Learning and not learning from experience in rural project planning

Resource type
Author/contributor
Title
Learning and not learning from experience in rural project planning
Abstract
The theme of learning from experience as a means of improving the effectiveness of rural development projects and programmers has been common in recent years. Considerable effort has been put into refining, monitoring and evaluation systems to enhance organizational learning processes. However, an emphasis on normative approaches to evaluation and learning from experience has led to the neglect of research into the actual processes by which rural development agencies utilize experience. The case study presented here points to the shortcomings of such approaches and illustrates the partisan manner in which individuals and organizations treat the lessons of experience. Actively ‘not learning from experience’ is as much a part of organizational processes as learning from experience. This paper examines the implications of this finding and reviews alternative approaches to improving experiential learning in rural development activities. It is found that such a perspective does not generate the innocuous technical prescriptions characteristic of conventional approaches, but a number of useful directions for further research can be identified.
Publication
Public Administration and Development
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
1-16
Date
1989
Language
en
ISSN
1099-162X
Accessed
29/09/2023, 09:55
Library Catalogue
Wiley Online Library
Rights
Copyright © 1989 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Citation
Hulme, D. (1989). Learning and not learning from experience in rural project planning. Public Administration and Development, 9(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230090102