Sociology of Community Development and - PowerPoint Presentation

1. Sociology of Community Development and Panchayati Raj (Part I) - A Trend Report BY RN Haldipur Presented by : Prof. Alok Kumar Head Department of SociologyChaudhary Charan Singh University

2. The two survey reports by RN Haldipur relate to Sociology of Development. In the first report, he has covered studies on Community Development and in the other, on Panchayati Raj.With the advent of the planning era in India soon after independence, and with the inauguration of the community development program on October 2, 1952, there has been a spate of studies on the same.1. Introduction

3. According to the erstwhile Planning Commission of India, Community Development is an attempt to bring about a social and economic transformation of village life through the efforts of people themselves. It is also defined as a movement designed to promote better living for the whole community with active participation and on the initiative of the community.2. Meaning of Community Development

4. The history of CDP can be divided into two stages :1) Prior to the launching of community projects which can be further divided as :Early pioneering efforts (1921-30) and the period of experimentation (1945-52)2) After the launching of CDP beginning 1952SC Jain(1967) divided this stage into three phases as :Adoptive Administrative phase(1952-1955)Integrative Technical phase (1956-1968)Democratic-Decentralisation phase (1969 onwards) 3. Historical Context

5. Beginning with the studies of village social life, sociologist have paid attention to people’s participation, the process of decision making, emerging patterns of leadership, levels of aspiration, and the impact of community development.4.Major Trends in Sociology of Community Development

6. RN Haldipur states that the scope of this report is restricted to a survey of literature on rural community development. He argues that the process of Community Development involves changes in the different aspects of community life as it moves forward from a lower level to a higher integrating these changes to maintain identity and continuity of the system. According to him, studies relating to various aspects of CDP can be categorized into three categories: The statistically oriented empirical survey where depth interview and participant and non-participant observation have been resorted to depending upon the nature and theme of research.Case studies dealing with problems and processes of conceptual nature.Impressionistic or descriptive writings arising out of actual participation in the program and its operation. 5. Scope and Conceptual Framework

7. Village Social StructureFocussing on caste structure, OC Cox (1948) found that caste structure in a village to be a labor structure, a system of interrelated services organized in specialized groups, and institutionalized in a religious matrix.G S Ghurye (l967) in his analytical account based on literature from the Vedic period to Indian independence has pointed to Changes in the caste structure.In recent times, studies have focused on the analysis of the village in terms of village unity or lack of it.6.Various aspects of CDP

8. Scholars who point to the presence of unity are:S C Dube (1966) and MN Srinivas (1966) have emphasized the unity of the Indian villages despite the presence of various groups and factions.C Rosser, K Gough, and FG Bailey in their study of the Himalayan village, Tanjore village, Oriya village respectively in the 1960s, stated the presence of unity in village structure.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

9. Scholars who negate the presence of unity are :EJ Miller(1960) and WH Newell in their study Kerala village and Gaddi village respectively conclude to lack of unity in the village.Mckim Marriott(1956), A R Beals (1963), and T N Madan (1965) were of a similar view.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

10. B. Community OrganisationA Dunham and W J Newsletter in 1948 find community organization as essentially an agricultural relationship between social welfare needs and resources of the community.In the year 1954, F C McNeil and G M Ross define community organization as a process by which people of a community as individual citizens or groups join together to determine social welfare needs, plan ways of meeting them and mobilize necessary resources.N K Bose (1961), C C Taylor (1966), and TM Fraser have shown the importance of community organization and emphasized that the future pattern of community organization should take the form of a youth organization.Cooperatives as a form of community organization are important to community development but due to lack of cooperative leadership, scholars like Darling(1957), Charan Singh(1963) have shown unsatisfactory functioning of cooperatives. 6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

11. (C) Extension and CommunicationIt can be seen at the following levels :Individual Contact: J S Nagoke (1964), J C Patel (1967) and SC Dube (1968) based on their empirical work conclude that for certain development programs such as acceptance of new agricultural practices or joining an agricultural cooperative, approaching an individual and his family has proved to be the best method.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

12. Group Contact : SC Dube(1968) and A K Jalihal found that group contact failed to communicate the methods of doing things and was not very successful in creating enthusiasm among the people.But, S S Aggarwal (1968) and S K Latoria (1968) found that farmers up to certain age preferred group contact as the most effective method.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

13. Mass Contact :Rao and Patel (1966) found that exhibition and radio were most effective at the awareness and interest stage of adoption.Roy et al (1969) found radio to be the most effective mass medium for communicating agricultural practices.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

14. Audio-Visual Aids :S K Reddy (1966) and T Somasundaram (1967) have carried out studies on the effectiveness of the audio-visual method of communication. They have all found the method extremely useful to farmers. Combination of Methods :A K Jalihal (1965), S S Manker(1966), CSS Rao (1966), Mahajan (1966) have studied the combined use of several different methods as the best way to communicate ideas to farmers.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

15. (d) Peoples Participation and Decision makingThe success of CDP depends on people’s participation. Several empirical studies have been undertaken as follows: Programme Evaluation Organisation and scholars like N R Inamdar (1967), K. S Bhat (1967), and K Seshadri (1964) have shown how the objective of inducing people’s participation has been comparatively realized in the constructional program.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

16. (e) Leadership and its emerging trendsThe Community Development Programme has from the very beginning emphasized the role of leaders of village communities. Studies over the same are as follows:SC Dube(1956) has outlined the change in the traditional structure of authority from ascriptive order to status based on achievement.Daniel Thorner(1956), Yogendra Singh(1968), and AR Desai(1961) have analyzed emerging power structure. According to him the upper castes and classes still dominate the village although the challenge from the lower castes and classes has increased.KS Bhat’s s(1967) study in Mysore is that emerging leadership is economically better off and has a better educational background.BN Singh (1969) points out that the new types of leaders belonged to the middle or younger age group and came from the upper-middle or middle-income groups. According to him, leadership is gradually moving away from the traditional and autocratic to the democratic pattern in Community Development.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

17. (f) Institutional DevelopmentIn the earlier stages of the program, it was envisaged that every village should have three basic institutions-a Panchayat, a Cooperative, and a School.K N Srivastava (1962), Sen and Roy (1966) from their studies conclude that with the organization of community centres such as youth clubs,Mahila Mandals, reading rooms, libraries has partially fulfilled one of the objectives of Community Development Programm6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

18. (g) Planned Change due to CDPCommunity Development has intensified some of the forces which had been already in operation.T S Epstein (1962) in his study of a Mysore village find that opportunities for economic development and social mobility were brought within the easy range of an interesting number of villagers through the Community Development Programme. Daniel Lemer (1968)also points out that because of improvement in communication, the spread of literacy, political education, the greater use of radio and newspapers, the people in rural areas are fast becoming members of a participant society.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

19. At the same time, CDP has also created some drawbacks : L K Mahapatra (1966), Dube (1968), B Singh (1966) and N Patnaik (1969) have pointed out that intensification of activities due to CDP at the village level has created a conflict between the traditionalists and modernists.Dube (1968), DN Majumdar (1962), and A R Desai (1962) have pointed out that most of the advantages of community development went to the economically and socially powerful classes.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

20. (h) CDP as building up morale, motivation, and levels of aspirationD N Sinha (1966) and Srivastava (1970) have studied levels of aspirations and motivation of rural people with reference to community development. They display greater concern for bare necessities of life and are not diverted by needs and goals beyond their span of attainment.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

21. (i) Impact of Community DevelopmentIts impact can be seen in the following aspects : - Agriculture and Allied ProgrammesPeoples Participation and AttitudeImpact on Rural LeadershipImpact on Cultural DevelopmentCommunity Development and Integrated Area DevelopmentGreen Revolution and its Emerging Trends6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

22. Several scholars have written on the impact of Community Development. Ensminger (1971), Epstein (1962), Pande (1967) Sen and Roy (1966), Patnaik (1970) are some of them. A study covering the country as a whole was organized by the National Institute of Community Development in village India in 1966.6.Various aspects of CDP (Continued)

23. RN Haldipur has pointed out that researches on the following topics need promotion on a priority basis : Changing social structure and value systemConcept of viable rural communitiesPerception of national goals and local needsExtension functionaries with reference to role perception and role-playing.Role of spatial planning and locational analysis.Human and social consequences of changes brought about in the villages.7. Research Gaps

24. Haldipur, RN 1974: “Sociology of Community Development and Panchayati Raj (Part I): A Trend Report”, A survey of Research in sociology and social anthropology,Vol.2, Popular Prakasan,Bombay,pp:30-618. References