The Feasibility of “Bottom Up” Development Initiatives

 

Introduction

 

Bottom-Up Development aims for the mobilisation of an area’s natural and human resources, in order to satisfy the needs of the inhabitants of that area, with decisions being made at the lowest possible level at all times.

 

Top-Down Development

 

• Broadly stems from neo-classical economics.
• Reaction to balanced growth theories and advocates “growth poles” as an alternative.
• Trickle-down effects from growth centres.
• Backwash effects shouldn’t outweigh trickle-down effects.
• Removal of socio-cultural and institutional barriers to trickle-down effects.
• Subordination of cultural and societal values to economic ones.
• Doesn’t take into account diversity of value-systems.
• Imposes uniform, unconsultative notion of development.

 

Summary: Top-Down Development strategies place stress upon a few dynamic sectoral clusters and upon urban-industrial growth as the key to more generalised rural development.

 

Bottom-Up Development

 

·        Alternative strategies need to emerge from and be adapted to the requirements of different cultural areas.

Þ  Bottom-Up Development needs to be closely related to specific socio-cultural, historical and institutional conditions of the country and region concerned.

·        Basic objective is full development of a region’s natural resources and human skills.

 

·        Five of Stöhr’s eleven components for large scale Bottom-Up Development as a paradigm:

1.      The provision of broad access to land and other territorially available natural resources.

2.      The introduction of new or revival of old territorially organised structures for equitable communal decision-making.

3.      Granting a higher degree of self-determination to rural and other peripheral elements.

4.      Choice of regionally adequate technology.

5.      Assignment of priority to projects which serve the satisfaction of basic needs, i.e. food, shelter, etc.

 

·        Bottom-Up Development as an ideology rather than a policy.

Þ A way of looking at development.

 

Feasibility of Bottom-Up Development

 

• Feasibility meaning prospects of success.

ÞHow do we measure success?

• Does Bottom-Up Development have to replace Top-Down Development as the dominant paradigm to be successful?

Þ Entrenched position of Top-Down approach and initial obstacles to implementing large scale Bottom-Up Development make this unlikely.

• Bottom-Up Development can still be successful on a smaller scale through individual initiatives i.e. Grameen Bank.
• Dangers Bottom-Up Development initiatives have to aware of.

Þ Re-enforcing elites.

Þ Imposing Western morality.

• Utilisation of both approaches in tandem.

Þ Wu’s example of rural China.

• Ultimately, only communities in question can decide the success and hence feasibility of such initiatives.