Development practitioners and analysts have become deeply committed to the concept of beneficiary 'participation'. The notion has become synonymous with 'good' development and has become a minimal requisite for donors, but it is increasingly being confused with the notion of beneficiary 'ownership' of a project. Unfortunately much of what passes for 'participation' tends to be perfunctory attendance at inconvenient meetings or physical labour, often sustained only by coaxing or cajoling, or a vague hint of extortion: the 'taxation' of the beneficiary. The article argues that participation must be distinguished from 'ownership' and that there is need for a truer 'partnership' between development specialists and beneficiaries. The benefits of genuine participation are, in fact, the true 'ownership' of a project by the beneficiaries, which can be achieved by a more perceptive choice of projects coupled with an honest 'selling' of some of the development worker's intentions.
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