The current state of knowledge about and experiences with community participation in worldwide developmental programs are examined in this journal issue. Specific topics addressed in part I include (1) reasons advanced in favor of community participation; (2) issues related to the implementation of primary health care programs and areas for further action; (3) constraints on popular participation in Africa and problems for priority attention; (4) the interpretation of the concepts of development and participation, current issues and dilemmas in theory and practice, and a model of tensions in developmental efforts; and (5) community participation in family planning programs. Contents of part II focus on the past experiences of UNICEF with community participation in basic service provision and with grassroots development efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean. Also included in the issue are research notes concerning power, conflict, and social change in the participation program of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, an annotated list and selected bibliography of articles on community participation, excerpts from and reviews of books on related topics, and a checklist for use in identifying participatory components of projects. (RH)