Welcome to Participatory Learning and
Action 62 on reflections on emerging practices
in participatory poverty reduction in
China. We are very pleased to be able to
devote a special issue of PLA to China, a
country which is experiencing significant
shifts in its traditional government-led development.
As you will see from the contributions
from Chinese authors and others
who are working in the region, participatory
approaches and changing relationships between
the state and citizens are at the heart
of these transformations. It is the citizens
who are ‘wagging the dragon’s tail’ in a positive
and empowering way. In the west the
dragon is often portrayed as the nation of
China. Within China, the dragon is used as
a symbol of Chinese culture.
This issue looks at the interface between
government and communities and
how this is changing as a precondition to
poverty eradication. Participation is becoming
key to reducing poverty through
improving livelihoods, at the same time as
sustaining the environment, maintaining
China’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity
and ensuring good governance. Good governance
is not just about the performance
of government institutions, but about the
nature and quality of their relationship
with civil society organisations, community
groups and citizens (Bass et al., 2005). In
other words, it is about shifts in power – a
theme which underpins this issue of PLA.