The Drum Beat 216: IDB Forum - Communication for Development

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This issue of The Drum Beat focuses on presentations from a seminar held by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on July 1, 2003 in Washington, DC. The seminar brought together a panel of experts from the IDB, the Academy for Education Development (AED), the World Bank, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as other individuals from the development and communication fields to discuss best practices for integrating communication into development projects and achieving social change.

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"The question is not 'Does it work?'" said AED Executive Vice President Dr. William Smith in his keynote presentation, "it's 'What kind of problem do I have?' and 'What kind of communications [mechanism] should I use to address it?'"...

Communications can be used many ways to advance development, according to Silvio Waisboard, Senior Program Officer at the Academy of Educational Development. For example, development professionals can use communications to promote behavioral changes, to educate, to mobilize communities, to advocate policy changes, to spark a community dialogue or public debate, or to increase participation in a project. Integrating top-down approaches (i.e. mass media) and bottom-up ones (i.e. town hall meetings) is one of the most effective means of strategic communications for development projects, panel members agreed...

Cecilia Cabañero-Verzosa, head of knowledge and capacity building in the Development Communications Division of External Affairs at the World Bank, emphasized the importance of building partnerships in all sectors of society...

"Who owns the media? How is it financed? How much competition is there [in each country in Latin America and the Caribbean]?" Fox asked. "The answers to those questions are going to influence who gets access to mass media communications and whether or not diverse opinions will get the chance to be heard..."

Quotes from a Press Release issued by IDB.

PRESENTATIONS

1. Fifty years of development communication: What works by Silvio Waisbord, PhD

Points out some common misconceptions about communication in development:

• Communication strategy is only necessary for a short period of time.
• It should be an add-on to general planning and funding.
• Information is enough to change behavior.
• Only a short time is needed for a communication strategy to be effective.
• Media training is sufficient to address communication problems.
• New communication technologies solve information and behavior problems.

Suggests 5 key ideas of "what works":

1. Focus on both individual and contextual factors in behavior change.
2. Integrate top-down and bottom-up approaches.
3. Have a tool-kit approach.
4. Combine media and interpersonal communication.
5. Community empowerment is key...

2. Managing Communication for Development by Elizabeth Fox

Proposes that there are 4 areas and a footnote where management can, should and in some cases is being exercised in communication for development.

• Area 1: Structure of Communication - includes ownership, financing, laws and regulations, levels and types of competition.
• Area 2: Participation and Communication - access, diversity, level of dialogue - this area is highly political - ideological.
• Area 3: Content of Communication for Development - HIV/AIDS, tobacco, SARS, education, stigma, violence - focus should be on the context.
• Area 4: Impact of Communication for Development - managing the science, asking the right questions, using the right methodologies.
• Footnote: Technology - managing the technology...

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3. Communication for Social Change by Dr. Wm. Smith

This presentation made the case that we now have many different models of communication for social change. It suggested that the battles between social marketing, participation, advocacy and social mobilization should give way to a more sophisticated analysis of the problem and the kind of tool - and often the combination of tools - needed to address it. Successes in oral rehydration, AIDS, family planning, seat belt use and SIDS were compared with failures such as obesity and exercise and disappointing results from two decades work on AIDS in Africa. Smith described the use of mass communication to incite conversation in communities; the use of computer models to influence policy change; as well as examples of e-government, school networking and sustaining Maya culture using the internet. Examples were tied together with brief overviews of social movement theory, risk communication and communication to support law enforcement. The basic take away message was - we need to stop pitting marketing against mobilization and participation against advocacy. It's a complicated world and we need to get smarter about all the alternatives for real social change.

4. Development Communication Programme by Elena Suarez & Jose Luis Lobera

Presents 3 main goals for IDB awareness campaigns: to sensitise key audiences on development issues and policies; to promote social and behavioral change; to establish partnerships and strategic alliances. Outlines that at IDB, campaigns involve the following elements: Research & Evaluation; Production & Dissemination of Communication Materials; Mass & Local Media Partnerships; Social & Community Mobilisation; Advocacy & Networking Initiatives. And it describes 4 IDB campaign impact indicators in some detail: New Group Linkages/Partnerships; Expansion of Public Debate; Increased Resonance of the Issue; Local Policy Changes/Other Actions...

5. Strategic Communication: a Tool for Development by Cecilia Cabañero-Verzosa

Proposes that there are opportunities ahead for strategic communication due to recent developments such as a steady, strong demand from Governments, NGOs, and Media in developing countries, evaluation data identifies strategic communication as a missing link in projects, and senior management is directing World Bank staff to integrate communication into operations. The challenges to these opportunities include: meeting a growing demand and ensuring quality; training both World Bank operational staff & developing country task teams; providing real-time training and technical assistance globally. Ms. Cabañero-Verzosa suggests the following new approaches: linking capacity-building with programme assistance; focusing on country teams rather than headquarters; demonstrating the approach in selected regions & thematic networks...

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For more information on the IDB seminar, please contact Jose Luis Lobera joseluisl@iadb.org or Sandra Scioville sandras@iadb.org

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PULSE POLL

Is the field of natural resource management communication faced with major theoretical debates and differences over the methods and principles to use in developing and conducting natural resource management initiatives?

If yes, what are the major issues as you see them?

[For context, see The Drum Beat 213.]

VOTE and COMMENT

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