Toward a fluid definition of development projects: an ethnographic study of meanings ascribed by multiple stakeholders to a rural water supply and sanitation project, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea
Toward a fluid definition of development projects: an ethnographic study of meanings ascribed by multiple stakeholders to a rural water supply and sanitation project, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea
Kini, Sisa
Kini, Sisa
Date
2010
Type
Thesis
Fields of Research
Abstract
At a basic level water is essentially important for life. Its meanings, though, are socially
constructed by the multiple ways in which people interact with water in specific contexts.
This research looks at the meanings of water in the context of an aid funded water and
sanitation project in a rural community in Papua New Guinea. The study examines the
meanings ascribed by three main stakeholder groups involved in the project. These include
the donor, implementing agency and the beneficiary community. This is a stark divergence
from the logical linear deductions made about changes emanating from rural development
projects. It used a qualitative approach, including an ethnographic process of data collection,
to investigate these meanings. Interviews (semi-structured and unstructured), focus group
discussions, participant observations, unobtrusive methods and participatory (interactive)
methods were the primary data collection methods employed. Data collected were inductively
sorted and coded to identify key themes and meanings. The study found that in this context
that there were multiple and fluid meanings ascribed to the project by the three groups. The
meanings ascribed by each group were found to be influenced by the group’s physical
distance, level of interaction (usage and access) and the organisational or institutional
objectives of each group. These meanings have implications for the behaviours, actions and
perceptions of stakeholders that, in turn, affected the implementation of the project. Through
more interactive processes of project implementation, the fragmentation of meanings can be
minimized to produce more coordinated and meaningful outcomes from development
projects.