■

[Gass, G.][Biggs, S.]

• Gass, G., S. Biggs, et al. (1997). "Stakeholders, science and decision making for poverty-focused rural mechanization research and development." World Development 25(1): 115.

This paper suggests that the long history of poor results from rural mechanization research and development interventions can be attributed at least in part to the use of limited sets of criteria for determining design and for monitoring and reviewing projects. We suggest that these sets of criteria reflect institutional history and understanding of development and the particular perspectives of the limited range of actors involved. We present information on the wide range of technical, economic, social and institutional issues that are integral to rural mechanization research and development interventions, and make the case for adopting a more holistic approach. To this end, two complementary tools -- an adapted Tinbergen Framework and Stakeholder Analysis -- are presented to enable researchers and policy makers to better grasp how their decisions relate to the total social and institutional environment.