Rural development management in Nepal,Part I: Coordination in the Rasuwa-Nuwakot Integrated Rural Development Programme

Rural development management in Nepal has been criticized for more than a decade now on the grounds of the country's weak aid-absorbing capacity, administrative slowness and poor project management. Though several reforms of the rural development planning and management systems have been staged, at present coordination in integrated rural development projects remains weak. The paper reports on the empirical findings of research on mechanisms, procedures, organizational arrangements and problems of coordination. Although the country's environment, and its socioeconomic and cultural constraints, may negatively influence smooth operations in implementing integrated programmes, several policy considerations for improvement may be formulated. Among these, organizational reform with decentralization and reduction of the number of offices involved, strengthening the resource management system, especially budget release and personnel motivation, and a more integrated method of policy, programme and project formulation are the issues considered most important by the government officers themselves. Part II will appear in vol. 7, no. 3 of this journal, and examines the implementation and management of rural development in the Karnali and Bheri districts of the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal.     

Decentralization of road administration: case studies in Africa and Asia

A study of decentralization of road administration in developing countries has been undertaken, including a literature review, and field studies in Nepal, Uganda and Zambia. The findings are reported under the headings of: constitutions and governance; policy and planning; financial and fiscal aspects; institutions, management and human resources; operations; and contribution to poverty alleviation. Decentralization of road administration has potential for improving the delivery of rural transport infrastructure services. But the evidence from this study suggests that it is proving difficult to realize fully the expected benefits. Problems include: lack of local government powers to exercise political influence; insufficient financial resources; lack of management capability; and a lack of accountability mechanisms. Limited data also suggest that there is little evidence of existing decentralized systems being particularly responsive to addressing the needs of the rural poor. There is a need for the poor to be involved more actively in the planning, financing and implementation process. Different models for administrative decentralization are described and recommendations are made for approaches likely to be the most appropriate for rural transport infrastructure administration and management. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Local management of aid-funded projects

Local management means giving responsibility for the implementation and management of development projects to people and institutions in the recipient country. The main arguments for local management are that it offers the potential to increase the responsibility and accountability of national institutions and should help to build a cadre of experienced local project managers. These are all important contributions to sustainable development. There are, however, some constraints on the effectiveness of local management, including the limited supply of good managers and the difficulty of ensuring adherence by those implementing projects to donors' procedures and regulations. The role of donor agencies under local management is yet to be clearly defined. Donor agencies will face difficult professional judgments on whether, when and how to intervene where projects are not being competently managed by national institutions.     

农村土地流转政策的执行偏差——对小岗村的实证分析

农村土地承包经营权的流转是完善我国农村工作非常重大的现实问题,但政策执行过程中容易产生偏差。有哪些偏差,其原因何在?街道层官僚理论为分析中国农村土地承包经营权流转的政策执行提供了一个全新的理论视角。以中国改革第一村——小岗村为研究对象,以街道层官僚理论为视角,通过对小岗村的农村土地流转政策执行情况及偏差原因进行实证分析。研究发现,处于公共政策执行末梢环节的街道层官僚在资源稀缺和公共服务弹性需求的夹缝之中,因其特殊的身份、地位和工作性质而持有相当大的政策制定能力,导致公共利益权威分配过程中产生偏差;分析了形成该问题的三个具体原因,对提高我国农村土地流转政策执行的质量具有一定的借鉴意义。     

从城乡关系演进规律看农村社区管理城市化的必要性

党的十六大提出的"全面建设小康社会"和"城乡统筹"不是孤立的,而是相互联系在一起的.建设全面小康社会的重点在农村,关键要克服我国二元社会结构所造成的城乡管理体制严重脱节的问题,即实行城乡统筹.结合国际发展经验,本文认为,只有通过农村社区基础设施建设标准和管理机制的城市化,才能将城乡统筹的发展思想落到实处,才能有效建设全面小康社会.     

中国乡村公共治理研究报告（1998-2008）——以CSSCI检索论文与主要著作为研究对象

长时间的"城乡分治,一国两策"使得城市和乡村成为中国公共治理及其学术研究的两个必然横截面。城市和乡村成为中国地方治理与公共管理实践的两个不同范本,但乡村治理远比城市社区治理多样而复杂,因而乡村治理的研究也更富有吸引力和挑战性。在分析乡村公共治理研究的学术演进的基础上,以1998至2008年间的CSSCI检索论文与主要论著为研究对象,多学科揭示乡村治理研究的基本论域、主要内容与发展趋势,从而展现十年来中国乡村公共治理研究的思维场域与学术景观。乡土中国的"学术井喷"成了最近十年来中国的学界盛景,反映出国家政策变迁过程中的学术张力以及问题意识、底层关怀和公共精神的弘扬,同时亦隐喻着地方治理中"乡村问题"的持续性逻辑。在新农村建设的政策语境下,中国乡村公共治理研究的学术盘点、理论推进与实践指导值得进一步诠释和深入。     

Coordination between government and voluntary organizations (NGOs) in Thailand's rural development

This paper investigates the coordination between government organizations and nongovernmental, voluntary organizations in Thailand. The contributions, the nature and the cooperation mechanisms of development NGOs are considered on the basis of field data collected from local government and NGO officers working in rural development. Based on theoretical considerations, an overview of coordination is developed within the framework of development in the country. The problems of coordination boil down to a fundamental mistrust of the NGOs’ style of operation in spite of the personal relationships that are often the only basis for coordination attempts. While decentralization efforts will improve the situation, a more direct policy, as well as plan formulation and implementation management efforts, will be needed to arrive at a mutually reinforced effort in rural development.     

新时代农村基层党组织推进乡风文明建设的逻辑理路

乡风文明建设,不仅关乎农村社会稳定发展,还是新时代实施乡村振兴战略的精神保障。农村基层党组织是党在农村全部工作的基础,新时代农村基层党组织推进乡风文明建设具有一以贯之的内在逻辑。在新时代的历史方位中,农村社会进入全面转型期,这不仅给农村基层党组织推进乡风文明建设带来了诸多机遇,还使其面临农村集体经济式微、农村基层党组织公信力减弱、农村文化发展失魂、部分农民不良陋习与"等靠要"贫困心理滋生等现实挑战。有鉴于此,巩固、扩大乡风文明建设已有成果,需要农村基层党组织以发展壮大农村集体经济为主要抓手、以获取农民对农村基层党组织的信任为突破点、以传承发展农村优秀传统文化为核心、以移风易俗实践活动为主要治理手段、把消除贫困农民精神贫困作为重要内容,积极探索乡风文明建设的新路径。     

Road to Zambales: Impressions of barrio immersion as a training and development technique in the Philippines

The wide range of management training programmes for public servants in the Philippines is closely integrated into career development plans and involves practical work by trainees at village level. Trainees are required to reside in a village for varying periods of time to familiarize themselves with life among the rural poor. The aim is to train local people in self-reliant project management as well as to train civil servants in rural development. Close relations with villagers provides an invaluable experience for city-based officials. However, little effort is made to identify the needs of the rural poor. Client groups are selected at meetings dominated by local officials. Officials tend to be “hosted” by relatively wealthy families. Linkages with government agencies at the local level are not made and there is little organizational development among the rural poor to ensure the continuation of projects after the withdrawal of trainees. Nevertheless, the “barangay immersion” approach to management training for rural development has considerable potential.     

Brigalow bondage: Rural women and the arts

‘The arts’ is a field of activity and power which has traditionally been associated with ‘great men'; women have typically been represented as having only tenuous links with the field. However, in regional and rural areas, women are by far the major arts participants, organisers and educators, and tend to operate not as individuals, but as members of arts groups. Possibly as a corollary, while arts in rural areas recruits substantial community participation, the activity apparently receives little media coverage or support from governments or corporations, relative to other recreational activities.

In this paper I will discuss ‘the arts’ as a social practice, with its own internal rules and logic, and explore the social location of arts beyond the metropolis. To this end I will outline the results of my research to date in the field of arts in Central Queensland, drawing on policy statements and on interviews with (mainly women) rural art practitioners. The paper examines whether the logic of the field of arts changes when it is moved from the city to the bush, and discusses to what extent this can be attributed to the social position of women in rural communities. It attempts to engage with social relations in regional Queensland, and the incommensurability of the public and private spheres. That is, women arts practitioners are actively engaged in a public activity—dealing with funding, public relations and policy implementation—yet are perceived (and, typically, perceive themselves) to be operating largely within the private sphere. This suggests that modes of representation have greater material effects than empirical ‘realities’.     

Management and change in northern Nigerian local government

This paper looks at some recent changes introduced by the Federal Government of Nigeria which seek a return to civilian rule in a stable polity. A first step in this policy has been completed with the election of chairmen and councillors at the local government level. The stated purpose of this initiative is to encourage ‘grass roots democracy’, which is expected to mobilize local action for urban and rural development. It is envisaged that local politicians and local administration will work together to this end. The paper concentrates on the consequences of the policy for the management of local government in Northern Nigeria, in which the predominant need is for rural development. The resource and management issues that arise for local government from the introduction of this polity are discussed under the following headings: finance, material resources, human resources and political relationships. The measures adopted appear radical, but have not led to a situation in which local government can easily predict what resources will be available to it. The question that is addressed is how, in an uncertain environment, local governments might use the powers and resources that are within their control to facilitate rural development in the Northern States. Suggestions are made as to what a management agenda should be and how this might be achieved through appropriate management systems and improved training.     

Impacts of China's Rural Land Policy and Administration on Rural Economy and Grain Production

The distinctive changes in China's rural land policy and administration have exerted significant impacts on China's rural socioeconomic development and grain production, either positively or negatively. This article reviews the changes of China's rural land policy and administration in the recent 5 decades. After the land reform accomplished in 1952 and the people's commune system implemented during 1952–1978, China adopted a house responsibility system, which was proven to be effective for increasing grain output and peasants’ income. Yet, it preserved the urban–rural dichotomous economy, formed in the people's commune era, which placed agriculture in a secondary position. The low efficiency in agricultural production and the small‐scale household management, under the current rural land policy and administration, stimulated the transfers of agricultural laborers to the nonagricultural sectors and cultivated land to urban land. Grain production and cultivated land protection in China are conducted most times under the political mandates rather than the economic guidance. Although the previous rural land policies and the strict residence registration helped China to avoid problems prevailing in prime cities of other developing countries, compulsorily asking peasants to grow more grain and to stay in their native land resulted in outstanding social injustice, vulnerable grain production systems, and poverty in rural areas. There are also outstanding conflicts among the interests of central government, local governments, collectives, and peasant households. More flexible rural land policies and more strict cultivated land administrations could be solutions for improving the profitability of grain production and protecting the rapidly declining cultivated land. Compensations for the low profitability in grain production are also needed to encourage an increase in grain output and rural economy.     

Australian Rural Local Governments and Environmental Sustainability: An Evaluation of Progress

Local government is often characterised as being well-placed to enact a successful agenda for environmental sustainability because of its closeness to both people and the environment. The purpose of this article is to examine the extent to which this assumption is correct in terms of local government environmental policies and programs in rural Australia. Using case studies with eight local government authorities in Queensland and New South Wales, the article documents three different positions on a continuum of environmental engagement. These are 'disengaged', 'moving towards engagement' and 'engaged'. The article concludes by arguing that the resource constraints facing rural local councils limit their capacity to engage with environmental management.     

Explaining Levels of Local Government Involvement in Service Delivery: The Dynamics of Cross‐Sector Partnerships in Malawi

This study explores how local governments and their development partners—that is, donors, non‐governmental organisations and private companies—structure their partnerships as they work together to provide services to communities. Cases of collaboration between four organisations working in the rural water supply sector and six local governments in Malawi are studied. Using a cross‐case qualitative methodology, we illustrate how power and control translate into practices, leading to different levels of local government involvement in service delivery. This study contributes to the literature on cross‐sector partnerships in particular by developing empirically‐based propositions that help explain the dynamic trajectories that partnerships between local governments and their development partners can take. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrated rural development in Tanzania

Tanzania did not have the kind of agricultural policies, popular participation, or government bureaucratic capacity necessary for integrated rural development projects to perform well. Nonetheless the World Bank, EEC, and United States each implemented such projects there during the 1970s. The implementation and achievements of the projects varied considerably due to differences in their design as well as decisions made by the implementation teams. However the experiences of all three projects demonstrate two things: no agricultural development project can adapt to producer price disincentives; and both participation and project management require a ‘critical minimum’ level of finance and resources which the Tanzanian bureaucracy does not have. The latter observation raises the question of whether donors should attempt to build management capacity in fourth world bureaucracies or, as Goran Hyden suggests, avoid the government and work through other institutions and local organizations.     

Rural Community Responses to a National Mandate: An Assessment of Floodplain Land-Use Management

Rural governments face a difficult task in complying with theNational Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which requires detailedplanning, land use ordinances, and effective enforcement provisionsto reduce flood losses. This study analyzes responses from anational sample of officials in 852 nonmetropolitan NFIP communitiesand flood management officials in all fifty state governments.Rural officials perceive their overall floodplain managementprograms to be relatively effective in protecting future developmentbut less effective in protecting existing structures. Whileflood hazard mitigation is not a high priority in rural government,the national program appears to have spurred local activity.State assistance in developing local regulations and providinginformation is correlated with rural officials' perceptionsof meeting NFIP goals. Programs rated most effective are incommunities with local regulations in force, although technicalproblems and local political opposition are widely acknowledgedas obstacles to the development of land use measures.     

Performance of the new rural development management system in thailand: A view from the korat development pilot project

Development management in national rural development has been the subject of much discussion as old-style integrated rural development planning met with increasing criticism. The Royal Government of Thailand is currently attempting to arrive at comprehensive reform of the development management system within the framework of implementation of its national five-year plans. This article highlights the reforms and the analysis of past failures. It introduces the new management organization and some procedural highlights. A first experiment with the new system which is currently being carried out in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima is documented, and the opinion of government officials on its performance is reported. The overall reaction is positive: the system does provide a more coordinated implementation. Two bottlenecks remain, however: project monitoring and evaluation should be strengthened; and additional technical training in development planning is needed.     

Governing development: neoliberalism,microcredit, and rational economic woman

This paper addresses the emergence of microcredit programmes as a preferred strategy for poverty alleviation world-wide. Taking the paradigmatic case of Nepal, it engages a genealogical approach to trace how Nepalese planners' enduring concerns about rural development intersect in surprising (and gendered) ways with donors' present focus on deepening financial markets. In the resulting microcredit model, the onus for rural lending is devolved from commercial banks to subsidized 'rural development banks' and women borrowers become the target of an aggressive 'selfhelp' approach to development. As a governmental strategy, microcredit thus constitutes social citizenship and women's needs in a manner consistent with neoliberalism. Drawing on ethnographic research, the paper also considers the progressive and regressive possibilities in the articulation of such constructed subjectivities with local cultural ideologies and social processes. Such an investigation can in turn provide a foundation for articulating a more normative agenda for development studies – grounded in the perspectives of those in subordinate social locations.     

Risk,insurance and small farm credit in developing countries: A policy proposal

Lending to small farmers is often too risky for commercial banks; consequently extremely high interest rates have to be paid. Agricultural development banks go some way towards solving the problem. However, default rates tend to be high, so that credit has to be subsidized by government grants or overseas aid. One cause of the problem is that loans lack proper security. Risks are increased by uncertainties of weather, disease and produce prices. The paper proposes a system of compulsory insurance of crops and livestock. The risks and associated costs are quantified for one particular case: the Small Farmer Development Programme administered by the Agricultural Development Bank of Nepal. The scheme is assumed to run on a no-profit, no-loss basis. The data suggest that the cost of insurance premiums, when added to Bank interest rates, would still leave the Bank competitive as a source of rural credit. The practical problems of implementation are considered and deemed surmountable by reinsurance and graduated premiums.     

农业农村优先发展的资源配置逻辑与保障机制

农业农村优先发展是实施乡村振兴战略,加快推进农业农村现代化的根本保障。本文结合当前我国农业农村发展面临的现实矛盾和困境,深入阐述了农业农村优先发展的资源配置逻辑,提出了进一步推进户籍制度改革,加快劳动力非农转移、农民市民化进程;推动农村土地制度改革,促进农地流转及适度规模经营,提高农业劳动生产率;推动农村集体产权制度改革,适应城市资本下乡与农民财产性增收的现实需求;推进农村基本经营制度改革,促进农业社会化服务市场发育,构建小农户与现代农业产业经营的有效衔接机制等优先发展的实践路径和保障机制。