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Human Well-Being pp 240–267Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Participatory Approaches and the Measurement of Human Well-being

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Part of the book series: Studies in Development Economics and Policy ((SDEP))

Abstract

‘We are all democrats now,’ wrote John Dunn ironically in his 1979 review of Western Political Theory (Dunn 1979). Twenty-five years on, the democratic ethic of people centred governance has acquired the status of a sacred totem that commands obeisance far beyond the arena of formal politics. Rites and symbolic acts of participation have accordingly been ‘mainstreamed’ across a remarkable range of institutions, from neighbourhood school boards to multilateral agencies. Though very different in their form and practice, the promise is similar. Incorporating participation will mean that processes of policy making, administration and research become more inclusive, more responsive, more equitable, and so represent more fully the interests of ‘the people’ they claim to serve.

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Authors
  1. Sarah White
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  2. Jethro Pettit
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. World Institute for Development Economics Research, United Nations University, Helsinki, Finland

    Mark McGillivray (Senior Research Fellow, Inaugural Fellow of the Human Development and Capabilities Association) (Senior Research Fellow, Inaugural Fellow of the Human Development and Capabilities Association)

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© 2007 United Nations University

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White, S., Pettit, J. (2007). Participatory Approaches and the Measurement of Human Well-being. In: McGillivray, M. (eds) Human Well-Being. Studies in Development Economics and Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230625600_10

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