This document describes a methodology tried in three urban locations in Indonesia in 2000-2001 as part of the project called “Corruption and the Poor”, which was successful in eliciting from poor people what they thought were the most corrupt practices from which they suffered, and what they thought could be done about it.

This document describes a methodology tried in three urban locations in Indonesia in 2000-2001 as part of the project called “Corruption and the Poor”, which was successful in eliciting from poor people what they thought were the most corrupt practices from which they suffered, and what they thought could be done about it. The methodology draws on the practice of PRA (Participatory Rural Apraisal), developing it further and adjusting it to the issue of corruption, as well as the World Bank program “Voices of the Poor”.

The methodology is based on three principles:

1. The principle of participation—by which we mean that individuals in the community are invited and freely agree to participate in the sessions
2. The principle of local ownership—by which we mean that all information gathered from a community is given back to the local community, and they are involved in deciding what should be done with the information.
3. The principle of action research—by which we mean that research is intended to lead to action that improves the situation, and that action is documented to learn more about the efficacy of such action.