Communication
for Development and Social
Change
Development Communication is
• The study of social change brought about by the application of
communication research, theory, and technologies to bring about
development ...
• Development is a widely participatory process of social change in a
society, intended to bring about both social and material
advancement, including greater equality, freedom, and other valued
qualities for the majority of people through their gaining greater
control over their environment. (Everett Rogers 1976)
• Communication for development is a social process, designed to seek
a common understanding among all the participants of a
development initiative, creating a basis for concerted action. (UN FAO
1984)
• The planned use of communication techniques, activities and media
gives people powerful tools both to experience change and actually
to guide it. An intensified exchange of ideas among all sectors of
society can lead to the greater involvement of people in a common
cause. This is a fundamental requirement for appropriate and
sustainable development. (Colin Fraser and Jonathan Villet 1994)
• Development communication involves creating mechanisms to
broaden public access to information on reforms; strengthening
clients’ ability to listen to their constituencies and negotiate with
stakeholders; empowering grassroots organizations to achieve a more
participatory process; and undertaking communication activities that
are grounded in research. (World Bank, 2006).
• Communication for Development is a social process based on
dialogue using a broad range of tools and methods. It is also about
seeking change at different levels including listening, building trust,
sharing knowledge and skills, building policies, debating and learning
for sustained and meaningful change (World Congress on
Communication for Development, 2006)
Perspectives on communication for
development
• A first perspective could be of communication as a process ;
interaction in a network of social relationships. The reception,
evaluation, and use of media messages, from whatever source, are as
important as their means of production and transmission.
• A second perspective is of communications media as a mixed system
of mass communication and interpersonal channels, with mutual
impact and reinforcement. In other words, the mass or social media
should not be seen in isolation from other conduits.
• Another perspective of communications in the development process
is from an intersectoral and interagency concern.
Development and Social Change
• Development or Social Change can be described as a significant
change of structured social action or of the culture in a given society,
community, or context.
• Such a broad definition could be further specified on the basis of a
number of “dimensions” of social change: space (micro, meso-,
macro), time (short, medium, long-term), speed (slow, incremental,
evolutionary versus fast, fundamental, revolutionary), direction
(forward or backward), content (sociocultural, psychological,
sociological, organizational, anthropological, economic, and so forth),
and impact (peaceful versus violent)
Policies
• Distinguished between development “from above” versus “from
below” as in essence a consideration of the nature of development
itself
• Common understanding among all the participants in a development
initiative by implementing a policy or a development project, that is,
the top-down model.
• The other emphasizes engaging the grassroots in making decisions
that enhance their own lives, or the bottom-up model.
• In an ultimate sense development is a reflection of personal values,
conditioned by the societal framework in which one lives.
• Development is shaped and done by people – not for people. In order
for people to be able to do so, they need to understand “how the
system works.”
• Therefore, development or social change should be equated with
empowerment: the ability of people to influence the wider system
and take control of their lives.
Culture
• Is a complex phenomenon that can be interpreted in a narrow or
broad sense.
• One views culture as composed of values, beliefs, norms,
rationalizations, symbols, ideologies.
• The other sees culture as referring to the total way of life as a people,
their interpersonal attitudes as well as their attitudes.
• Cultures can be defined as social settings in which a certain reference
framework has taken concrete form or has been institutionalized
Ideology and Power
• Ideologies impact and qualify subjects by expressing to them, relating
them to, and making them recognize:
a) what exists and what does not exist (i.e., a sense of identity);
b) what is good and bad (i.e., normalization); and
c) what is possible and impossible (i.e., a logic of conservation versus a logic
of change) (Therborn 1980)
• Process through which meaning is transmitted is never linear. It is
linked to power in conscious and unconscious ways; it is sporadic and
ubiquitous and transcends spatial and cultural boundaries.
Identity
• Four empirical dimensions can be distinguished in such frameworks of
reference:
1.
2.
3.
4.
a world view (Weltanschauung),
a value system,
a system of symbolic representation, and
social organization
• The term cultural identity refers to two complementary phenomena:
1. an inward sense of association or identification with a specific culture or
subculture;
2. an outward tendency within a specific culture to share a sense of what it
has in common with other cultures and of what distinguishes it from other
cultures.
Sustainability and Resilience
• Sustainable Development is seen as a means of enhancing decisionmaking so that it provides a more comprehensive assessment of the
many multidimensional problems society faces. What is required is an
evaluation framework for categorizing programs, projects, policies,
and/or decisions as having sustainability potential.
• The word is most often associated with being able to meet the needs
of the present (socially, economically, environmentally), without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs
(World Commission on Environment and Development 1987)
• Holistic approach of human relates to cultural development in three
dimensions:
• Behaviors and lifestyles which do not harm nature.
• Minds in line with (Eastern) ethics, stability of mind, motivation, etc., to see
other creatures as companions.
• Wisdom includes knowledge and understanding, attitude, norms, and values
in order to live in harmony with nature
• Four dimensions are generally recognized as the “pillars” of
sustainable development:
• economic,
• environmental,
• social, and
• cultural
• Resilient system is able to ensure continuity by dynamically
reorganizing both the way it serves its purpose and the scale at which
it operates.”
• Strategies of resilience might be developed for economic, social, and
ecologic systems.
Communication for Development and Social
Change
• The use of a culturalist viewpoint :
• By means of such a viewpoint, specific attention is given to communication in
social change processes. By putting culture centrally from a user’s
perspective, other social science disciplines can significantly contribute to the
field of Communication for Development and Social Change.
• The use of an interpretative perspective
• Participation, dialogue and an active vision of human beings as the
interpreters of their environments are of the utmost importance. A highly
considered value is the showing of respect and appreciation for the
uniqueness of specific situations and identities in social change environments.
• The use of integrated methods and theories
• it is considered important that the chosen methods should be connected with
the used theoretical perspective. This implies that openness, diversity, and
flexibility in methods and techniques are valued. In practice it generally
means triangulation and a preference for qualitative methods. This does not
mean, however, that quantitative methods are excluded, and indeed an
emphasis is placed on evidence-based scientific methodologies.
• To show mutual understanding and attach importance to formal and
informal intercultural teaching, training, and research
• Tolerance, consciousness-raising, acceptance, and respect can only be arrived
at when members of different cultures not only hear but also understand
each other. This mutual understanding is a condition for development and
social change. In order to prevent all forms of miscommunication,
intercultural awareness, capacity building, and dialogue is deemed very
important.
Closing…
• Communication for development and social change is the nurturing of
knowledge aimed at creating a consensus for action that takes into
account the interests, needs and capacities of all concerned. It is thus
a social process, which has as its ultimate objective sustainable
development/change at distinct levels of society.
• Communication media and ICTs are important tools in achieving social
change but their use is not an end in itself. Interpersonal
communication, traditional and group media must also play a
fundamental role.