Delivering Services in Multicultural Societies

The last two decades have witnessed a
growing recognition of the importance of taking cultural and
ethnic diversity into consideration when designing and
implementing development programs. As societies around the
world have become more culturally diverse, and the role
culture plays in the formation of identity has become better
understood, governments are beginning to pay greater
attention to the management of cultural diversity and are
becoming more sensitive to issues of cultural exclusion.
This book explores how taking cultural diversity into
account can affect the delivery of services both positively
and negatively, and how local governments can respond to the
challenge of programming for and around diversity. The
following chapter presents the current debate on the role of
governments, at all levels, in managing cultural diversity.
Chapter three takes a more in-depth look at specific areas
in which the demand for recognition of cultural practices in
the delivery of services is strongest. Chapter four examines
policies pertaining to basic service delivery that can
address and support cultural diversity. Finally, chapter
five summarizes the lessons learned from the design of
culturally sensitive policies for delivering services to a
diverse population.