Zed Books Communication for Another Development: Listening before Telling

This lively book argues that in the development process, communication is everything. The authors, world experts in this field as teachers, practitioners and theorists, argue that Communication for Development is a creative and innovative way of thinking that can permeate the overall approach to any development initiative. They illustrate their argument with vivid case studies and tools for the reader, drawing on the stories of individual project leaders who have championed development for communication, and using a range of situations to show the different possibilities in various contexts. Free from jargon, and keeping a close look at how development is actually being implemented at ground level, this book is an important contribution to development studies not just for students but also for development practitioners and policy makers. Review 'This should become required reading for communication for development practitioners! This highly personal reflection by two experienced advocates of participatory communication lays bare the reasons why we are so often frustrated with the outcomes of our work, while showing clearly the opportunities for creative support of empowering development from good deployment of communication processes. The stories from their own and others' professional experience demonstrate the power of narrative in bringing us face to face with our preconceptions and misunderstanding.' --Chris Garforth, Reading University 'This is a book about development and why it too often goes wrong. Wendy Quarry and Ricardo Ramirez argue that the development sector mainly uses communication to tell people what to do or think, rarely to listen and learn what people think and know. Because of this, too little development addresses the real needs of people it is designed to help. The authors are candid about their own struggles in using communication in development and polemical in assessing those of the development sector. Personal funny and entertaining, this book provides a better insight into the value, potential - and ultimately hugely frustrating practice - of using communication to listen rather than tell than any I've come across for a very long time. Anyone interested in development will learn much from this book. Those working or interested in using communication in development could usefully place it on their required reading list.' --James Deane, Head of Policy, BB World Service Trust 'Quarry and Ramirez have written a highly readable, information-packed, lucid book on the challenges and successes of communication for international social change. Drawing from their extensive expertise, they patiently dissect the lessons from numerous programs showing how grassroots communication contributes to sustainable change. "Another development" is possible, they argue, if international aid organizations follow the basics of good communication: listen and learn from local knowledge. Yet such approach uneasily fits the dominant bureaucratic mindset. The need for quick, predictable, expert-led interventions that meet institutional requirements runs against the needs of communities and the slow pace of long-term social change. What is easier, rather than what is needed, gets done. Quarry and Ramirez find silver linings in the cloudy skies of international aid. In a clear, conservational style, they tell the stories of champions who managed to achieve results while working in the ''grey zone'' in which communication exists. The authors are neither wide-eye optimists nor frustrated pessimists; they are reasonable realists who tell us that, yes, plenty of evidence shows when and why communication is central to processes of empowerment and social transformation. From Canada to Mozambique, scores of examples suggest that when bureaucracies cooperate and support, programs show that people participate, identify problems, and find solutions. This provocative and inspiring romp through decades