Development Terms

best practices

(noun)

solutions that have been designed and applied successfully to address various social development challenges. Past experiences are identified and shared in order to guide new practices.

bottom-up

(adjective)

ideas and solutions generated not from external, "expert" personnel looking at a community or an issue from the outside but, rather, from those actually living with the challenge.

communication for social change

(noun phrase)

"a process of public and private dialogue through which people themselves define who they are, what they need and how to get what they need in order to improve their own lives. It utilises dialogue that leads to collective problem identification, decision making and community-based implementation of solutions to development issues." - Communication for Social Change Consortium, December 2004

developing country

(noun)

countries receive this official designation based on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s human development index (HDI). For a list of "developing" countries as of 2003, please see the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) List of Aid Recipients from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Also, see "Dictionary of Development" by Sharmila Joshi, on the InfoChange India website, for a more complete history and definition of this designation.

digital divide

(noun)

while information and communication technologies (ICTs) have spread around the world at a rapid pace, large parts of the world (or specific populations, such as the disabled) remain technologically disconnected. This term is often used to describe that disconnect.

edutainment

(noun)

a strategy that uses a research component to inform a planned initiative that incorporates entertainment using a communication tool to educate on a particular development goal. Also see "entertainment-education (E-E)".

empower

(verb)

to invest with power, especially legal power or official authority. To equip or supply with an ability; enable.

entertainment-education (E-E)

(noun)

a strategy that incorporates entertainment using a communication tool to educate on a particular development goal.

grassroots

(adjective)

often used in contexts alongside the term "bottom-up" (see above), this word signifies being, originating, or operating in or at a basic, fundamental level. Change is generated from within or on the inside, rather than externally.

on the ground

(prepositional phrase)

see also "bottom-up" and "grassroots". Solutions or experiences emerge primarily based on the insights and participation of those literally working on a problem ("in the field"), rather than from some external provider of ideas or funds.

organisational development

(noun)

a long-term effort to improve an organisation's visioning, empowerment, learning and problem-solving processes through the collaborative management of organisational culture. - French,.W. & Bell, C. Organisational Development (1999) Prentice Hall, New Jersey

participatory communication

(noun phrase)

communication is, by definition, participatory. It is a two-way process. This term refers to the full involvement of participants in communication processes and includes giving those individuals access to communication channels and enabling them to participate freely and equally in dialogue and debate.

sustainable development

(noun)

"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." - Bruntland Commission, 1987 (World Commission on Environment & Development)

top-down

(adjective)

the converse of "bottom-up" (see above), this term describes change that is proposed or implemented primarily by or at the urging of an authoritative body not based in or connected directly to a community or group in which change is being made. On this scenario, proposals and actions for change "trickle down" to those struggling with the issues at stake.

the South

(noun)

often contrasted with "the North", this term refers to countries that have a "low" level of development on scales such as the Human Development Index.