Past Research Projects

An Interdisciplinary Study on Agency Enhancement Process and Factors

One of the most important tasks on the development agenda today is to support problem-solving processes in which the people and communities of the developing countries themselves have ownership and initiatives. This support, however, often requires the support providers to be involved in the processes until issues or problems that the local people and communities can deal with autonomously for their own well-being are identified. These are the so-called "agency enhancement processes".

This research tries to analyze the factors that facilitate or hinder agency enhancement processes, taking an interdisciplinary approach. The major case studies are taken from countries in Central America that are attempting to improve the living conditions of their rural populations by referring to the postwar Japanese experience with the Life Improvement Program. The findings and implications of the research will be incorporated in the relevant development projects and training courses, and reflected in policies and programs for rural development and poverty alleviation.