{"product_id":"9780228014614-participation-paradox-the","title":"The Participation Paradox","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBetween Bottom-Up and Top-Down Development in South Africa\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe last two decades have ushered in what has become known as a “Participatory Revolution,” with authorities called into communities to listen to ordinary people through “open” forums for engagement. \u003ci\u003eThe Participation Paradox\u003c\/i\u003e argues that amplifying the voices of the poor and dispossessed is often a quick fix incapable of delivering lasting change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe last two decades have ushered in what has become known as a participatory revolution, with consultants, advisors, and non-profits called into communities, classrooms, and corporations alike to listen to ordinary people. With exclusively bureaucratic approaches no longer en vogue, authorities now opt for “open” forums for engagement. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Participation Paradox \u003c\/i\u003eLuke Sinwell argues that amplifying the voices of the poor and dispossessed is often a quick fix incapable of delivering concrete and lasting change. The ideology of public consultation and grassroots democracy can be a smokescreen for a cost-effective means by which to implement top-down decisions. As participation has become mainstreamed by governments around the world, so have its radical roots become tamed by neoliberal forces that reinforce existing relationships of power. Drawing from oral testimonies and ethnographic research, Sinwell presents a case study of one of the poorest and most defiant Black informal settlements in Johannesburg, South Africa – Thembelihle, which consists of more than twenty thousand residents – highlighting the promises and pitfalls of participatory approaches to development.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProviding a critical lens for understanding grassroots democracy, \u003ci\u003eThe Participation Paradox\u003c\/i\u003e foregrounds alternatives capable of reclaiming participation’s emancipatory potential.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41778519736417,"sku":"9780228014614","price":58.4,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_38191146_c8b717a6-0d6f-4d3a-80bd-a52c2f14d4de.jpg?v=1763787400","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780228014614-participation-paradox-the","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}