Examining the Relationship between Community Residents' Economic Status and the Outcomes of Community Development Programs

Authors

Christopher R. Larrison, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Eric Hadley-Ives, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Keywords

Community development, economic status, rural Mexican villages

Abstract

In designing and implementing community development interventions the economic status of targeted participants is a demographic characteristic worth considering. The findings from this research indicate that even within the limited economies of rural Mexican villages there are variations in economic status that affect the ways in which the outcomes of community development programs are perceived. The poorest of the poor are likely to be less satisfied with development projects than those with average or better-off economic status. This is true whether a development project uses a bottomup approach or a top-down approach. The more participatory approach does not attenuate the relationship between economic status and satisfaction with development programs. On the contrary, it may exacerbate it.

Recommended Citation

Larrison, Christopher R. and Hadley-Ives, Eric (2004) "Examining the Relationship between Community Residents' Economic Status and the Outcomes of Community Development Programs," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 31: Iss. 4, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3026
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol31/iss4/4