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This paper examines why a growing number of government bureaucracies are attempting to develop and integrate participatory research and development approaches into their program activities. Using a conceptual model of the institutional learning and training cycle, it analyzes the experiences of three large public agencies in Sri Lanka, Kenya and the Philippines which have made significant progress toward building internal capacity to employ participatory approaches effectively and facilitate the process of institutional change. The training of agency personnel in participatory principles, concepts and methods has played an important role in these transformations. Both the model and the case studies reveal, however, that to have a lasting impact training must be viewed as part of a broader process of organizational learning. The paper concludes with 10 key elements necessary for institutionalizing participatory …