Publication of ‘Empowerment Through Agency Enhancement: An Interdisciplinary Exploration’

The book entitled “Empowerment Through Agency Enhancement: An Interdisciplinary Exploration,” written by Sato Mine, Sayanagi Nobuo, and Yanagihara Toru, is published by Palgrave Macmillan Singapore as part of the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development project “An Interdisciplinary Study on Agency Enhancement Process and Factors.”

The research recognizes that “agency,” which is commonly understood as “want/will for and practice of self-determination and self-management,” plays a critical role among beneficiaries of services in the effective implementation and sustainability of those services. This book focuses on understanding the factors and mechanisms involved in the development of agency in three main contexts: participatory development, extension work, and service transactions. Questions are posed regarding how external actors in the field of public policies for socioeconomic and international development can activate and enhance people’s inner capacities and orientations.