Organizing and official development assistance in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Contested conceptions of participation

Jones, Michael

Abstract

Participatory approaches to organizing have become standard in development assistance, building on the work of Robert Chambers and rooted in the work of Paulo Fiere on participatory pedagogy. Adopted by organizations ranging from the United Nations to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), participatory approaches to development assistance were adopted as a default approach despite inconsistent implementation and an untested theoretical foundation. Bill Cooke captured a growing critique in the early 2000s suggesting participatory development efforts hold no promise of transformative impacts on equity, representation, agency, or access to economic opportunity, and represent merely a continuation of repressive and exploitative colonial relationships.

While this critique invited an answer, few evidence-based responses are found in literature, especially from the postcolonial perspective, and fewer still would find purchase in the politically and economically constrained conditions characterising most economically poorer countries.

The research presented and analysed in this thesis—based on fifteen-years of experience applying participatory organizing approaches in decidedly un-democratic regimes—is intended to offer a counterpoint, to present an evidence-based argument, rooted in post-structural critique, that participatory approaches to development assistance can have a transformative impact, creating space for marginalized, subaltern communities to engage productively in organizing and development.

The arguments developed herein are centred on the contestation of both knowledge formation and conceptions of organizing authority, recognizing the deep and complex historical foundations of current epistemologies. This thesis presents original empirical material generated through prolonged hands-on, professional involvement in participatory development assistance, primarily in Laos, ad an active participant and invested observer, co-creating knowledge and being part of the contestation of authority.

The research presented answers the fundamental question of whether participatory approaches can be utilised to radically alter conceptions and practice of organizing authority, enhancing access of marginalised communities to economic decision-making and economic opportunity. The thesis is divided into three parts, with the first detailing the postcolonial theoretical position, situating the research in Laos, and explaining development of a participant, quasi auto-ethnographic methodological approach. The second part presents empirical material in three chapters—land tenure and capital, women in organizing, and contested conceptions of organizing authority. The final section summarizes the findings and presents a conclusion in which theoretical space is found for viewing participation as a tool in supporting radical change.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 14, 2024
• Keywords: Participation, Development Assistance, Postcolonial Studies
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/13287045
• Award Date: Jul 1, 2025