ENABLING ANALYSIS - ACROSS THE DEVELOPMENTAL DIVIDE

It is argued in this paper that at least certain strands of operationa l research (OR) carried out in less developed countries have intriguin g similarities with community operational research. It follows that co mmunity OR, which is still short of accounts of actual practice, might learn from OR aimed at promoting the self-reliance of communities in developing countries. The paper starts with community operational rese arch-its origin, nature, clientele, and methods. This is followed by a parallel discussion of the characteristics of operational research al igned with third-world community development. A final section explores the common themes between the two literatures and practices.