Rural communities and policy participation: the case of economic policies in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Rural communities of Zimbabwe have long been marginalised as evidenced by a large development gap between them and urban communities. The idea of linking lack of development in rural areas with participation in policy making process is vital for many policy makers. This research focused on assessing the roles played by rural people of Zimbabwe in crafting and implementing economic policies. The research went further to investigate why rural communities showed little understanding of economic policies and whether it is important to engage the citizen in crafting and implementing public policies. The study was carried out in rural Binga and Chivi districts. The research illustrated that rural people had little understanding of economic policies. The paper concludes that supporting democracy, strengthening economic competiveness and meeting local state and global challenges requires the reimaging of the role of the citizen in 21st century public policies. Participation should be an important pillar of such reimaging.

KEY TERMS: Policy, rural participation, policy formulation, inclusive development.