People-Centered Development and Participatory Research

Traditional approaches to helping developing countries have often played down human development in favor of production of physical and economic resources. It is on this premise that L. David Brown presents a case for the combined use of people-centered development and participatory research as a tool for maximizing local human resources to deal with local concerns. In building his case, Brown defines participatory research as a legitimate form of inquiry, drawing some distinctions between it and more traditional forms of research. He illustrates his point with a brief discussion of a research project that involved farmers from several villages in India.