IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsoctx/v8y2018i3p84-d169310.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Re-Inventing Community Development: Utilizing Relational Networking and Cultural Assets for Infrastructure Provision

Author

Listed:
  • Charles Fonchingong Che

    (School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury CT1 1QU, UK)

Abstract

Utilizing relational networking and cultural assets provide an arena for village development associations (VDAs) to fill the gaps in infrastructure in resource-limited communities of Cameroon’s north-west region. This case study interrogates the foundational thesis of relational networking and cultural assets deployed to deal with social development challenges. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with community participants. Purposive sampling was used, and data were analyzed and critically synthesized with comparative literature. Communities increasingly shoulder their own development through a multiplicity of the agency displayed by internal and external stakeholders. The analysis captures a typology of incremental cultural assets, galvanized and re-engineered, promoting a rejuvenated community. A multi-layered approach centered on intersecting elements with unvarying input from community members are perceptible. Though the translational benefits are not clear-cut, relational networking and incremental cultural assets hold the prospect for community transformation in infrastructure provision, for example, supply of fresh water, equipping schools, community halls, and building roads, bridges, and community halls. In the process, social inequality and other barriers of disadvantage are narrowed.

Suggested Citation

  • Charles Fonchingong Che, 2018. "Re-Inventing Community Development: Utilizing Relational Networking and Cultural Assets for Infrastructure Provision," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-12, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:8:y:2018:i:3:p:84-:d:169310
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/8/3/84/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/8/3/84/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Krishna, Anirudh, 2001. "Moving from the Stock of Social Capital to the Flow of Benefits: The Role of Agency," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 925-943, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yugang He & Xiaodan Gao & Renhong Wu & Yinhui Wang & Baek-Ryul Choi, 2021. "How Does Sustainable Rural Tourism Cause Rural Community Development?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Hao Chen & Yaying Xu & Evelyn Agba Tackie & Isaac Ahakwa, 2024. "Assessing the Impact of Asset-Based Community Development Approach on Rural Poverty Alleviation in Ghana: The Moderating Role of Government Policies," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(1), pages 21582440231, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dostie, Benoit & Jayaraman, Rajshri, 2006. "Determinants of School Enrollment in Indian Villages," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 54(2), pages 405-421, January.
    2. Mohammed Ziaul Haider, "undated". "Options and Determinants of Rice Residue Management Practices in the South-West Region of Bangladesh," Working papers 71, The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics.
    3. Wouter Groot & Haranath Tadepally, 2008. "Community action for environmental restoration: a case study on collective social capital in India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 519-536, August.
    4. Lenore Newman & Ann Dale, 2007. "Homophily and Agency: Creating Effective Sustainable Development Networks," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 79-90, February.
    5. Arindam Banik & Pradip K. Bhaumik, 2018. "The Effects of Exogenous Technological Change on Wage Inequality in Rural India," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 19(6), pages 1515-1537, December.
    6. Stephen Knowles, 2007. "Social capital, egalitarianism and foreign aid allocations," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(3), pages 299-314.
    7. Andreas Tsounis & Despoina Xanthopoulou & Evangelia Demerouti & Konstantinos Kafetsios & Ioannis Tsaousis, 2023. "Workplace Social Capital: Redefining and Measuring the Construct," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 165(2), pages 555-583, January.
    8. Agampodi, Thilini Chanchala & Agampodi, Suneth Buddhika & Glozier, Nicholas & Siribaddana, Sisira, 2015. "Measurement of social capital in relation to health in low and middle income countries (LMIC): A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 95-104.
    9. Nicola Banks, 2016. "Livelihoods Limitations: The Political Economy of Urban Poverty in Dhaka, Bangladesh," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(2), pages 266-292, March.
    10. van Staveren, I.P., 2002. "Social capital :What is in it for feminist economics?," ISS Working Papers - General Series 19126, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    11. Mashavave, T. & Mapfumo, P. & Mtambanengwe, F & Gwandu, T & Siziba, S, 2013. "Interaction patterns determining improved information and knowledge sharing among smallholder farmers," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 8(01), pages 1-12, July.
    12. Harry Anthony Patrinos & Emmanuel Skoufias, 2007. "Economic Opportunities for Indigenous Peoples in Latin America : Conference Edition," World Bank Publications - Reports 8019, The World Bank Group.
    13. Parhi Smita & Sriram M S, 2004. "Financial Status of Rural Poor: A Study in Udaipur District," IIMA Working Papers WP2004-02-01, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    14. Abdulwahid, Saratu, 2006. "Gender differences in mobilization for collective action: case studies of villages in Northern Nigeria," CAPRi working papers 58, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    15. Reddy, V. Ratna & Rout, Sanjit Kumar & Chiranjeevi, T. & Sharma, S.S.P., 2012. "Performance and Factors Influencing the Impact of Watershed Development Programme in Rajasthan," Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, vol. 67(01), pages 1-23.
    16. Nicola Banks, 2014. "Livelihoods Limitations: The Political Economy of Urban Poverty in Bangladesh," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 19914, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    17. Patrinos, Harry Anthony & Skoufias, Emmanuel & Lunde, Trine, 2007. "Indigenous peoples in Latin America : economic opportunities and social networks," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4227, The World Bank.
    18. Najib Ullah Khan & Shuangjie Li & Muhammad Nabeel Safdar & Zia Ullah Khan, 2019. "The Role of Entrepreneurial Strategy, Network Ties, Human and Financial Capital in New Venture Performance," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, March.
    19. McCarthy, Nancy & Dutilly-Diane, Celine & Drabo, Boureima, 2002. "Cooperation, collective action and natural resources management in Burkina Faso: a methodological note," CAPRi working papers 27, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    20. Lenore Newman, 2007. "The virtuous cycle: incremental changes and a process-based sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(4), pages 267-274.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:8:y:2018:i:3:p:84-:d:169310. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.