Participatory needs assessment in local communities. Methodological aspects

• Author: Codrina Sandru
• Position: Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Brasov
• Pages: 97-104

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 7 (56) No. 2 - 2014

PARTICIPATORY NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN

LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS

Codrina ŞANDRU1

Abstract: Participatory needs assessment (PNA) is a research method,

based on the principle of participative democracy. PNA offers the right to

speak to the people living within local communities and, furthermore, it

attempts to place the problems and the solutions submitted by citizens on the

decision-makers’ working agendas. Being often a first stage in the process of

research-action, PNA is the most certain modality to find the communit y

members’ perception on their collective needs, as well as their attitudes

towards these needs. In this study, I describe the basic methodological

elements of PNA and I show both the advantages and th e limits of this

method, with three cases from today’s literature.

Key words: participatory needs assessment, community, research-action,

rapid participatory appraisal, participatory communal appraisal.

1 Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Brasov.

1. Introduction

Participatory needs assessment (PNA) is

a research method whereby the community

members are asked how they see the most

important needs or problems of their

community; and the research results guide

the future actions to be undertaken in the

community. Basically, the needs

considered to be of maximal importance

will be transposed in priority action goals.

PNA is a research method based on the

principle of participative democracy,

which upholds the citizens’ active

participation in democratic life, encourages

the dialogue between citizens and public

authorities and advances innovating share-

capital consolidation forms, within local

communities; the strength of the share

capital and its importance for social

development having been recognized for a

long time within sociologic theories [2].

Local communities have not always been

consulted in social-change processes. As

part of a former communist system,

Romania and the other South-Eastern and

central European countries, experienced, for

half a century, the policy of social-economic

development induced by a discretio nary

power, which set the developmental

objectives based on its own political

desiderata. Communities would not be

consulted. The role of local authorities and

citizens was limited to forced approval of

the Party and State politics.

In the framework of the new paradigm of

social development [13], PNA gives the

right to speak, to the people living in local

communities and, moreover, it attempts to

place the problems and solutions submitted