The rise and fall of community development in developing countries, 1950-65; a critical analysis and an annotated bibliography
Holdcroft, L.E.
MSU Rural Development Papers, Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University 2: 72
1978
Document Number: 466597
The paper examines the community development movement from a historical perspective in an effort to enhance understanding of that earlier movement and to draw some lessons for contemporary rural development strategies, policies, programmes, and projects. Part 2 analyzes the origins of the community development movement, its ideology and methodology, as well as the reasons for its rapid expansion and the causes for its precipitous decline. Throughout Part 2 particular attention is given to the role of the United States because the movement was dominated by its technicians and financial assistance. However, other bilateral, multilateral, and private philanthropic external donors also subscribed to, and supported, various community development endeavours in the developing world, many providing significant support for community development programmes and projects. Part 3 provides a discussion of some lessons and insights with implications for the current rural development programmes. Part 4 is a selected review of the community development literature and provides some background for Part 2. It is intended to include the most influential and perceptive, as well as representative, publications of that era. Part 4 is somewhat arbitrarily divided into principles, training, country studies, and evaluation, nothing that many of the publications included in the review deal with two or more of the four topical divisions. Part 5 provides a comprehensive bibliography of major community development publications. Also included is a bibliography of bibliographies for those desiring to pursue research in this area.