Determinants of Sustainability in Community Development: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities Público
Turner, Matthew Ayers (2013)
Abstract
Background: Improvements in sustainability have been identified as an effective method for improving the overall effectiveness of community development interventions. The information regarding factors that contribute to sustainability is insufficient and to date there is not an adequate framework for the evaluation of intervention sustainability.
Objective: This paper examines what factors of community development are determinants of sustainability and presents a framework for the evaluation of development interventions for sustainability. This paper also explores common strengths and weaknesses of development interventions and makes recommendations for best practices based upon these results.
Methods: A literature review was carried out to identify determinants of sustainability; five levels of sustainability were identified for each determinant. This information was used to develop an evaluation framework. Forty organizations, programs, and projects were then evaluated for probability of sustainability using the presented framework.
Results: This paper identified eleven determinants of sustainability and presents a framework for evaluation of sustainability. Overall, respondents had a mean evaluation Total Score of 37.85 (Out of possible 55). This paper identified that respondents are strongest in Length of Intervention (Mean 4.080) and in Capacity Strengthening (Mean 3.950), and are weakest in Leadership (Mean 2.730) and Funding Resources (2.950) [Means out of possible 5.000]. Correlation analysis indicated that Community Ownership is the determinant most related to sustainability, followed closely by Monitoring Quality, Assessment Methods, and Evaluation Quality.
Discussion: The results of this research indicate that the future of effective development work is dependent upon the transfer of power to communities and the ability of development organizations to support the capacity strengthening of communities in order to increase self-reliance. The findings suggest that a shift in common intervention approaches may be necessary if sustainability is to be a goal. Improvement in leadership strength, decreasing dependence on external funding sources, and improvements in monitoring efforts and the quality of evaluations are needed to see desired results. Improved quantitative research is still needed to improve the knowledge base surrounding determinants of sustainability and to improve the quality of the presented evaluation framework.Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Problem Statement 2
Purpose Statement 3
Objectives 3
Statement of Significance 4
Definition of Key Terms 5
Chapter 2: Literature Review 6
Measures of Accountability 8
Definition of Sustainable Development 10
Determinants of Sustainability 12
Community Ownership 12
Empowerment 16
Capacity Strengthening 18
Support 21
Trust 23
Monitoring and Evaluation 23
Adaptability 26
Resources 28
Multisector Approach 30
Chapter 3: Methods 32
Literature Review Methods 32
Evaluation Framework 34
Explanation of Determinants 36
Community Ownership 36
Capacity Strengthening 36
Assessment Methods 37
Monitoring Quality 37
Evaluation Quality 38
Partnerships 38
Leadership 39
Length of Intervention 39
Adaptability 40
Sectoral Approach 40
Funding Resources 41
Framework Table 42
Respondent Selection 42
Data Collection 43
Data Analysis 43
Chapter 4: Results 44
Evaluation Framework Components 44
Evaluation 47
Stratification 51
Stratification Correlation 57
Other Findings 57
Chapter 5: Discussion 59
Limitations 62
Recommendations 64
Future Research 66
References 68
Appendices 75
Appendix A: Alphabetical Listing of Participating Organizations 75
Appendix B: Competing Interests 77
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