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Who Takes a Seat at the Pro-Poor Table?: Civil Society Participation in the Honduran Poverty Reduction Strategy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2022

Sara Dewachter  and
Nadia Molenaers
Sara Dewachter
Affiliation:
University of Antwerp
Nadia Molenaers
Affiliation:
University of Antwerp
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Abstract

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Although much has been written on civil society participation in the formulation and monitoring of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), very little systematic and scientific evidence exists on the kind of organizations that participate and the elements that explain their involvement in these processes. This article considers one country case, Honduras, for which survey data were gathered from 101 civil society organizations (CSOs) in 2006. This study examines the characteristics these organizations display which explain (non)participation in the next participatory round of the PRSPs. The findings challenge some of the by now widely accepted ideas relating to the kinds of organizations involved in PRSP processes. The idea that predominantly urban-based, highly professional, well-funded, donor-bred-and-fed nongovernmental organizations participate is too blunt. The Honduran case shows that the players in participative processes are more diversified than much of the current literature on PRSPs suggests.

Resumen

Resumen

Aunque se ha escrito mucho sobre la participación de la sociedad civil en la formulación y el seguimiento de Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP), hay muy poca evidencia sistemática y científica sobre el tipo de organizaciones que participan y los elementos que explican su participación en estos procesos. En este trabajo se considera un caso de país, Honduras, donde se juntaron datos de la encuesta de 101 organizaciones de la sociedad civil en 2006. Este estudio examina las características que estas organizaciones demuestran que explican (no) participación en la próxima ronda de participación de PRSP. Los resultados sugieren que algunas de las ideas ya ampliamente aceptadas con respecto al tipo de organizaciones que participan en los procesos de PRSP son equivocadas. La idea de que las organizaciones no gubernamentales que son de base predominantemente urbana, muy profesional, bien financiadas, criadas y alimentadas por donantes, es demasiado embotada. El caso de Honduras muestra que los actores en los procesos participativos son más diversificados que lo que la mayoría de la literatura actual sobre PRSP sugiere.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Research Review , Volume 46 , Issue 3 , 2011 , pp. 112 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by the Latin American Studies Association

Footnotes

The authors would like to thank Bart Kerremans, Robrecht Renard, and Nathalie Holvoet for their valuable comments, and the three anonymous LARR reviewers for their constructive critiques.

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