Participatory municipal management and sociopolotic realities in southern communes: Case of the municipality of Porto-Novo in Benin

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze social consultation in the process of updating community projects in Porto-Novo, Benin. Consultation, a privileged tool of the participatory approach, is a springboard for satisfying the right to information in order to feed into development decisions. Thus, to conduct the study, the choice was made to conduct qualitative research with 30 subjects representing the survey unit. The interview guide and documentary research were used as the main data collection tools. Data processing and analysis was possible thanks to the analysis model of Moreau (2013), Dufort (1992) and Brière and Proulx (2013). Indeed, the results analyzed allowed us to observe that some community projects did not involve the beneficiaries in all stages of the project. This explains the passivity of the target populations in the use and sustainability of the projects. Moreover, the democratic social consultation bodies led by the communities themselves are not yet a reality. It is true that there are grassroots development associations, but their actions are limited and do not allow them to participate in local public affairs.