Debates about optimal farm structure and size have a long history in agricultural economics. Agricultural and development economists argue for an inverse relationship between farm size and productivity, but debates around this remain inconclusive. This article provides a case from maize production in Babati District, Tanzania. The efficiency level of 122 sampled smallholder farmers was estimated and found to be 62.3%, suggesting 37.7% of inefficiencies. A U-shape relationship between plot size and efficiency scores was found. There was high efficiency at plots <2 ha, compared to 2 ha and 3 ha, followed by efficiency at plots >4 ha. Policies stimulating small- and large-scale farms in the country are imperative.

The operational environment of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Brazil has undergone several changes since the 1990s that deepened in the last decade, especially for a group of organisations that are the focus of this study: CSOs working for the promotion and defence of rights (AHRCSOs – advocacy and human rights CSOs). This article examines these recent changes, detailing the main limitations and conditions imposed on AHRCSOs by analysing their organisational and cultural characteristics. The organisational field of AHRCSOs is fluid and dispersed, and several organisations perform different activities. The article traces the history of these organisations and the foundations that led them to build their shared identity project. It then discusses AHRCSOs’ organisational features and culture, in relation to the changes faced by the field and the challenges to be met. The closing remarks point to the need for changes in the culture and operations of these organisations in order to guarantee their sustainability of funding, as well as their capacity for social dialogue and intervention.

This article reports on a research project that explored the internal dynamics of a faith-based and cross-sector partnership when different levels of organisational resources and capacity exist. A case of a three-way partnership between a faith-based, a for-profit, and a non-profit organisation is analysed. Through participant observation, interviews, and an examination of secondary data using grounded theory and the constant comparison method of analysis, an assessment of how resources impacts partnership structure, agenda/goal setting, roles, and responsibilities are highlighted and framed to demonstrate the inequalities in partnership outcomes. Furthermore, a framework for how to infuse structural equality into these partnerships is discussed.

This article highlights barriers to inclusive development from the perspective of disabled people, as well as staff of NGOs and government agencies. A qualitative study was conducted between August 2011 and September 2012, and in September 2013, in rural and urban areas in Greater Accra and Eastern regions in Ghana. The research shows that inaccessible public infrastructure and services, negative attitudes of service providers, little political will, limited capacity of development agencies, and lack of multi-agency coordination in the disability development sector were barriers to disabled people’s inclusion and participation in development processes.

In the post-Cold War era, rights and democracy promotion became a significant component of Western governments’ developing country engagement, including through CSOs. Today, a backlash against CSOs is evident in many developing countries. Drawing from interviews in Kenya, this article reflects on the potential unintended consequences of Western government actions that may be contributing to the backlash, undermining the sustainability of rights and democracy gains, and of CSOs. Autocratic leaders’ hostility toward reformist voices; counter-terrorism and security; emphasis on the private sector and trade; and modalities of CSO support, all suggest the need for careful consideration of Western governments’ actions.

A great deal of participatory development literature emphasises the bottom-up production of citizen’s voices and their incorporation into policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. Rarely do we hear of emphases on the question of listening, much as there exists a body of knowledge on integrating what experts consider to be the views and opinions of local people in the creation of socio-economic policies. This viewpoint outlines the kind of listening that builds on three key issues that emanate from Paulo Freire’s idea of listening as both a virtue and practice of tolerance. The major contention is that as development practitioners, we need to build our abilities and capacities to practise all the three forms of listening if we are to work with others in designing and implementing policies that improve lives and communities.

What are the prospects for development and for civil society as an actor in development processes in Russia’s poorer, more remote regions and among neighbouring states that were once Soviet Republics? This viewpoint assesses the situation today from the author’s vantage point working for a civil society support organisation in Kyrgyzstan, and taking into account the tense international situation and the crisis in Russia’s economy.

One of the ways in which aid actors have responded to the growing need for good quality data to inform decision-making processes has been to invest in information communication technology to improve data collection and analysis. The specific information communication technology approach that has been used by Concern Worldwide is Digital Data Gathering. This refers to gathering data using an electronic handheld device such as a smartphone or data pen. As with any approach it has its advantages and limitations. This article shares the lessons and challenges that Concern has had in the utilisation of Digital Data Gathering.

Efforts to incorporate “political thinking” into policy-making and practice in OECD-DAC development agencies have increasingly focused on the use of “political economy analysis” (PEA) frameworks and tools. While recognising the fundamental value of promoting politically informed programming, this article nevertheless highlights how contemporary efforts to this end have largely ignored another central development agenda: the ownership paradigm. Emphasising the highly donor-centric nature of PEA design and methodology, we explore critiques and justifications of this state of affairs, ultimately arguing that donors would benefit from embracing a more flexible and context-specific understanding of ownership.

In developing countries the analysis of energy poverty has been framed in terms of a nexus; linking poverty, gender, and energy as obstacles to sustainable development. This article considers the dual challenges of energy and fuel poverty in Malaysia, a middle-income country boasting high levels of grid penetration, suggesting that there are limitations to this approach in relation to articulating the relationship between energy and poverty, specifying the dynamics of energy poverty, and informing policies to address this. Locating energy deprivation in the context of multidimensional poverty offers a basis for addressing energy poverty in a wider range of spatial and temporal contexts.