Determinants of Sustainability in Community Development: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities Pubblico

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

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health
Parola chiave	Evaluation Community Development Sustainability
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Foster, Stanley, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	International Non-governmental organization (e.g., CARE, Inc.)

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