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Abstract: Community is one of the idealized terms used frequently in contemporary development discourse. This paper argues that community is a complex and portrays the outcomes of development programs that apply it loosely. It draws on qualitative research methods and a case study of the World Bank's Community-Based Rural Development Project implemented in Abaase in the Eastern Region of Ghana between 2005 and 2011. The analysis suggests that while the concept of community seems appealing, it may not practically exist or may be weak in localities labeled as communities. Thus, the paper argues for the need to design and implement community-based or driven programs in a way that identifies, develops, and targets specific community groups or members, particularly in migrant and transient populations.
Introduction
The concept of community is often applied in contemporary development discourses and programs. Although the literature variously portrays it as being complex, political, "controversial," and a myth, the concept of community continues to gain popularity among many development brokers. This is particularly true of the World Bank, which has since 2000 been championing Community-Driven Development (CDD) programs and investing nearly USD two billion annually in the approach.1 This article draws on lessons from a Community-Based Rural Development Project (2005-2011), which was implemented in Abaase in the Yaago Plains of Ghana.2 It seeks to provide empirical grounds for appreciating (1) the complexity of the concept of community; and (2) the need to design and implement community-based or driven programs in a way that identifies, develops and targets specific community groups or members. Theoretically, the text aims to provide a conceptual framework for examining the concept of community.
The first part of the paper describes the methodology. This is followed by a brief exploration of the literature to show the complexity and conceptual controversies around the concept of community. An analytical framework for examining what "community" is and what it is not is established in the section. The last part of the paper discusses Ghana's Community-Based Rural Development Project (CBRDP), which was used as the case study, and presents an empirical case study of Abaase, a town in the Kwabre North District (Yaago Plains) of the Eastern Region of Ghana. The dynamics of Abaase, a beneficiary of the CBRDP and the data,...