ABSTRACT
Anthropology has always been concerned with those peoples in our world who have limited access to social, economic, and political resources. The community is not only the unit of study but the prime beneficiary of the research activity in the approach. Research skills are transferred directly to community leadership and residents. The community and its representatives control data, utilization, and dissemination more directly. All communities and population groups have factions vying for resources and control. The goal of collaborative research in the approach is to introduce the community/population perspective into national and regional development plans and programs. Outside institutions and agencies (private and public) on the regional, national, and international levels possess the political and economic power to "get things done." The balance of power has, for poor communities, been in the hands of external agencies and institutions. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book.
