Those involved in programmes and approaches to working with the poor have become steadily more aware of the importance of understanding not just the people they want to work with, but also the social, cultural and political context in which they live.
In particular, the importance of the role of local institutions has been increasingly recognized. Many development efforts with the poor have failed or proved to be unsustainable because they have not fully understood these institutions and the way that they influence the livelihoods of the poor. New institutions set up to support the poor have often proved inappropriate or have been undermined by existing institutions that were either not recognized by relevant stakeholders or poorly understood.
Participatory approaches to development, including those commonly grouped under terms such as PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) or PLA (Participatory Learning and Action) have done much to improve the ways in which development workers learn about local conditions and identify the poor, as well as understand their strengths and the constraints they have to overcome. But less attention has been paid to ways of understanding the local institutions that shape the environment in which poor people live.
These guidelines aim to fill this gap and help development workers improve their understanding of the role of local institutions. What is it they do? Who exactly do they serve and how? How do they change over time? How can they be strengthened and made more equitable? How can they be made more accessible for the poor?
