassroots staff positions. (JOW)

The authors describe their experiences working with a community organization to get their landlords to make needed repairs on their rental units. (JOW)

Compares the communication strategies of small communities having successful industry recruitment programs with small communities having unsuccessful recruitment programs. Finds that the existence of a marketing program positively relates to recruitment success, and that direct mail with brochures and personal contact were the most common…

An international expert group met in February 1988 to focus on "Strategies for the Participation of the Elderly in Development." The group agreed that the elderly are an overlooked but significant national resource. Strategies to make better use of this resource for economic development were created. (CH)

Participatory education conducted by a women's organization in a low-income area raised these issues: to serve marginalized persons, the organization must counteract external power relations; it should focus on empowerment for self-confidence and for self-sufficiency; and it should advocate for the needs of single mothers who constitute much of…

Critically examines community development assumptions through historical analysis and mapping of political discourse. Using the methods of Foucault, Said, and Gramsci, demonstrates how participatory research, concerned with releasing people's knowledge through transformation, can expose and resist dominant discourses. (SK)

Deadwood, South Dakota, and Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek, Colorado, legalized gambling; in South Dakota, most earnings are earmarked for historic preservation, but in Colorado, they go into the general fund. Success in job creation, investment, and tourism has been accompanied by increased social problems. (SK)

Highlander Research and Education Center, begun in 1932 by Myles Horton as Highlander Folk School, continues to provide adult education for empowerment and social change. Once active in labor organization and civil rights movements, the school now focuses on interrelated issues of economic development and environmental crisis in Appalachia. (SV)