A RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN STRATEGIC
MANAGEMENT DEGREE
1.1 Background to the study
Stakeholder participation is widely considered a core value in issues of community
development. The significance of participation has been recognized for a long time.
Stakeholder participation is essential for the development and fulfilment of the human
personality and Food Aid Organisation recognised participation as a human right in
development (Kenny, 2010).
Stakeholder participation traces its roots back to the 1950s and 1960s which was marked by
failures in developmental projects where social workers and field activists began to call for
the inclusion of populations concerned with development in project design and
implementation (Armah et al., 2009). The notion then was that such projects were
unsuccessful because local populations were left out of the decision making process; a state
of affairs that tended to perpetuate social inequality, hence, participation was proposed as a
mechanism to promote equality through inclusion. The notion of people's participation in
their development has been gaining momentum in the process of human empowerment and
development (Mohammad, 2010). Contemporary development scholars have been advocating
the inclusion of people's participation in development projects as they believe the avowed
objectives of any project cannot be fully achieved unless people meaningfully participate in
it. Simonovic and Akter (2011) assert that decision-making needs to take into account a wide
array of stakeholders and shades of opinions if decision outcomes are to maintain a high
quality.
Rietbergen-McCracken (2013) asserts that public participation has been necessitated by the
advancement of governance which directs entities towards participatory democracy. This
emphasis is buttressed by International Development Institutions (IDIs) such as the World
Bank, United Nations (UN) and other donor agencies. Rietbergen-McCracken (2013) further
acknowledges that the growing concern towards public participation does not only come from
international agencies, but also from citizens who want to be part of decisions affecting their
lives. Njenga (2009) is of the view that people’s involvement in their development promotes
economic and social progress and guarantee equitable distribution of development benefits.
The core aims of participatory development are to give people a say in the development
decisions that may affect them and to ensure that development interventions are appropriate
to the needs and preferences of the population that they are intended to benefit (RietbergenMcCracken, 2013). At all levels of development, there is the awareness that sustainability is
very closely linked to the full and real participation of beneficiaries in the development
process.
Mohammad (2010) states that the most popular and widely adopted strategy for ensuring
people’s participation in local development is identified as decentralization and there is
perhaps no other institution like local government bodies to provide a wide scope for people’s
participation at the grassroots level. Opoku (2006) argues that the various development
agenda drawn over the years for Africa seem to have focused on economic growth, with little
attention on governance, which could not yield expected results but rather many intra-country
and in some cases inter-country conflicts often related to power and control of resources.
There is growing citizens’ disaffection in both new and old democracies about the way their
governments operate and their own capacity to influence them (Beetham, 2005). In Africa, as
in other places, the resultant conflicts from such dissatisfaction, if they are resolved at all, are
often addressed through dialogue involving all the relevant stakeholders involved (Opoku,
2006). This is a testimony to stakeholders’ desire to be involved in making decisions that
affect all aspects of their lives, especially those relating to livelihood, allocation of resources
and survival. In Zimbabwe, the decentralization of local governance was a move to promote
popular grassroots participation in the administration of the planning, implementation,
monitoring and delivery of services to improve the living conditions citizens.
Central Government through Local Government put in place structures to spearhead
development in both rural and urban areas. Local authorities in this case refer to Rural
District Councils and Urban Councils. Local Government operates through Rural District
Councils (RDCs) and Urban Councils and these are the structures nearer to the people and
therefore can more speedily attend to the challenges and developmental issues peculiar to
their area of jurisdiction. In a bid to ensure maximum participation in decision making and
overall development in the rural areas, the government went further to establish ward and
village assemblies which uphold the role of traditional leadership. On the other hand, the
Rural District Councils Act recognises the Village Development Committees (VIDCOs and
the Ward Development Committees (WADCOs). The system of local government in
Zimbabwe provides a sound arrangement within which local people fulfil and exercise their
democratic rights. Furthermore, as development is a collaborative endeavour, the local
government approach allows the combination of local and national players to manage
resources and contribute in development. Messah and Kariuki (2011) highlighted the fact that
local government units are situated nearer to the people and their elected representation
allows for a participatory approach to local development.
This study is an assessment of stakeholder participation on the sustainability of rural district
councils, with Mutasa Rural District Council as a case study. Mutasa Rural District Council is
a body corporate local authority established in terms of section 275 of the Zimbabwean
Constitution. Mutasa RDC is one of the seven local authorities in the Manicaland province of
Zimbabwe divided into 31 wards with a population of 169 756 as of the last census held in
2012. Its head offices are situated fifty eight kilometres (58 km) from the City of Mutare and
the district stretches up to the Honde Valley which is about 100 km northeast of Mutare.
Noteworthy, Mutasa districts boasts of 43 health centres with 20 being council clinics. Of the
126 schools in the district, 86 belong to Mutasa Rural District Council. Also, the district has
over 600 boreholes. Mutasa district is a predominately agro-based region were villagers
practice semi-commercial agriculture growing maize, groundnuts, sugarcane and herding
cattle, goats and producing poultry. Some of the villages are small holder growers of coffee,
tea and banana plantations. The district has several plantations and estates that provide
employment, with large scale commercial plantations producing timber, coffee and tea
estates. (Mutasa RDC, 2016).
1.2 Statement of the problem
A study by Kumar (2009) asserts that participation is a key instrument in creating self-reliant
and empowered communities, stimulating village-level mechanisms for collective action and
decision-making as well as aimed at increasing the sense of ownership over the developments
within community members. Another study by Ademiluyi and Odugbesan (2008) contends
that stakeholder engagement is the solution to sustainability of community services. As
suggested by Kabudi (2011), it is difficult for rural communities to participate in solution
giving to the project management. For sustainable community projects and service delivery,
stakeholders’ participation is recognised as an important component not to be neglected.
Rural district councils are mandated to spearhead development and provide efficient service
to their communities. However, there is insufficient information with regard to community
participation and its implication on sustainability of rural district councils. Therefore, this
study sought to understand the role of stakeholder participation on sustainability of rural
district councils.
1.3 Research objectives
1.3.1 General Objective
The main objective of this study is to assess the role of stakeholder participation on
sustainability of Rural District Councils.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
Specifically the study is organized to:
i.
To determine various stakeholders’ involvement in decision making in community
development projects.
ii.
To examine various stakeholders’ contributions in development and sustaining
Mutasa Rural District Council.
iii.
To identify the major factors that affect the extent of stakeholder participation and
possible impact on development and service delivery.
1.4 Research questions
i.
How are stakeholders involved in decision making process at Mutasa Rural District
Council?
ii.
What is the contribution of various stakeholders in development and sustaining of
Mutasa Rural District Council?
iii.
What factors influence stakeholder participation and impact on development and
service delivery?
1.5 Significance of the study
The research focus is on the district and sub-district levels since this is where individual
research can influence and dialogue with the institutions that can make a difference to the
lives of rural communities. The national level is crucial for bringing about change at the local
level through policy guidance. The study will help the Government to establish the
community structure which will ensure effective management of developmental projects. The
findings of the study will be used by the Government for sustainable community
development projects. The study will come up with suggestions for establishing community
owned organizations and creation of sense of community ownership towards rural projects.
The study will provide knowledge to the public on the usefulness of community participation
in community development projects. The study will also contribute to the existing body of
literature on issues of stakeholder participation and sustainability of rural district councils.
1.6 Scope of the study
This case study is confined within 31 wards of Mutasa Constituency. This location is selected
because is a potential experience area of researcher for getting adequate and relevant
information related to the study. However the results and recommendations intend to serve
local government authorities. Furthermore, the focus area will be narrowed down where some
few wards will be selected as a representative of the whole constituency as the area is huge to
be covered within the period allocated for this study.
2.0 Literature review
2.1 Stakeholder Concept
Stakeholder as a concept has referred to various things to different users and has assumed a
prominent place in public and non-profit management theory and practice in the last two
decades (Bryson, 2004). Boakye-Agyei (2009) asserts that stakeholders may include locally
affected communities or individuals and their formal and informal representatives, national or
local government authorities, politicians, religious leaders, civil society organizations and
groups with special interests. Earlier, Bryson and Crosby (1992) defined stakeholder as any
individual, group, or company that is affected by the causes or consequences of an issue,
while Golder (2005) proclaims that a stakeholder is any individual, group, or organisation
having a vested interest in the natural resources of the project area and/or who potentially will
be affected by project activities and have something to gain or lose if conditions change or
stay the same. These definitions highlight the effect or impact of activities or processes on
individuals, groups and organisations without emphasising the influence of the stakeholders
on such activities or processes.
The World Bank (1996) defines stakeholders as those that are directly affected by a proposed
intervention, particularly among the poor and marginalized. The Department for International
Development (DFID) (2003) defines stakeholders as any individual, community, group or
organization with an interest on the outcome of a programme, either as a result of being
affected by it positively or negatively, or by being able to influence the activity in a positive
or negative way. The study, however, will adopt DFID, s (2003) definition of stakeholders.
2.2 Concept of participation
For over three decades, participation has been a topical issue among academics, United
Nations (UN) agencies, development partners (DPs) and later most governments of the Third
World, and though the mushrooming growth of its offshoots is evident in every specialized
branch of development studies such as economics, political science, sociology and lately
public administration and public policy analysis, participation as a concept still lacked a
systemic theoretical ground and empirical basis of judgment in the social sciences
(Mohammad, 2010). Participation has currently surfaced as an apex terminology for a new
development intervention method.
Mohammad (2010) defines participation as the active involvement of the local people in the
planning and implementation of development projects and argues that for effective plan
formulation, control of projects and sharing of benefits of development to actualise,
participation is necessary. This study defines participation as active involvement of local
communities, civil society and community based organisations in the planning and
implementation process of projects at the grass root level.
2.3 Levels of Community Participation
Community participation discourse described different levels in which beneficiaries of any
development initiative should be involved. This can be typically applied in rural water and
sanitation projects (Schouten and Moriarty, 2003). The Table 2.1 below shows five levels of
community participation in the four major aspects of responsibilities, authorities, control and
management capacity.
Table 2.1: Levels of community participation
Level s
Responsibility
Authority
Control
Management
Capacity
1
External agency, little
community
External agency; informal
Community consultations
responsibility
2
External
External agency; Limited
community
Insufficient
participation
agency,
community
is
responsible
for
External agency; limited formal
External agency ;
role for community institutions
Moderate
community
Limited
Participation
operation
3
Joint;
Joint; limited formal role
Joint; strong community
Community
for community and agency
participation and limited
responsible
for
operation
and
community management
Moderate
maintenance
4
Community;
Community; external support
Full
community
external
support
external support
5
Community;
Full community authority
Sufficient
Full community control
responsibility
High
Source: Adapted from WASH Technical Report No. 67, (1990)
2.4 Barriers to effective participation
A host of factors have been identified as obstacles to effective participation in development
programmes and projects. Oakley (1991) discusses three major obstacles to people’s
participation which are structural, administrative and social barriers. Structural obstacles form
part of the complex and centralized organisational systems that control decision making,
resource allocation and information, and are not oriented towards people’s participation. This
situation is usually typified by a ‘top-down’ development approach. Administrative obstacles
relate to bureaucratic procedures, operated by a set of guidelines and adopt a blue print
approach, providing little space for people to make their own decisions or control their
development process. The social impediments include mentality of dependence, culture of
silence, domination of the local elite, gender inequality, and low levels of education and of
exposure to non-local information (White, 1996). Some obstacles will be discussed in the
dissertation.
2.5 Typologies of Participation
The extent and kinds of participation are well differentiated by typologies. Some literature
dwelt on the types of participation and how they are practiced while others focused on the
approaches and mechanisms as well as their application in the process of participatory
development. The strengths and weaknesses in applying them are will also be highlighted.
Typologies of participation include Arnstein’s (1969) ladder of participation, Pretty’s
Typology on participation (1995) and framework for community participation (Choguill,
1996), these will be discussed later.
2.6 Sustainability of RDC
Sustainability pertains to multiple aspects of a RDC, with institutional, social, technical,
environmental and financial dimensions (Haysom, 2008). This accounts for the fact that
understanding and measuring sustainability is so difficult, and why solutions are highly
context specific. Sustainable ensures the ongoing provision of a service that is fundamental to
improving service delivery (Haysom, 2008). Other issues on sustainability of RDC’s will be
highlighted in the dissertation.
2.7 The Development Planning Process in RDC
Shapiro (2001) interpreted planning as the systematic process of establishing a need and then
working out the best way to meet the need, within a strategic framework that enables
identification of priorities and determination of operational principles. On the part of Mitchell
(2002) planning is seen as a process to develop a strategy to achieve desired objectives, to
solve problems and to facilitate action. Both definitions recognize planning as a process and
the achievement of desired goals in the future within the rural district councils.
3.1 Research Approach
The researcher will adopt the inductive approach, this seeks the views of interviewees about
their experiences so as to understand the nature of the problem and is usually associated with
qualitative research (Saunders et al. 2003). For the proposed study inductive approach will be
used to assess the role of stakeholder participation on the sustainability of rural district
councils.
3.2 Research Paradigm
Qualitative research paradigm will be adopted as it emphasis on the elucidation of behaviour
on the role of stakeholder participation on the sustainability of rural district councils.
Creswell (2013) highlighted that prominence was on understanding occurrences in a
situations based on the terms of the participants as opposed to the researcher’s views.
3.3 Research Design
Research design is the outline, plan, or strategy used to arrive at findings for a research
question. This study will employ a case study design. As suggested by Rowley (2012), case
study design is associated with the following virtues; It offers a richness and depth of
information, it is highly versatile research method and employs any and all methods of data
collection from testing to interviewing, it can extend experience or add strength to what is
already known through previous research, and it puts emphasis on context which can help
bridge the gap between abstract research and concrete practice by allowing researchers to
compare their first hand observations. The selection of this design is mainly due to the
aforementioned strengths associated with case study and the need to have a detailed
investigation the role of stakeholder participation on the sustainability of rural district
councils. However, case study design is associated with the following shortcomings. They
include biases of research findings mainly due to overexposure of studied cases and that the
small number of studied cases is difficult to generalize, hence they need careful planning.
3.4 Casual Research
The proposed study will dwell on the role of stakeholder participation on the sustainability of
rural district councils. The research will also establish casual participation factors influencing
performance of RDC’s.
3.5 Population
The study will be carried out in Mutasa which is in Manicaland province. The total
population of Mutasa district is 169 756 (Statistical council, 2012).
3.6 Sampling Technique and sample
The researcher will adopt a stratified random sampling technique. The study sample will
consist of 230, the sample will be divided into 5 distinct stratus not evenly distributed. These
will consist of Municipal Planning and coordinating unit, assembly members, chiefs, unit
committees and community members. The sample will be picked from Mutasa district and
every respondent will have an equal chance to be chosen (Amer, 2009).
3.7 Data Collection Instruments
The main tools of data collection for this study will be questionnaires and interview
schedules.
3.7.1 Interview Guide
The researcher will design an interview guide to give direction in the interview process. The
document will comprise five parts. Part one will contain the respondents profile, the second
part will look at the community participation in decision making, part three will look at
capacity for development planning, part four will look at the effect of stakeholder
participation in the planning process of RDC and the last section will look at factors
hampering effective stakeholder participation.
3.7.2 Questionnaire
The questionnaire design will be based on the objectives of the study. The questionnaire have
the section of the respondents profile, community participation in decision making, capacity
for development planning, effect of stakeholder participation in planning process on
development programmes and projects ( sustainability) and recommendations.
3.8 Data Collection Procedure
The researcher will collect primary data for the purposes of finding answers to the research
questions. Data will be collected through questionnaires, and interview schedules.
3.8.1 Interview Schedule
The appointments for the interviews will be secured by the researcher before the interview to
enable interviewees to prepare adequately for the interview and to provide well thought
responses. The interview sessions are expected to last not more than twenty minutes and the
deliberations of the interview sessions will be recorded by way of taking notes to ensure that
everything discussed is captured.
3.8.2 Questionnaire
The questionnaires will be delivered by the researcher to the respondents and picked at an
agreed time. This will allow respondents ample time to respond to questionnaires and
minimizes researcher bias.
3.9 Location of the Study
The study will be paying particular attention on assessing the role of stakeholder participation
on the sustainability of Mutasa rural district councils. The Mutasa Rural District Council was
established in terms of section 275 of the Zimbabwean constitution.
3.10
Validity and reliability
3.10.1 Validity
Smith (2001) defines validity as the degree to which the researcher has measured what he has
set out to measure. Bryman and Bell (2007) asserts that Internal validity is the degree
researchers agree and come to similar conclusions, they further perceive internal validity as
qualitative research strength since observations of social settings since are over a long period
of time. Firstly the validity of this research will be anchored on a wide review of literature
and the carrying out of an extensive survey and in-depth analysis of existing theory on the
subject matter, secondly it will be important for the researcher to obtain valid information and
data by way of instruments and so, careful construction of the questionnaire will be done, as a
poorly worded questionnaire can dismally invalidate results. A pilot study will be conducted
prior to the main survey. In order to validate the instruments, a pretest will then done on a
separate group so as to evaluate the quality and precision of the questions, Misfiring
questions will be identified and corrected as this will ensure the researcher identifies potential
problems before the final distribution.
3.10.2 Reliability
A research has to provide reliable feedback, and has to be conducted honestly and accurately
(Heikkila, (1998). To ensure reliability, respondents from the population will consist of of
Municipal Planning and coordinating unit, assembly members, chiefs, unit committees and
community members. Reliability means research results accuracy and so, research results
cannot be random. The researcher will also ensure that all questionnaires will be under taken
in privacy and will reinforce the issue of confidentiality to all respondents in a quest for
allowing them to respond in a free an unfettered manner.
3.11 Data Analysis and Presentation
Once the data has been collected verified and validated, the researcher use manual methods
and computer software packages to analyse data. This process will involve grouping,
classifying, coding, tabulating and charting data. After gathering raw data, processing will
follow. Tabulating will involve simply counting the number of elements or cases that fall into
each category. Questionnaires will be given unique codes for all responses. Data entry will be
done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 12. Tables and graphs
will be used to present data.
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