PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT GOVERNANCE FROM A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: FROM PLANNING TO EVALUATION

Abstract

Participatory development governance is increasingly important for ensuring that development processes respond to community needs and promote inclusive decision-making. However, previous studies have largely examined community participation at a single stage, particularly planning, while limited attention has been given to participation as a continuous process from planning to evaluation, including the sociological dimensions of power relations, social capital, communication, and collective capacity. This study aims to analyze participatory development governance from a sociological perspective across the stages of planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation and to identify the social factors influencing the quality and continuity of community participation. This study employed a qualitative literature review approach by analyzing relevant scientific articles published primarily between 2016 and 2026. Data were collected through documentation and analyzed using thematic identification, comparison, and synthesis of findings related to participatory governance, community participation, power relations, social capital, communication, and accountability. The findings indicate that community participation is generally strongest during the planning stage, particularly through formal forums such as Musrenbang, but tends to decline during implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The quality of participation is influenced by power relations, access to information, communication, social capital, inclusivity, and the capacity of communities to influence decisions. The study concludes that participatory development governance should be understood as a continuous social cycle rather than a procedural planning mechanism, requiring meaningful community influence throughout the development process.