Although non-government organisations (NGOs) play an important role in poverty alleviation, their accountability to beneficiaries (the poor) for sustainable poverty alleviation is often criticised. In the literature, a participatory approach to strengthening NGO downward accountability has been widely discussed and various mechanisms for participation are identified; however, it is unclear how a participatory approach is implemented in practice to enhance NGO accountability to beneficiaries. Using accountability concepts, this study examines a participatory approach within the practices of NGOs engaging in microenterprise development in Bangladesh and Indonesia. Findings show that an effective participatory approach needs to address three questions: who participates, what to participate in, and how to participate. Within this approach, participation for beneficiary empowerment involves three stages: consulting, partnership, and delegated control. These stages are not linear, but rather a recurring, iterative process, providing a graduated, progressive approach to empowering beneficiaries. These stages recognise mutual accountability between the poor, as well as the public and private sectors, providing a basis for enhanced NGO accountability to beneficiaries at a strategic level – and enhanced sustainable outcomes for poverty alleviation.

中文翻译：

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参与式方法：在微型企业发展中转移问责制

尽管非政府组织（NGO）在扶贫方面发挥着重要作用，但它们对可持续扶贫的受益者（穷人）的责任常常受到批评。文献中广泛讨论了加强非政府组织向下问责的参与方法，并确定了各种参与机制；然而，目前尚不清楚如何在实践中实施参与式方法来加强非政府组织对受益人的问责制。本研究使用问责概念，考察了孟加拉国和印度尼西亚从事微型企业发展的非政府组织实践中的参与式方法。研究结果表明，有效的参与方法需要解决三个问题：谁参与、参与什么以及如何参与。在这种方法中，受益人赋权的参与涉及三个阶段：咨询、合作和授权控制。这些阶段不是线性的，而是一个反复出现的迭代过程，提供了一种渐进的、渐进的方法来赋予受益人权力。这些阶段承认穷人以及公共和私营部门之间的相互责任，为加强非政府组织在战略层面对受益人的责任提供了基础，并增强了减贫的可持续成果。