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Rethinking Communication for Development Policy: Some Considerations
Introduction
Communication for development is an umbrella term describing the strategic employment of media and communication in order to facilitate the collaborative generation, sharing, and utilization of knowledge toward strengthening good governance and sustainable development initiatives. Central to this concept is the question of policy within which such programs are planned and implemented. This chapter is a response to invitations from developing world governments and international media and development organizations, requesting countries from the global South, and their partners, to develop coherent communication for development policies (ICSCP 1980; Balit and Ilboudo 1996; FAO 1997; 2002; SADC-CCD 2006). The chapter begins by distinguishing between communication for development policies and communication policies in relation to development, an important distinction if we are to understand some of the implications and consequences of these invitations.
Communication for development policies, the subject of the present discussion, refer to commitment statements and action plans created by governments, in liaison with stakeholder organizations, that demonstrate how mediated and non-mediated forms of citizen participation and engagement can drive the design and implementation of national, regional, and international development policies. Communication policies in relation to development, ...
