WOMEN'S SOCIO-ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT THROUGH PARTICIPATORY APPROACH A Critical Assessment‪.‬

Byline: ABDUL RASHID KHAN and ZAINAB BIBI Abstract. This study assesses the effects of a Government run participatory development project on the social and economic empowerment of women and its implications for poverty alleviation in Nasirabad area of Balochistan (a province of Pakistan). The need to evaluate the project's effects in terms of empowerment arises due to the perception that interventions in the form of programs and projects have little effects on women's development in the Province due to institutional and cultural factors. To test the validity of this proposition, a case study of Pat Feeder Command Area Development project which is the largest community based development project of government has been taken for analysis. The project is evaluated in terms of participation, access, and sustainability. The project provides useful insights into the issue of women's empowerment.