Development programmes for the poor: do strategies make a difference?

Abstract

The seventies have witnessed a number of development programmes whose objectives was to benefit the weaker sections of the society. Their accomplishments in relation to this objective have been varied. While many factors have helped or hindered their performance, it was the purpose of this paper to understand, in a preliminary fashion, the role of programme strategy in enabling weaker sections to benefit from development programmes. Six propositions about specific elements of strategy were listed. These were culled from the views of various analysts about development programmes and processes. The propositions were tested against the evidence on eight development programmes - three state initiated and five launched by the centre. Our overall conclusion is that careful attention to programme strategy might make a difference to the accrual of benefits to the weaker sections.