Conversation: Do participatory approaches create more lasting development gains?

When: Thursday 23. January, 13-14.30

Where: Norad, Bygdøy Allé 2, Information Centre, 5. floor

Development initiatives achieve higher quality and more sustainable results when the target community is actively involved in planning and implementation. But what makes participatory processes truly successful?

Norad invites you to a conversation with Professor Arvind Singhal, the leader of the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Texas, El Paso. With extensive experience in the positive deviance approach, Professor Singhal will share how this resource-based method empowers communities to take the lead and achieve sustainable outcomes.

At the heart of the positive deviance approach is the belief that within every community, there are individuals or groups who have discovered better solutions to common challenges—those who positively deviate from the norm. This approach is inherently participatory at every stage: defining the problem, identifying exceptional solutions, learning through action, and continuously monitoring progress. This ensures that solutions are culturally relevant and practical.

Moreover, this method can be cost-effective, leveraging existing resources and knowledge without the need for ongoing external support. That said, this is not a “quick fix” or a method that can be applied in every context. This is why we invite you to an exchange of experiences in applying participatory methods, to explore how they can best succeed.

Following the conversation with Professor Singhal, Norad will gauge interest in an incubator program on this topic, similar to our previous initiative for randomized control trials. These incubators have successfully connected partner organizations with consultants to develop project proposals.

We hope many will take this opportunity to explore how participatory approaches can drive lasting development gains!

Click here to register for the meeting.