Publication: Building Roads to Democracy? The Contribution of the Peru Rural Roads Program to Participation and Civic Engagement in Rural Peru
Date
2008-02
ISSN
Published
2008-02
Author(s)
McSweeney, Catherine
Remy, Marisa
Abstract
Projects involving community
participation often give communities responsibility to
identify, prioritize, plan and implement small-scale
investments. While the approach generates high ownership and
relevance, it has often been considered inappropriate for
large infrastructure projects with requirements of economies
of scale, technical standards and efficiency. The Peru Rural
Roads Program (PCR) finds the right balance between the two
approaches by integrating community participation in a
large-scale rural roads program with best practices, both in
terms of flexibility and adaptability in project
implementation, increased ownership and efficient management
of road assets. Its positive impacts on rural transport,
local economic development and local governance in Peru have
earned it best practice awards from Peruvian civil society,
from the Inter-American Development Bank and from the World
Bank (President's Award for Excellence 2001). This note
highlights its innovative design features and focuses on its
impact on governance. Governance outcomes that are
particularly highlighted include strengthening integrated
participatory development planning, increasing local
institutional capacity, promoting transparency in local
governance and fostering civic engagement.
Citation
“McSweeney, Catherine; Remy, Marisa. 2008. Building Roads to Democracy? The Contribution of the Peru Rural Roads Program to Participation and Civic Engagement in Rural Peru. Social Development Notes; No. 111. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/4d4f822b-9d6d-545f-8113-3d2a5f509642 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”