Stakeholder perceptions on community governance efforts; A case of a project implemented in Sri Lanka

Abstract

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Community participation in governance has now become an integral principle in development thinking- h i practice also, efforts are being made to apply this principle in various aspects o f governance. However, the sustainability o f community participation in governance is highly determined by the stakeholder perceptions concerning the change made by that effort. This study investigates the stakeholder perceptions on the governance structures and procedures introduced in one selected area in S ri Lanka. The project implemented in Hambantota and Monaraga districts w ith the aim o f establishing community level structures below the local government level and lin ks them with the overall system o f governance through the project in order to fill the gap o f an absence o f a governance structure for the people to participate at grassroot level. The project introduced two additional governance structures, V illage Organizing Committee (V O C) and Rural Coordinating Committee (R C C ), in order to work with the existing system o f governance. Th is study aimed to comprehend the way people perceive the newly introduced governance structures andthe tilings related to them. The study found that a ll stakeholder categories were in a highly positive perception regarding the new governance structures. The government o fficials were the most satisfied regarding the importance o f the new change. Women and poorest' o f the poor iare were highly satisfied among the m arginalized groups. The three main activities, im proving governance and participation, promotion of sustainable development and resource m obilization and infrastructure development were identified as the key drivers o f satisfaction. However, the respondents were relatively less satisfied on the provision o f adequate inform ation on marketing and promotion o f linkages.