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  5. Community-driven development: does it build social cohesion or infrastru...
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Working papers
WP30

Community-driven development: does it build social cohesion or infrastructure? A mixed-method evidence synthesis

3ie Working Paper 30

Howard White, Radhika Menon and Hugh Waddington

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In community-driven development (CDD) programmes, community members are in charge of identifying, implementing and maintaining externally funded development projects. CDD programmes have been implemented in low- and middle-income countries to fund the building or rehabilitation of schools, water supply and sanitation systems, health facilities, roads, and other kinds of public infrastructure. They have also been used to finance private cash transfers to individual households.

3ie carried out a synthesis study to assess how CDD programmes have evolved over the years and what their impact has been. The authors synthesised evidence from 25 impact evaluations, covering 23 programmes in 21 low- and middle-income countries. They also drew on process evaluations and qualitative research to examine the factors influencing success and failure.

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Main findings

The impact of CDD programmes

CDD programmes improve facilities for education, health and water. Investments in water-related infrastructure have reduced the time required for collecting water. These programmes slightly improve health- and water-related outcomes, but not education outcomes.

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The impact of CDD programmes

Community participation in CDD programmes

The entire community does not participate in all aspects of project management and implementation. There is a clear funnel of attrition. Many people may be aware of the programme and the community meeting, but few attend the meeting and fewer still speak or participate in decision-making. Women are only half as likely as men to be aware of CDD programmes, even less likely to attend the community meetings and even less likely still to speak at them. Evidence suggests people may have participated in making bricks, not decisions.

Community participation in CDD programmes

CDD programmes may be using existing social cohesion rather than building it. Numerous factors may affect community involvement, such as the role played by the elite or prime movers in the community, intra-community divisions and the perceived benefits of participation.

Participation of marginalised people

Although CDD programmes have included measures to improve the participation of marginalised people, there is no evidence regarding the impact of such measures. There is also no information about how programme implementers facilitated the participation of different ethnic and religious groups living in a community.

Gendered cultural norms and socioeconomic factors can negatively influence women’s participation in the public sphere. Where female participation is a target, not a requirement, women’s participation usually falls short.

Not many studies have carried out sex-disaggregated analysis of participation. Fewer still have assessed whether CDD programmes have empowered women to take a more active role in the public sphere, beyond the scope of the programme.

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Impact of a COVID-19 emergency liquidity support package on bank performance and lending: a controlled interrupted time series (CITS) analysis

Impact of a COVID-19 emergency liquidity support package on bank performance and lending: a controlled interrupted time series (CITS) analysis

Working paper 3ie 2025  
The authors of this study evaluate the impact of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) Solidarity Package, which was a COVID-19 emergency liquidity support package.

Key learnings from one-year pilot studies under Swashakt

Key learnings from one-year pilot studies under Swashakt

Working paper 3ie 2024  
The authors of this working paper synthesize learnings from the five pilot projects that were implemented in the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

The enablers and barriers to rural women’s participation in management training programs

The enablers and barriers to rural women’s participation in management training programs

Working paper 3ie 2024  
The authors of this paper provide insights into some of the enablers and barriers to women’s participation in a micro-MBA program that seeks to cultivate competencies and encourage leadership capabilities among women weavers to initiate or manage their microenterprises.

Setting up women’s collective enterprises in rural India: Learnings from 3ie’s Swashakt program

Setting up women’s collective enterprises in rural India: Learnings from 3ie’s Swashakt program

Working paper 3ie 2024  
The authors of this paper synthesise findings from four process evaluations of programs that support collective and group-based models for women-led businesses in India.

The effects of food systems interventions on women’s empowerment: a rapid evidence assessment

The effects of food systems interventions on women’s empowerment: a rapid evidence assessment

Working paper 3ie 2024  
The authors of this report summarize the available evidence on the effects of food systems interventions on women’s empowerment through a rapid evidence assessment. This report was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit’s (GIZ’s) Knowledge for Nutrition Program.

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  • DOI : 10.23846/WP0030

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