Citizen participation overplanned: The case of a health project in the Guatemalan community of San Pedro La Laguna

The case chronicles the interplay of interests and strategies and points toward potentially more productive approaches to issues of leadership, factionalism and public participation.

Abstract

Citizen involvement is a widely endorsed but often elusive goal in community betterment projects. An initiative by the major of San Pedro attracted funds to build a clinic and hire a doctor and attracted an American health educator to direct the project. Contrary to plan, the director's insistence on creating a representative community committee discouraged rather than increased participation. The case chronicles the interplay of interests and strategies and points toward potentially more productive approaches to issues of leadership, factionalism and public participation.