@book{koch_foreign_2023, address = {London}, title = {Foreign {Aid} and {Its} {Unintended} {Consequences}}, isbn = {978-1-00-335685-1}, abstract = {Foreign aid and international development frequently bring with it a range of unintended consequences, both negative and positive. This book delves into these consequences, providing a fresh and comprehensive guide to understanding and addressing them. The book starts by laying out a theoretical framework based on complexity thinking, before going on to explore the ten most prevalent kinds of unintended effects of foreign aid: backlash effects, conflict effects, migration and resettlement effects, price effects, marginalization effects, behavioural effects, negative spillover effects, governance effects, environmental effects, and ripple effects. Each chapter revolves around a set of concrete case studies, analysing the mechanisms underpinning the unintended effects and proposing ways in which policymakers, practitioners, and evaluators can tackle negative side effects and maximize positive side effects. The book also includes personal testimonies, a succinct overview of unintended effects, and suggestions for further reading. Providing a clear overview of what side effects to anticipate when planning, executing, and evaluating aid, this book will be an important resource for students, development practitioners, and policymakers alike.}, publisher = {Routledge}, author = {Koch, Dirk-Jan}, month = sep, year = {2023}, doi = {10.4324/9781003356851}, } @article{algoso_how_2023, title = {How to {Build} {Movements} with {Cyclical} {Patterns} in {Mind} - {Non} {Profit} {News} {\textbar} {Nonprofit} {Quarterly}}, url = {https://nonprofitquarterly.org/how-to-build-movements-with-cyclical-patterns-in-mind/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email}, abstract = {The world changes too much for anyone who is invested in social change work to imagine that this work is linear and predictable. Opportunities come and go, whether caused by a pandemic or political shifts. This much most social movement leaders and activists intuitively understand. But what can be done with this realization? How might movement groups better prepare for moments of opportunity? We want to explore how we can create the changes we want to see by responding to the changes that are outside our control.}, urldate = {2023-10-03}, journal = {Nonprofit Quarterly}, author = {Algoso, Dave and Guerzovich, Florencia and Gattoni, Soledad}, month = jun, year = {2023}, } @book{harper_last_2023, address = {New York}, title = {The {Last} 10 {Per} {Cent}: {Why} the {World} {Needs} a {Leaner}, {More} {Innovative} and {Pragmatic} {Development} {Sector}, {Today}}, isbn = {978-1-03-215278-3}, shorttitle = {The {Last} 10 {Per} {Cent}}, url = {https://www.routledge.com/The-Last-10-Per-Cent-Why-the-World-Needs-a-Leaner-More-Innovative-and/Harper/p/book/9781032454344}, abstract = {Criticism that the development sector has not delivered in terms of eliminating extreme poverty, fast-tracking growth and preventing conflict, is neither new nor surprising. In fact, it may be the one thing that scholars, donors and practitioners agree on. While many of these concerns are valid, this book makes a case that the sector is closer to unlocking the gates to more effective and efficient development outcomes than is popularly believed. Specifically, it argues that by overturning a few myths, making better use of evidence and employing some different rules, practitioners, policy specialists and donors can foster the changes in the development architecture that are needed to reach the 10 percent of the world’s population still living in extreme poverty.Engaging, provocative and clear sighted, the book provides insight into interventions around democratic governance, refugee response, counterterrorism, gender mainstreaming, environmental protection and private sector engagement. It is instructive reading for professionals across the development sector, think tanks and NGOs.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Routledge India}, author = {Harper, Erica}, month = mar, year = {2023}, } @book{mazzucato_big_2023, title = {The {Big} {Con}: {How} the {Consulting} {Industry} {Weakens} our {Businesses}, {Infantilizes} our {Governments} and {Warps} our {Economies}}, isbn = {978-0-241-57308-2}, shorttitle = {The {Big} {Con}}, abstract = {There is an entrenched relationship between the consulting industry and the way business and government are managed today which must change.Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington show that our economies' reliance on companies such as McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, Bain \& Company, PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY stunts innovation, obfuscates corporate and political accountability and impedes our collective mission of halting climate breakdown.The 'Big Con' describes the confidence trick the consulting industry performs in contracts with hollowed-out and risk-averse governments and shareholder value-maximizing firms. It grew from the 1980s and 1990s in the wake of reforms by both the neoliberal right and Third Way progressives, and it thrives on the ills of modern capitalism, from financialization and privatization to the climate crisis. It is possible because of the unique power that big consultancies wield through extensive contracts and networks - as advisors, legitimators and outsourcers - and the illusion that they are objective sources of expertise and capacity. To make matters worse, our best and brightest graduates are often redirected away from public service into consulting. In all these ways, the Big Con weakens our businesses, infantilizes our governments and warps our economies.Mazzucato and Collington expertly debunk the myth that consultancies always add value to the economy. With a wealth of original research, they argue brilliantly for investment and collective intelligence within all organizations and communities, and for a new system in which public and private sectors work innovatively for the common good. We must recalibrate the role of consultants and rebuild economies and governments that are fit for purpose.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Allen Lane}, author = {Mazzucato, Mariana and Collington, Rosie}, month = feb, year = {2023}, } @book{flyvbjerg_how_2023, title = {How {Big} {Things} {Get} {Done}: {The} {Surprising} {Factors} {Behind} {Every} {Successful} {Project}, from {Home} {Renovations} to {Space} {Exploration}}, isbn = {978-1-03-501893-2}, shorttitle = {How {Big} {Things} {Get} {Done}}, abstract = {World expert Bent Flyvbjerg and bestselling author Dan Gardner reveal the secrets to successfully planning and delivering ambitious projects on any scale.Nothing is more inspiring than a big vision that becomes a triumphant new reality. Think of how Apple’s iPod went from a project with a single employee to an enormously successful product launch in eleven months. But such successes are the exception. Consider how London’s Crossrail project delivered five years late and billions over budget. More modest endeavours, whether launching a small business, organizing a conference, or just finishing a work project on time, also commonly fail. Why?Understanding what distinguishes the triumphs from the failures has been the life’s work of Oxford professor Bent Flyvbjerg. In How Big Things Get Done, he identifies the errors that lead projects to fail, and the research-based principles that will make yours succeed:- Understand your odds. If you don’t know them, you won’t win.- Plan slow, act fast. Getting to the action quick feels right. But it’s wrong.- Think right to left. Start with your goal, then identify the steps to get there.- Find your Lego. Big is best built from small.- Master the unknown unknowns. Most think they can’t, so they fail. Flyvbjerg shows how you can.Full of vivid examples ranging from the building of the Sydney Opera House to the making of the latest Pixar blockbusters, How Big Things Get Done reveals how to get any ambitious project done – on time and on budget.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Macmillan}, author = {Flyvbjerg, Bent and Gardner, Dan}, month = feb, year = {2023}, } @techreport{barnes_celebrating_2023, address = {Brighton, UK}, title = {Celebrating {Adaptive} {Delivery}: {A} {View} from the {Frontline} in {Myanmar}}, shorttitle = {Celebrating {Adaptive} {Delivery}}, url = {https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17860}, abstract = {The conversation on adaptive management has grown fast amongst development actors. These conversations often focus on designing, commissioning, and managing large-scale development programmes. Exactly how this impacts the frontline, the implementers, and day-to-day project delivery is still being debated. Yet, perspectives drawn directly from practice are often largely missing within these debates. This paper is written by two development practitioners. Through this paper, we reflect on the difference between adaptive management and adaptive delivery, and how this interacts with risk and aid accountability, particularly in contexts of fragility. Drawing on examples of Oxfam in Myanmar work and our personal insights in relation to delivering programming across humanitarian, peace-building, and development, we suggest that in complex, conflict-affected, and highly political environments adaptive delivery already happens far more regularly than is currently recognised, as a necessity to get activities delivered. However, it happens despite the system, not because of it, and is therefore often hidden and carried out ‘under the radar’ rather than celebrated as a success in difficult environments. This paper was written in 2019, before the military seized control of Myanmar in February 2021. Whilst it draws on examples from pre-2021 Myanmar to illustrate real life cases, it is a contribution to a broader global debate on adaptive management in practice, specifically in fragile contexts. This is not specifically aimed at practitioners working in Myanmar at present, who are now working in a protracted crisis. This paper makes tangible recommendations on steps that donors, international non-governmental organisations, local staff, and partners could take to promote a system of encouraging and celebrating adaptability in programme delivery in fragile contexts.}, language = {en}, number = {586}, urldate = {2023-02-06}, institution = {IDS}, author = {Barnes, Katrina and Lonsdale, Jane}, month = feb, year = {2023}, note = {Accepted: 2023-02-02T14:48:03Z Publisher: Institute of Development Studies}, } @techreport{nixon_right_2023, title = {On the {Right} {Tack}: {Reflections} on {Coalition}-{Building} {Initiatives} across {The} {Asia} {Foundation}}, url = {https://asiafoundation.org/publication/on-the-right-tack-reflections-on-coalition-building-initiatives-across-the-asia-foundation/}, abstract = {Coalitions—groups of organizations and individuals that work together to pursue a common policy goal or reform—are crucial to development. Some of The Asia Foundation’s longest-standing and most successful development programs and portfolios have used coalition-building as an implementation modality. This paper examines successful initiatives in Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. By delving into each of these, we shed light on this coalition-building modality, sharing insights about how externally supported coalitions emerge and function and contributing ideas about how such support can be adapted to other contexts. We hope that this paper and these case studies contribute to innovations in contemporary development theory and help practitioners use and move beyond some formulaic and technocratic modalities, such as traditional capacity development, knowledge transfer, and technical assistance. People, relationships, and working partnerships can then take center stage, and sustained cooperation will gain primacy over short-term outputs and deliverables.}, language = {en}, institution = {The Asia Foundation}, author = {Nixon, Nicola and Yates, Peter and Saluja, Sumaya and Yi, Su Lae and Lucas, Miranda and Bain, Katherine}, year = {2023}, } @book{sims_development_2022, edition = {1st ed. 2023 edition}, title = {Development {Delusions} and {Contradictions}: {An} {Anatomy} of the {Foreign} {Aid} {Industry}}, isbn = {978-3-031-17769-9}, shorttitle = {Development {Delusions} and {Contradictions}}, abstract = {This book analyses the shortcomings of the Western development aid programme. Through exploring the evolution of aid over more than seven decades, development is examined as an industry with a variety of motives and actors. The driving forces and dynamics in the relationship between aid and economic development are highlighted in relation to faulty development structures and misaligned aims. With a particular focus on Egypt, radical questions are posed on how global aid and development can be improved, including how it can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.This book aims to present an alternative aid framework to help overcome the dysfunctionality of the current international development system. It will be of interest to researchers and policymakers working within development economics and development policy.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Palgrave Macmillan}, author = {Sims, David}, month = dec, year = {2022}, } @misc{prieto_martin_how_2022, title = {How to develop capacity in the international development sector}, url = {https://clarissa.global/how-to-develop-capacity-in-the-international-development-sector/}, abstract = {In her acclaimed study of effective cross-organizational teamwork, Harvard Business School Professor Amy C. Edmonson concluded that “trying things that...}, language = {en-US}, urldate = {2024-01-29}, journal = {CLARISSA}, author = {Prieto Martín, Pedro}, month = aug, year = {2022}, } @techreport{johnson_integrating_2022, address = {Washington DC}, title = {Integrating {Local} {Knowledge} in {Development} {Programming}}, abstract = {The objective of this report, Integrating Local Knowledge in Development Programming is to share knowledge of how development donors and implementing organizations leverage local knowledge to inform programming. In a recent speech at Georgetown University, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power said, “As Americans with a fraught history living up to our own values, we’ve got to approach this work with intention and humility. But the entire development community needs to interrogate the traditional power dynamics of donor-driven development and look for ways to amplify the local voices of those who too often have been left out of the conversation.” To that end, USAID’s Agency Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning (KMOL) function facilitated conversations with multilateral and bilateral donors and local organizations to understand how organizations define, utilize, and incorporate local knowledge into their programmatic and operational activities. Using qualitative tools to gather data for this report, the research team explored five overarching themes: 1. Local Knowledge Nomenclature and Definitions 2. Best Practices 3. Outcomes 4. Ethics and Power Dynamics 5. Challenges}, language = {en}, institution = {USAID}, author = {Johnson, Madelyn and Maunder, Ishan and Pinga, Andie}, month = jul, year = {2022}, } @article{shaw_achieving_2022, title = {Achieving disability inclusive employment – {Are} the current approaches deep enough?}, volume = {n/a}, issn = {1099-1328}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jid.3692}, doi = {10.1002/jid.3692}, abstract = {Diverse approaches to promoting disability inclusive employment aim to transform workplaces into truly inclusive environments, usually with intervention strategies targeting two main groups: employers and jobseekers with disabilities. However, they do not always consider other relevant stakeholders or address the relationships and interactions between diverse actors in the wider social ecosystem. These approaches often neglect deeper ‘vexing’ difficulties which block progress towards disability inclusive work environments. Most interventions rightly embrace hegemonic ‘social models of disability’ and use human rights arguments but may neglect entrenched structural factors. Disability inclusive employment is complex, with unaddressed invisible aspects that continue to limit progress. We explore some key relevant disability concepts and then interrogate evidence from the ‘Inclusion Works’ programme working in four middle- and low-income countries, considering some intractable barriers underlying the slow movement towards inclusive employment. Finally, we propose that a more participatory action orientated approach involving disabled people and others is needed to both generate deeper understanding and provide pathways towards new solutions to obstinate problems through progressive action learning processes in context. Programmatic interventions that work across the levels of the ecosystem and address power relations and interactions between stakeholders could lead to more substantial forms of disability inclusive employment.}, language = {en}, number = {n/a}, urldate = {2022-08-04}, journal = {Journal of International Development}, author = {Shaw, Jackie and Wickenden, Mary and Thompson, Stephen and Mader, Philip}, month = jul, year = {2022}, note = {\_eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jid.3692}, } @article{gutheil_civil_2022, title = {Civil society organizations and managerialism: {On} the depoliticization of the adaptive management agenda}, volume = {n/a}, issn = {1467-7679}, shorttitle = {Civil society organizations and managerialism}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/dpr.12630}, doi = {10.1111/dpr.12630}, abstract = {Motivation In the last decade, a movement formed around making aid delivery more adaptive, relying on principles such as context sensitivity, flexibility, and ownership. The approaches seem promising for civil society organizations (CSOs) to fulfil their mission of fostering social transformation. While several donor agencies have started engaging with such approaches, the authors hardly see their political implications in practice. Purpose The article aims to provide evidence on an adaptive project and demonstrate how the social transformative and political nature of adaptive development management is rendered technical and depoliticized in practice. Methods and approach We use a case study of a development programme based on a social transformative policy framework that is implemented through CSOs in Uganda and Vietnam. Data were collected by means of interviews, participant observation and document analysis. Findings We find that, in practice, the social transformative policy framework is competing with managerial logics. We compare this process with the depoliticization of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, finding striking similarities. By using practice theory, we show how managerialism remains the dominant paradigm in the civil society aid sector, fuelling the “anti-politics machine.” Policy implications The article shows that policy frameworks do not always work as intended. Donors should therefore not only change policy frameworks, but also start addressing institutional and operational requirements.}, language = {en}, number = {n/a}, urldate = {2022-09-29}, journal = {Development Policy Review}, author = {Gutheil, Lena and Koch, Dirk-Jan}, month = jan, year = {2022}, note = {\_eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/dpr.12630}, } @book{schomerus_lives_2022, address = {New York, NY}, title = {Lives {Amid} {Violence}: {Transforming} {Development} in the {Wake} of {Conflict}}, isbn = {978-0-7556-4083-6}, shorttitle = {Lives {Amid} {Violence}}, url = {https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/lives-amid-violence-transforming-development-in-the-wake-of-conflict/}, abstract = {Violent conflict and its aftermath are pressing problems, particularly for international development initiatives. However, the results of development in conflict contexts have generally been disappointing and their preventative potential thus questionable. Available Open Access, Lives Amid Violence argues that this is because practitioners adhere to a mental model that emphasises linearity, certainty, and causality, assuming that violence is best addressed through work plans that deliver state-building, stabilisation and services. Based on ten years of multi-method research from, in, and on conflict-affected countries, this book challenges this approach.Drawing on a significant collaborative body of scholarship, this work puts forward original and generalizable conclusions about how lives amid violence persist, offering an invitation to abandon restricting mental models and to embrace creative ways of thinking and working. These include paying attention to the long-term effects of conflict on individual behaviour and decision-making, the social realities of economic life, the role service delivery plays in negotiations between citizens and states, and to creating meaningful relationships. Transformation also requires reflection and therefore the book concludes with constructive suggestions on how to practice these insights to better support those whose lives are shaped by violence.More details are available at www.transformingdevelopment.orgThe eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.}, language = {Inglés}, urldate = {2023-03-21}, author = {Schomerus, Mareike}, year = {2022}, } @article{nastase_technical_2021, title = {Technical assistance: a practical account of the challenges in design and implementation}, volume = {4}, issn = {2572-4754}, shorttitle = {Technical assistance}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8920999/}, doi = {10.12688/gatesopenres.13205.2}, abstract = {Technical assistance is provided to country governments as part of international development programmes to support policymaking or strengthen state capability. This article presents the conceptual evolution of ‘technical assistance’ linked to capacity development, starting with programmes aiming exclusively to enhance individual capacity in the 1950s to 1970s and progressing to complex systems approaches in the past ten years. It also presents some of the frequent challenges in designing and implementing technical assistance, drawing from the existing literature and the authors’ experience in international development. The article summarises the latest thinking about delivering more effective development, including the adaptive management practices and the initiatives to strengthen evidence about what works. Finally, we complement this article with a follow-up open letter reflecting on the current policy options and opportunities for change.}, urldate = {2023-10-20}, journal = {Gates Open Research}, author = {Nastase, Alexandra and Rajan, Alok and French, Ben and Bhattacharya, Debarshi}, month = nov, year = {2021}, pmid = {35299599}, pmcid = {PMC8920999}, pages = {177}, } @book{rayner_systems_2021, address = {Oxford}, title = {The {Systems} {Work} of {Social} {Change}: {How} to {Harness} {Connection}, {Context}, and {Power} to {Cultivate} {Deep} and {Enduring} {Change}}, isbn = {978-0-19-885745-7}, shorttitle = {The {Systems} {Work} of {Social} {Change}}, url = {https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Cynthia-Senior-Researcher-Senior-Researcher-Graduate-School-Rayner/The-Systems-Work-of-Social-Change--How-to-Harness-Connect/25942985}, abstract = {The issues of poverty, inequality, racial justice, and climate change have never been more pressing or paralyzing. Current approaches to social change, which rely on industrial models of production and power to "solve" social problems, are not helping. In fact, they are designed to entrench the status quo. In The Systems Work of Social Change, Cynthia Rayner and François Bonnici draw on two hundred years of history and a treasure trove of stories of committed social changemakers to uncover principles and practices for social change that radically depart from these approaches. Rather than delivering "solutions," these principles and practices focus on the process of change itself. Through rich storytelling and lucid analysis, Rayner and Bonnici show that connection, context, and power sit at the heart of the change process, ensuring broader agency for people and communities to create social systems that are responsive and representative in a rapidly changing world. Simple yet profound, this book distills a timely set of lessons for practitioners, leaders, scholars, and policymakers.}, language = {English}, urldate = {2023-02-24}, publisher = {OUP Oxford}, author = {Rayner, Cynthia and Bonnici, François}, month = oct, year = {2021}, } @techreport{teskey_implementing_2021, address = {Canberra}, title = {Implementing adaptive management: {A} front-line effort — {Is} there an emerging practice?}, url = {https://abtassocgovernancesoapbox.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/abt-associates_adaptive-management_a-frontline-effort_digital-1.pdf}, abstract = {Among the many principles that currently inform donor-funded development initiatives, three appear to stand out: they should be politically informed, locally led, and adaptive. There is as yet little practical guidance for aid implementers regarding how to operationalise these approaches. What will it take to shift practice away from linear and planned approaches, towards models which foster local leadership and which engage with emergent and complex systems? This paper suggests that the answer is not to throw out the discipline of the logical framework, results frameworks, or theories of change. Rather they need to be handled rather more reflectively and ‘elastically’. The purpose of this paper is to set out how this can be achieved, and to propose 15 tools for donors, implementors and front-line staff to apply adaptive management (AM) in practice, at critical stages of the project cycle and within the dominant aid paradigm. This is what we are calling PILLAR: politically informed, locally led and adaptive responses. We are framing PILLAR to cover the full project cycle (design, implementation and review), hence the nomenclature of an ‘end to end’ approach. Our hope is that these tools will eventually replace the current planned, log-frame driven and top-down approach to aid design and delivery which dominates the development sector.}, urldate = {2024-02-12}, institution = {Abt Associates}, author = {Teskey, Graham and Tyrrel, Lavinia}, month = apr, year = {2021}, } @techreport{chora_foundation_future_2021, address = {Haarlem (Netherlands)}, title = {The {Future} of {Development}: “{Make} {Happen}” with {Portfolios} of {Options}}, url = {https://static1.squarespace.com/static/600eb85f87ba7b33ef93a72a/t/604b93ead71c9b5f9e5f382a/1615565806067/Portfolios+of+Options+Green+Paper+upload.pdf}, abstract = {This Green Paper intends to review key elements of the problem that Development actors will confront as a new decade opens up ahead of us. It will articulate a solution that we believe should become an inherent feature of Development programs and initiatives. This is the outcome of an intense period of experiences and reflections in the Development space across different geographies and institutional mandates and activities, during which the Foundation has collaborated with institutions such as the UNDP and Grand Challenges Canada. At the heart of our collaborations is a Strategic Innovation and System Transformation Framework, with its associated concepts, working definitions, processes, tools and people. Sourced from CHÔRA Foundation’s knowledge and practice assets, this is a capability we intend to make relevant, customise, scale up and distribute to our partners and stakeholders. We are looking to create with them a space that offers the world a transformational capability. Central to this capability we see a distinctive and robust practice: the design and dynamic management of Portfolios of Strategic Innovation and System Transformation Options. These Portfolios are unique, context relevant, embedded mechanisms for learning, sensemaking and problem solving that social systems leverage to have an impact on themselves and their problems, and to induce the transformations that are necessary to them. It is our view that Portfolios of Options are the most effective means by which human social systems can supply themselves with budgets of possibility that ensure choice and create opportunity. They will also support pragmatic evolutionary outcomes and enable resilience.}, urldate = {2021-11-09}, institution = {CHÔRA Foundation}, author = {CHÔRA Foundation}, month = mar, year = {2021}, } @techreport{yanguas_what_2021, address = {Bonn}, type = {Discussion {Paper}}, title = {What have we learned about learning? {Unpacking} the relationship between knowledge and organisational change in development agencies}, copyright = {Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International}, shorttitle = {What have we learned about learning?}, url = {https://www.die-gdi.de/discussion-paper/article/what-have-we-learned-about-learning-unpacking-the-relationship-between-knowledge-and-organisational-change-in-development-agencies/}, abstract = {Development cooperation has spent decades wrangling over the merits, evidence, and implications of what we may term “the learning hypothesis”: the idea that increased knowledge by development organisations must logically lead to increased effectiveness in the performance of their development activities. Organisations of all stripes have built research and monitoring and evaluation (M\&E) departments, adopted a multitude of knowledge management systems and tools, and tinkered with different ways to structure their organograms to stimulate knowledge sharing and learning. The topic of organisational learning is particularly significant as the global development community grapples with increasingly complex problems and the aspiration of evidence-based policymaking. This paper presents an analytical framework for interrogating “the learning hypothesis”, breaking it down into causal steps: knowledge causes learning, learning causes organisational change, change causes effectiveness. The framework focuses on the first two sub-hypotheses, mapping out the conceptual space around them by outlining potential relationships between different types of knowledge – tacit and explicit, internal and external – and between different types of learning – operational and strategic. This map provides a foundation for three key research questions: What impact has the rising knowledge agenda had on development organisations? Which factors appear to enable or inhibit organisational learning? What is the relationship between operational and strategic learning and organisational change? A review of available evaluations and studies, including two cases from former UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank, reveals that there is insufficient evidence to support the causal claim that knowledge leads to learning and thereby to organisational change in development agencies. Sources point to tacit learning prevailing while explicit knowledge management systems flounder, and external advocacy agendas appear more compelling than internal research and evaluation products. It is not entirely clear how, or indeed, whether operational and strategic learning intersect, with delivery-level lessons hardly aggregating into structural or policy shifts. Organisational change – even that aimed at enhancing learning – is rarely based on lessons learned from practice. More research is necessary to fully unpack the learning hypothesis, but what limited evidence is available disproves rather than confirms its central claim. This has significant implications for the future of learning in development agencies as advocated by thought leaders, researchers, and reformers. In particular, the latter should consider an evidence-based reassessment of the function and value-for-money of research and M\&E in development practice, and a more critical examination of the politics of external advocacy efforts around innovative aid approaches like thinking and working politically, adaptive management, or results-based management.}, language = {en}, number = {9/2021}, urldate = {2021-07-30}, institution = {DIE - Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik}, author = {Yanguas, Pablo}, year = {2021}, note = {Publisher: German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) Version Number: 1.0}, } @article{feinstein_development_2020, title = {Development and radical uncertainty}, volume = {30}, issn = {0961-4524}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2020.1763258}, doi = {10.1080/09614524.2020.1763258}, abstract = {Development strategies, programmes and projects are designed making assumptions concerning several variables such as future prices of outputs and inputs, exchange rates and productivity growth. However, knowledge about the future is limited. Uncertainty prevails. The usual approach to deal with uncertainty is to reduce it to risk. Uncertainty is perceived as a negative factor that should and can be eliminated. This article presents an alternative approach which recognises that radical uncertainty is irreducible to risk, identifying a positive dimension of uncertainty and showing its implications for development practice.}, number = {8}, urldate = {2022-07-11}, journal = {Development in Practice}, author = {Feinstein, Osvaldo}, month = nov, year = {2020}, note = {Publisher: Routledge \_eprint: https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2020.1763258}, pages = {1105--1113}, } @misc{cekan_webinar_2020, title = {Webinar - {Sustainability} {Ready}: what it takes to support \& measure lasting change}, shorttitle = {Sustainability {Ready}}, url = {http://valuingvoices.com/sustainability-ready-what-it-takes-to-support-measure-lasting-change-webinar/}, abstract = {On June 24th under GLocal’s UNConference, “Co-creating our future stories of hope and action”, Jindra Cekan, Holta Trandafili, and Isabella Jean presented their work on sustainability evaluations and exit strategies via local voices. We chaired a 2-hour discussion session on the following topics: Sustainability of global development projects and exit from them, The importance of valuing local partners’ and participants’ voices, How to embed ex-post evaluation of sustainability into the project cycle, How expectations, benchmarking, and early joint planning in exit strategies, as well as considering long-term ownership \& relevance will support projects to be sustained locally, including questioning who will maintain results, Considering power dynamics between donors and ultimate ‘beneficiaries’ and the value of the impact of the project from a variety of perspectives, and more Here is the recording of our presentation or see just the PowerPoint presentation. We harvested lessons from our three presentations: Jindra Cekan: · Fear of learning about failure in our global development industry – INGOs are “waiting for a successful enough project” to commission ex-post project sustainability evaluation · It needs to be a culture of learning, not a culture of success. · Lack of transparency in sharing program evaluation results with communities and local government is widespread, and even more rarely do we come back after many years and share learnings · Participatory approaches are vital, listening to participants about sustained impacts is key · It is never attribution, always contribution. To isolate impacts, we need to look for project sites that haven’t had multiple other organizations overlapping through all phases. · Building sustainability planning throughout the project cycle is key – but often doesn’t happen Holta Trandafili: · Sustainability needs to be planned to be researched, including evaluating why or why not were project elements sustained, and why? What has the project done to enable communities to sustain improvements? · Expectations of sustainability need to be more modest (as most results are mixed good/bad) · We need to ask: How are you defining and measuring sustainability – for how long should the results last? Among how many participants? Have you set benchmarks for success? · We should expand your toolbox on methodology to investigate sustainability. Stories of success are one of a myriad of methods used, including mixed-methods, cost-benefit, etc. · Start with the need for learning not [just] accountability Isabella Jean: · Sustainability investigation/evaluation/learning should be mindful that this is NOT about projects. It is about people. · We have a system that focuses on gaps and needs to be filled vs. existing capacities’ structures to be reinforced. How can our work on measuring sustainability bring this to light and call it out, so that we change the norm? · Planning for sustainability requires the insight to integrate resources and experiences of outsiders with the assets and capacities of insiders to develop context-appropriate strategies for change If you would like to discuss this with any of us, please send us comments and we’re happy to respond. Thanks again to the G-Local UnConference team! Below please find our bios: Jindra Cekan/ova has worked in global development for 33 years focused on participatory design and M\&E for global non-profits. She founded Valuing Voices 7 years ago. For details, see: Valuing Voices Founder Holta Trandafili is the Research, Learning, and Analytics Manager with World Vision US and has been leading field research, monitoring, and evaluation since 2007. She has led sustainability measurement studies for World Vision programs in Uganda, Kenya, Sri Lanka, India, Burma, and Bolivia. Her areas of expertise and interest include program and community groups’ sustainability measurements; agency-level measurements; empowerment approaches to development; integrated programming; local capacities for peace; gender analysis; and outcome monitoring. Currently, Mrs. Trandafili serves as an Advisory Committee member for InterAction’s Effectiveness and Program Evaluation Working Group and chairs one of the sub-working groups under The Movement for Community-led Development. Isabella Jean supports international and local organizations and funders to document promising practices, facilitate learning and strengthen capacities for conflict sensitivity, peacebuilding and humanitarian effectiveness. She has facilitated action research, collaborative learning and advisory engagements in over 25 countries, and serves as an advisor to policymakers, senior leadership and program teams. Isabella co-authored the book, Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of Aid and developed practical guidance to support accountability to communities, listening and feedback loops, and responsible INGO exits. She teaches graduate-level courses on aid effectiveness, program strategies and M\&E of peacebuilding at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Previously, Isabella directed training at a community organizing network and conducted policy research for the Institute for Responsive Education, UNDP, and Coexistence International.}, language = {en-US}, urldate = {2020-10-01}, journal = {Valuing Voices}, author = {Cekan, Jindra}, month = jul, year = {2020}, } @misc{mason_farewell_2020, title = {Farewell {DFID} … a personal obituary}, url = {https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/farewell-dfid-phil-mason-obe/}, abstract = {Reflection on how DFID was created.}, urldate = {2020-10-15}, journal = {LinkedIn - Phil Mason}, author = {Mason, Phil}, month = jun, year = {2020}, } @misc{baguios_looking_2020, title = {Looking for a way out of aid’s pre-pandemic mess? {A} model based on cake}, shorttitle = {Looking for a way out of aid’s pre-pandemic mess?}, url = {https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/looking-for-a-way-out-of-aids-pre-pandemic-mess-a-model-based-on-cake/}, abstract = {Arbie Baguios presents his ideas on how to reform the aid system}, language = {en-GB}, urldate = {2020-10-15}, journal = {From Poverty to Power}, author = {Baguios, Arbie}, month = jun, year = {2020}, } @techreport{ashoka_embracing_2020, title = {Embracing complexity - {Towards} a shared understanding of funding systems change}, url = {https://www.ashoka.org/files/embracing-complexitypdf}, language = {en-us}, urldate = {2023-11-20}, institution = {Ashoka}, author = {Ashoka}, month = jan, year = {2020}, } @techreport{sharp_how_2019, address = {London}, type = {Briefing paper}, title = {How {DFID} can better manage complexity in development programming}, url = {https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/12675.pdf}, abstract = {The United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) is an ambitious government department that is committed to reducing poverty and conflict overseas. Many of the issues on which DFID works are complex; whether focused on climate change, gender equality, health or other priorities, simple solutions rarely exist. And to tackle these complex challenges, DFID staff must interact with unpredictable systems of political, organisational and individual behaviours and incentives. There is a risk that complex problems spur more complicated programmes; that the complexity of development challenges is addressed through designing programmes with too many projects and implementers. While there may be valid reasons for this, too many of these complicated programmes will overburden staff. This briefing note is the outcome of an ongoing process within DFID to confront these issues and answer the question: how can DFID design and manage programmes to address complex development challenges without creating too much staff workload? Key messages DFID deals with complex problems, which require flexible systems to support testing, learning and adaptation. • Complex problems do not necessarily require workload-heavy delivery structures, but simpler approaches depend on delivery partners’ experience and competence. • However, programmes that tackle complex problems do require more hands-on engagement and face more workload from inflexible compliance requirements. We suggest that DFID and similar agencies: • Pay closer attention to delivery options in programme design, making use of existing options where possible and, where not, fostering local organisations through long-term investments. • Encourage programme designers to articulate how ambition matches resources and consider ‘good enough’ design. • Reduce the burden of compliance by cultivating partner autonomy, reassessing results and valuefor-money requirements and promoting more flexible contracting and procurement. • Plan and prioritise management resources across a portfolio of programmes to make sure they can be focused in the right areas, where the complexity of the problem requires greater engagement.}, language = {en}, urldate = {2019-05-15}, institution = {ODI}, author = {Sharp, Samuel and Valters, Craig and Whitty, Brendan}, month = mar, year = {2019}, } @article{honig_when_2019, title = {When {Reporting} {Undermines} {Performance}: {The} {Costs} of {Politically} {Constrained} {Organizational} {Autonomy} in {Foreign} {Aid} {Implementation}}, volume = {2019}, url = {https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/79440b61-e70b-4220-b67f-e5edb0157a24/downloads/1c56piqgv_347672.pdf}, number = {winter}, urldate = {2018-02-16}, journal = {International Organization}, author = {Honig, Daniel}, year = {2019}, } @article{ang_going_2018, title = {Going {Local} 2.0: {How} to {Reform} {Development} {Agencies} to {Make} {Localized} {Aid} {More} {Than} {Talk}}, shorttitle = {Going {Local} 2.0}, url = {https://ssir.org/articles/entry/going_local_2.0_how_to_reform_development_agencies_localized_aid}, abstract = {More and more global aid agencies believe they should replace one-size-fits-all best practices with locally tailored solutions, but they must shift from just agreeing to “go local” to preparing development experts for the task by taking on three major problems with their internal practices.}, language = {en-us}, urldate = {2018-10-26}, journal = {Stanford Social Innovation Review}, author = {Ang, Yuen Yuen}, month = oct, year = {2018}, } @misc{mulgan_collective_2018, title = {Collective intelligence and achieving the {Sustainable} {Development} {Goals}}, url = {https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/collective-intelligence-and-achieving-sustainable-development-goals/}, abstract = {Collective intelligence and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals}, language = {en}, urldate = {2018-10-03}, journal = {nesta}, author = {Mulgan, Geoff}, month = sep, year = {2018}, } @book{yanguas_why_2018, title = {Why {We} {Lie} {About} {Aid}: {Development} and the {Messy} {Politics} of {Change}}, isbn = {978-1-78360-933-8}, shorttitle = {Why {We} {Lie} {About} {Aid}}, abstract = {Foreign aid is about charity. International development is about technical fixes. At least that is what we, as donor publics, are constantly told. The result is a highly dysfunctional aid system which mistakes short-term results for long-term transformation and gets attacked across the political spectrum, with the right claiming we spend too much, and the left that we don't spend enough. The reality, as Yanguas argues in this highly provocative book, is that aid isn't – or at least shouldn't be – about levels of spending, nor interventions shackled to vague notions of ‘accountability’ and ‘ownership’. Instead, a different approach is possible, one that acknowledges aid as being about struggle, about taking sides, about politics. It is an approach that has been quietly applied by innovative development practitioners around the world, providing political coverage for local reformers to open up spaces for change. Drawing on a variety of convention-defying stories from a variety of countries – from Britain to the US, Sierra Leone to Honduras – Yanguas provides an eye-opening account of what we really mean when we talk about aid.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Zed Books}, author = {Yanguas, Pablo}, month = feb, year = {2018}, } @book{campbell_global_2018, address = {Cambridge, United Kingdom New York, NY Port Melbourne, Australia}, title = {Global governance and local peace: accountability and performance in international peacebuilding}, isbn = {978-1-108-41865-2}, shorttitle = {Global governance and local peace}, abstract = {Local peacebuilding and global accountability -- The country context--Burundi from 1999 to 2014 -- Ingos in peacebuilding--globally unaccountable, locally adaptive -- International organizations in peacebuilding--globally accountable, locally constrained -- Bilateral development donors--accountable for global targets, not local change}, language = {eng}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, author = {Campbell, Susanna}, year = {2018}, note = {OCLC: 1048387754}, } @book{honig_navigation_2018, title = {Navigation by {Judgment}: {Why} and when {Top} {Down} {Management} of {Foreign} {Aid} {Doesn}'t {Work}}, isbn = {978-0-19-067245-4}, shorttitle = {Navigation by {Judgment}}, abstract = {Foreign aid organizations collectively spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually, with mixed results. Part of the problem in these endeavors lies in their execution. When should foreign aid organizations empower actors on the front lines of delivery to guide aid interventions, and when should distant headquarters lead? In Navigation by Judgment, Dan Honig argues that high-quality implementation of foreign aid programs often requires contextual information that cannot be seen by those in distant headquarters. Tight controls and a focus on reaching pre-set measurable targets often prevent front-line workers from using skill, local knowledge, and creativity to solve problems in ways that maximize the impact of foreign aid. Drawing on a novel database of over 14,000 discrete development projects across nine aid agencies and eight paired case studies of development projects, Honig concludes that aid agencies will often benefit from giving field agents the authority to use their own judgments to guide aid delivery. This "navigation by judgment" is particularly valuable when environments are unpredictable and when accomplishing an aid program's goals is hard to accurately measure. Highlighting a crucial obstacle for effective global aid, Navigation by Judgment shows that the management of aid projects matters for aid effectiveness.}, language = {en}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, author = {Honig, Dan}, year = {2018}, note = {Google-Books-ID: GT5MDwAAQBAJ}, } @techreport{nesta_states_2018, address = {London}, title = {States of {Change} - {Learning} programme}, url = {https://media.nesta.org.uk/documents/states_of_change_-_scoping_workshop_-_day_2.pdf}, urldate = {2018-10-03}, institution = {Nesta}, author = {Nesta}, year = {2018}, } @misc{evans_is_2017, title = {Is there a new {Washington} {Consensus}? {An} analysis of five {World} {Development} {Reports}}, url = {http://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/is-there-a-new-washington-consensus-an-analysis-of-five-world-development-reports/}, abstract = {Is there a new Washington Consensus? Alice Evans analyses the last five World Development Reports and finds significant changes in orthodoxy, but also big gaps}, urldate = {2017-11-04}, journal = {From Poverty to Power}, author = {Evans, Alice}, month = nov, year = {2017}, } @book{chambers_can_2017, address = {Rugby, UK}, title = {Can we know better? {Reflections} for {Development}}, isbn = {978-1-85339-945-9 978-1-78044-944-9}, shorttitle = {Can {We} {Know} {Better}?}, url = {http://www.developmentbookshelf.com/doi/book/10.3362/9781780449449}, abstract = {This book is intended for all who are committed to human wellbeing and who want to make our world fairer, safer and more fulfilling for everyone, especially those who are 'last'. It argues that to do better we need to know better. It provides evidence that what we believe we know in international development is often distorted or unbalanced by errors, myths, biases and blind spots. Undue weight has been attached to standardised methodologies such as randomized control trials, systematic reviews, and competitive bidding: these are shown to have huge transaction costs which are rarely if ever recognized in their enormity. Robert Chambers contrasts a Newtonian paradigm in which the world is seen and understood as controllable with a paradigm of complexity which recognizes that the real world of social processes and power relations is messy and unpredictable. To confront the challenges of complex and emergent realities requires a revolutionary new professionalism. This is underpinned by a new combination of canons of rigour expressed through eclectic methodological pluralism and participatory approaches which reverse and transform power relations. Promising developments include rapid innovations in participatory ICTs, participatory statistics, and the Reality Check Approach with its up-to-date and rigorously grounded insights. Fundamental to the new professionalism, in every country and context, are reflexivity, facilitation, groundtruthing, and personal mindsets, behaviour, attitudes, empathy and love. Robert Chambers surveys the past world of international development, and his own past views, with an honest and critical eye, and then launches into the world of complexity with a buoyant enthusiasm. He draws on almost six decades of experience in varied roles in Africa, South Asia and elsewhere as practitioner, trainer, manager, teacher, evaluator and field researcher, also working in UNHCR and the Ford Foundation. He is a Research Associate and Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, his base for many years. Can We Know Better? is essential reading for researchers and students of development, for policy makers and evaluators, and for all those working towards the better world of the Sustainable Development Goals.}, language = {en}, urldate = {2017-09-08}, publisher = {Practical Action}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, month = aug, year = {2017}, doi = {10.3362/9781780449449}, } @article{buntaine_aiming_2017, title = {Aiming at the {Wrong} {Targets}: {The} {Domestic} {Consequences} of {International} {Efforts} to {Build} {Institutions}}, volume = {61}, issn = {0020-8833}, shorttitle = {Aiming at the {Wrong} {Targets}}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/isq/article/61/2/471/3866882/Aiming-at-the-Wrong-Targets-The-Domestic}, doi = {10.1093/isq/sqx013}, abstract = {We explain why international development organizations have had so little success building and reforming public sector institutions in developing countries. They often fail despite their apparently strong commitment to achieving measurable results and extraordinary amounts of time, money, and effort. We demonstrate that, when donors and lenders make access to financing contingent upon achievement of performance targets, recipient countries tend to choose easy and shallow institutional targets. These targets measure the organization of public sector institutions, rather than their effectiveness at addressing public problems. Such targets provide countries with low-cost opportunities to signal commitment to institution-building to international development organizations. We demonstrate the explanatory and predictive power of our argument in the context of a sector of World Bank lending—environment and natural resource management—that focuses heavily on improving public sector institutions.}, number = {2}, urldate = {2017-09-22}, journal = {International Studies Quarterly}, author = {Buntaine, Mark T. and Parks, Bradley C. and Buch, Benjamin P.}, month = jun, year = {2017}, pages = {471--488}, } @misc{quaggiotto_profiling_2017, title = {Profiling the international development mutants}, url = {http://diytoolkit.org/profiling-the-development-mutants/}, abstract = {As part of a new series, we talk to Giulio Quaggiotto about the development ‘mutants’ – innovators working at the edge of the field.}, urldate = {2017-05-31}, journal = {Development Impact and You}, author = {Quaggiotto, Giulio}, month = may, year = {2017}, } @misc{pritchett_how_2017, title = {How did {China} create “{Directed} {Improvisation}”?}, url = {https://buildingstatecapability.com/2017/05/10/how-did-china-create-directed-improvisation}, abstract = {written by Lant Pritchett Yuen-Yuen Ang, a Professor of Political Science at University of Michigan came to speak at Harvard the other day and I was lucky enough to hear her presentation.  Her most…}, urldate = {2017-05-12}, journal = {Building State Capability}, author = {Pritchett, Lant}, month = may, year = {2017}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @book{lentfer_smart_2017, title = {Smart {Risks}: {How} small grants are helping to solve some of the world's biggest problems}, isbn = {978-1-85339-930-5}, shorttitle = {Smart {Risks}}, abstract = {As never before, international aid is in the hands of ordinary people. Concerned citizens in wealthy countries are starting philanthropy groups, joining giving circles, and travelling internationally to lend support. Yet, they are torn between the feelings that 'something' must be done about global poverty and that foreign assistance is creating dependency and fueling corruption overseas.A growing community of international small grant-makers know how to find and fund effective grassroots initiatives. Compared to donor-controlled, large-scale, project-based international aid funding, small grant-makers use the concept of 'smart risks' to build upon existing human and social capital and to make a lasting changes in people's lives. Smart Risks brings together the wisdom of experts with wide-ranging experience within the development sector. Their contributions focus on five guiding question, such as 'who is a smart risk?' and 'what is your role in smart risks?' They include case studies, personal stories of lessons learned over time, provocative insights on power and privilege, and practical frameworks for choosing, investing in, and measuring the impact of grassroots organizations and movements. This book is essential reading for all those who wonder how their donations and work can make a difference in developing countries - from aid agency staff and policy makers, to globally engaged individuals.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Practical Action Publishing}, editor = {Lentfer, Jennifer and Cothran, Tanya}, month = apr, year = {2017}, } @article{kramer_systems_2017, title = {Systems {Change} in a {Polarized} {Country}}, url = {https://ssir.org/articles/entry/systems_change_in_a_polarized_country}, abstract = {A growing number of US foundations are adopting practices based on systems change to achieve their goals in the current political environment.}, urldate = {2017-09-04}, journal = {Stanford Social Innovation Review}, author = {Kramer, Mark R.}, month = apr, year = {2017}, } @techreport{vogel_innovating_2017, title = {Innovating in {Development} {Learning} {Event} - {Challenge} brief}, url = {https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/59d66228e5274a5becce36b0/challenge_brief_v8a.pdf}, urldate = {2023-01-11}, institution = {Ideas to Impact / iMC}, author = {Vogel, Isabel}, month = mar, year = {2017}, } @techreport{vogel_innovation_2017, type = {Workshop report}, title = {Innovation in development: {Sharing} learning, improving impact}, url = {https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f022002d3bf7f7691f44c3b/Innovation_in_development_Learning_Event_workshop_report.pdf}, urldate = {2023-01-11}, institution = {Ideas to Impact / IMC Worldwide}, author = {Vogel, Isabel and Minkley, Gabrielle and Chowdhury, Sajid}, month = feb, year = {2017}, } @techreport{knox-clarke_changing_2017, address = {London}, title = {Changing humanitarian action?}, shorttitle = {Changing {Humanitarian} {Action}?}, url = {http://www.alnap.org/resource/23591}, abstract = {We live in times of profound change. This has had a great impact on humanitarian needs, and the approaches taken to meet these needs. Changes in technology, ecology, politics, economics and demographics have shaped, and will continue to shape, humanitarian action. Many humanitarians and observers of humanitarian action have suggested that change initiatives in the sector have been unambitious and unsuccessful. Indeed, many people think that the humanitarian system is unable, or unwilling, to make the changes that are required to remain effective and relevant in a rapidly changing world. Following the World Humanitarian Summit many stakeholders have made commitments to significant changes. But can the system change? And if so, how? As a network which exists to support change and improvement, it seems appropriate that ALNAP meets to consider how change occurs in the humanitarian system, and how it can be done better. Find out more about the 31st Annual Meeting by reading the concept note, or by visiting alnap.org/31am.}, urldate = {2017-02-15}, institution = {ALNAP/ODI}, author = {Knox-Clarke, Paul}, year = {2017}, } @phdthesis{vahamaki_matrixing_2017, title = {Matrixing {Aid}: {The} {Rise} and {Fall} of '{Results} {Initiatives}' in {Swedish} {Development} {Aid}}, shorttitle = {Matrixing {Aid}}, url = {http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:1054590}, urldate = {2017-10-09}, school = {Stockholm Business School, Stockholm University}, author = {Vähämäki, Janet}, year = {2017}, } @book{world_bank_world_2017, address = {Washington DC}, title = {World {Development} {Report} 2017: {Governance} and the {Law}}, url = {http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2017}, urldate = {2016-08-05}, publisher = {The World Bank}, author = {World Bank}, year = {2017}, } @techreport{ramalingam_ten_2016, address = {Brighton}, title = {Ten {Frontier} {Technologies} for {International} {Development}}, copyright = {http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/IDSOpenDocsStandardTermsOfUse.pdf}, url = {https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/12637}, abstract = {As new technologies and digital business models reshape economies and disrupt incumbencies, interest has surged in the potential of novel frontier technologies to also contribute to positive changes in international development and humanitarian contexts. Widespread adoption of new technologies is acknowledged as centrally important to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. But while frontier technologies can rapidly address large-scale economic, social or political challenges, they can also involve the displacement of existing technologies and carry considerable uncertainty and risk. Although there have been significant wins bringing the benefits of new technologies to poor consumers through examples such as mobile money or off-grid solar energy, there are many other areas where the applications may not yet have been developed into viable market solutions, or where opportunities have not yet been taken up in development practice.}, language = {en}, urldate = {2016-11-07}, institution = {IDS}, author = {Ramalingam, Ben and Hernandez, Kevin and Prieto Martin, Pedro and Faith, Becky}, month = nov, year = {2016}, } @techreport{nesta_designing_2016, address = {London}, title = {Designing for {Public} {Services}}, url = {http://www.designforeurope.eu/news-opinion/designing-public-services-practical-guide-nesta-ideo}, urldate = {2018-10-03}, institution = {Nesta/IDEO}, author = {Nesta}, month = nov, year = {2016}, } @book{green_how_2016, address = {New York}, title = {How {Change} {Happens}}, isbn = {978-0-19-878539-2}, abstract = {Human society is full of would-be 'change agents', a restless mix of campaigners, lobbyists, and officials, both individuals and organizations, set on transforming the world. They want to improve public services, reform laws and regulations, guarantee human rights, get a fairer deal for those on the sharp end, achieve greater recognition for any number of issues, or simply be treated with respect. Striking then, that not many universities have a Department of Change Studies, to which social activists can turn for advice and inspiration. Instead, scholarly discussions of change are fragmented with few conversations crossing disciplinary boundaries, rarely making it onto the radars of those actively seeking change. This book bridges the gap between academia and practice, bringing together the best research from a range of academic disciplines and the evolving practical understanding of activists to explore the topic of social and political change. Drawing on many first-hand examples from the global experience of Oxfam, one of the world's largest social justice NGOs, as well as the author's insights from studying and working on international development, it tests ideas on How Change Happens and offers the latest thinking on what works to achieve progressive change. This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is available as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.}, language = {English}, publisher = {OUP Oxford}, author = {Green, Duncan}, month = oct, year = {2016}, } @misc{lee_moving_2016, title = {Moving from {Real}-{Time} {Data} to {Real}-{Time} {Programs}}, shorttitle = {\#{LongReads}}, url = {https://reboot.org/2016/10/12/longreads-moving-real-time-data-real-time-programs/}, abstract = {How can we avoid drowning in data to actually make better decisions?}, urldate = {2017-02-23}, journal = {Reboot}, author = {Lee, Panthea}, month = oct, year = {2016}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @techreport{noauthor_nairobi_2016, title = {Nairobi {Outcome} {Document}}, url = {http://effectivecooperation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/GPEDC.NBO-OC-doc-rewritten-draft-3-october-2016.pdf}, urldate = {2016-11-15}, month = oct, year = {2016}, } @techreport{blampied_where_2016, address = {London}, title = {Where next for development effectiveness? {Building} a renewed consensus}, url = {https://www.odi.org/events/4395-development-effectiveness-sdgs-sustainable-development-goals}, number = {Conference note 1}, urldate = {2016-11-15}, institution = {ODI}, author = {Blampied, Catherine}, month = oct, year = {2016}, } @techreport{carter_where_2016, address = {London}, title = {Where next for development effectiveness? {Implementing} development effectiveness: a reality check}, url = {https://www.odi.org/events/4395-development-effectiveness-sdgs-sustainable-development-goals}, number = {Conference note 5}, urldate = {2016-11-15}, institution = {ODI}, author = {Carter, Paddy}, month = oct, year = {2016}, } @misc{quaggiotto_building_2016, title = {Building elevators for development mutants}, url = {https://disrupt-and-innovate.org/building-elevators-development-mutants/}, abstract = {I recently had the opportunity to learn about General Mill’s (the US food giant) “emerging brands elevator” program (also known as 301 Inc). Traditionally, General Mills has grown either through mergers and acquisitions, or by building new businesses from the ground up. Increasingly, however, it found that small brands were much faster at innovation, so … Continue reading Building elevators for development mutants}, urldate = {2016-09-16}, journal = {Disrupt \& Innovate}, author = {Quaggiotto, Giulio}, month = aug, year = {2016}, } @article{clist_payment_2016, title = {Payment by {Results} in {Development} {Aid}: {All} {That} {Glitters} {Is} {Not} {Gold}}, volume = {31}, issn = {0257-3032, 1564-6971}, shorttitle = {Payment by {Results} in {Development} {Aid}}, url = {http://wbro.oxfordjournals.org/content/31/2/290}, doi = {10.1093/wbro/lkw005}, abstract = {Payment by Results (PbR), where aid is disbursed conditional upon progress against a pre-agreed measure, is becoming increasingly important for various donors. There are great hopes that this innovative instrument will focus attention on ultimate outcomes and lead to greater aid effectiveness by passing the delivery risk on to recipients. However, there is very little related empirical evidence, and previous attempts to place it on a sure conceptual footing are rare and incomplete. This article collates and synthesises relevant insights from a wide range of subfields in economics, providing a rich framework with which to analyze Payment by Results. I argue that the domain in which it dominates more traditional forms is relatively small and if it is used too broadly, many of the results it claims are likely to be misleading. The likelihood of illusory gains stems from the difficulty of using a single indicator to simultaneously measure and reward performance: ‘once a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.’ This does not mean PbR should not be used (indeed it will be optimal in some settings), but it does mean that claims of success should be treated with caution.}, language = {en}, number = {2}, urldate = {2016-11-27}, journal = {The World Bank Research Observer}, author = {Clist, Paul}, month = aug, year = {2016}, keywords = {Conditionality, Contract theory, F35, Foreign Aid, Multitask model, performance}, pages = {290--319}, } @misc{alan_politics_2016, title = {Politics matters, so what? {Time} for bigger bets (and more learning) on adaptive programming}, shorttitle = {Politics matters, so what?}, url = {http://www.globalintegrity.org/2016/07/politics-matters-time-bigger-bets-learning-adaptive-programming/}, abstract = {By Alan Hudson, Executive Director, Global Integrity, July 26, 2016 Politics matters. Context too. And blueprints have limited value. Our strategy is based on these insights, so we’re totally on board. A World Development Report (WDR) that puts power and politics...}, urldate = {2016-11-04}, journal = {www.globalintegrity.org}, author = {{Alan}}, month = jul, year = {2016}, } @techreport{devarajan_if_2016, title = {If politics is the problem, how can external actors be part of the solution?}, url = {http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/906091469456194816}, abstract = {Despite a large body of research and evidence on the policies and institutions needed to generate growth and reduce poverty, many governments fail to adopt these policies or establish the institutions. Research advances since the 1990s have explained this syndrome, which this paper generically calls}, language = {en}, number = {WPS7761}, urldate = {2016-08-05}, institution = {The World Bank}, author = {Devarajan, Shantayanan and Khemani, Stuti}, month = jul, year = {2016}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @misc{quaggiotto_fall_2016, title = {Fall in love with the solution, not the problem}, url = {http://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/fall-love-solution-not-problem}, abstract = {Three strategies for international development organisations to solve problems without defining them.}, urldate = {2016-09-16}, journal = {Nesta}, author = {Quaggiotto, Giulio and Leurs, Bas and Hazeldine, Shaun}, month = jul, year = {2016}, } @techreport{buffardi_when_2016, title = {When theory meets reality: assumptions, feasibility and implications of a complexity-informed approach}, url = {https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/10604.pdf}, abstract = {Over the last half century, repeated calls for adaptive learning in development suggests two things: many practitioners are working in complex situations that may benefit from flexible approaches, and such approaches can be difficult to apply in practice. • Complexity thinking can offer useful recommendations on how to take advantage of distributed capacities, joint interpretation of problems and learning through experimentation in complex development programmes. • However, these recommendations rely on underlying assumptions about relationships, power and flexibility that may not hold true in practice, particularly for programmes operating in a risk averse, results-driven environment. • This paper poses guiding questions to assess the fit and feasibility of integrating complexity informed practices into development programmes.}, urldate = {2018-11-10}, institution = {Methods Lab}, author = {Buffardi, Anne}, month = may, year = {2016}, pages = {16}, } @article{flyvbjerg_fallacy_2016, title = {The {Fallacy} of {Beneficial} {Ignorance}: {A} {Test} of {Hirschman}'s {Hiding} {Hand}}, volume = {84}, shorttitle = {The {Fallacy} of {Beneficial} {Ignorance}}, url = {https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2767128}, doi = {10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.03.012}, abstract = {Albert O. Hirschman's principle of the Hiding Hand stands stronger and more celebrated today than ever. The principle states that ignorance is good in planning,}, urldate = {2017-04-13}, journal = {World Development}, author = {Flyvbjerg, Bent}, month = apr, year = {2016}, keywords = {Behavioral economics, Development, Hiding hand, Ignorance, Management}, pages = {176--89}, } @misc{quaggiotto_era_2016, title = {The era of development mutants}, url = {http://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/era-development-mutants}, abstract = {If you were looking for the cutting edge of the development sector, where would you go these days?}, urldate = {2017-02-17}, journal = {Nesta}, author = {Quaggiotto, Giulio}, month = apr, year = {2016}, } @techreport{bennett_time_2016, address = {London}, title = {Time to let go: remaking humanitarian action for the modern era}, shorttitle = {Time to let go}, url = {https://www.odi.org/publications/10381-time-let-go-remaking-humanitarian-action-modern-era}, abstract = {As the international humanitarian system faces a crisis of legitimacy, the Humanitarian Policy Group’s landmark report proposes a new model of humanitarian action.}, urldate = {2017-03-17}, institution = {ODI}, author = {Bennett, Christina}, month = apr, year = {2016}, } @techreport{khemani_making_2016, title = {Making politics work for development: harnessing transparency and citizen engagement}, shorttitle = {Making politics work for development}, url = {http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2016/06/26480682/making-politics-work-development-harnessing-transparency-citizen-engagement}, abstract = {Too often, government leaders fail to adopt and implement policies that they know are necessary for sustained economic development. They are encumbered by adverse political incentives, which prevent them from selecting good policies, and they run the risk of losing office should they try to do the right thing. Even when technically sound policies are selected by leaders, implementation can run into perverse behavioral norms among public officials and citizens, who seek to extract private benefits from the public sector. Such behavior might be supported by widespread beliefs that corruption is the norm. Even countries with low corruption and strong institutions experience problems of political incentives and behavior that prevent the public sector from solving shared problems. Ideological polarization among citizens and capture by special interests can lead to policy gridlock and the failure of the state to provide public goods, even in advanced economies. Even educated citizens can hold ideological beliefs about the role of public policy that lead them to deny technical evidence contrary to these beliefs. Too often, government leaders fail to adopt and implement policies that they know are necessary for sustained economic development. Political constraints can prevent leaders from following sound technical advice, even when leaders have the best of intentions. Making Politics Work for Development: Harnessing Transparency and Citizen Engagement focuses on two forces—citizen engagement and transparency—that hold the key to solving government failures by shaping how political markets function. In today’s participative world, citizens are not only queueing at voting booths, but are also taking to the streets and using modern communication technology to select, sanction, and pressure the leaders who wield power within government. This political engagement can function in highly nuanced ways even within the same formal institutional context and across the political spectrum, from autocracies to democracies. Political engagement becomes unhealthy when leaders are selected and sanctioned on the basis of their provision of private benefits rather than public goods, giving rise to a range of government failures. The solutions to these failures lie in fostering healthy political engagement within any institutional context, and not in circumventing or suppressing it. Transparency—citizen access to publicly available information about the actions of those in government and the consequences of these actions—can play a crucial role by nourishing political engagement. The report distills policy lessons for governments, international development partners, and civil society on how best to target transparency initiatives so that the provision of public goods becomes the focus of political contestation. Even so, unhealthy political engagement may persist. But to build institutions that are capable of tackling public goods problems, politics needs to be addressed and cannot be side-stepped. Targeted transparency is one way to move in the right direction: it complements everything else policy makers do and holds the potential to make politics work for development rather than against it. " This pathbreaking report places politics at the heart of the development dialogue—exactly where it belongs. It provides constructive ideas for harnessing the forces of transparency and citizen engagement in ways that are suited to diverse institutional contexts so that reform leaders can overcome political constraints to their countries’ development goals. " Asli Demirgüç-Kunt, Director of Research, Development Research Group, The World Bank "This book not only provides an authoritative statement of what we know about how to align political incentives with the interests of society, but it does so with an eye to making change happen even in the face of political opposition. The World Bank will never be the same again. " James Robinson, University Professor, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago " A lesson for us at the World Bank also comes out of this research. We can do more…to work with our clients to diminish political constraints to achieving development goals…To do this we have to overcome the fear of talking about politics, and confront it as part of the challenge of development. That is what we are doing through this report. " Kaushik Basu, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, The World Bank}, language = {en}, number = {106337}, urldate = {2016-07-07}, institution = {The World Bank}, author = {Khemani, Stuti and Ferraz, Claudio and Finan, Frederico S. and Johnson, Stephenson and Louise, Corinne and Abrahams, Scott David and Odugbemi, Adesinaola Michael and Dal Bó, Ernesto and Thapa, Dikshya}, month = jan, year = {2016}, pages = {1--281}, } @techreport{buckley_getting_2016, address = {London}, title = {Getting good at disruption in an uncertain world: {Insights} from {Southern} {NGO} leaders}, url = {http://pubs.iied.org/11505IIED}, urldate = {2017-02-18}, institution = {International Institute for Environment and Development}, author = {Buckley, Lila and Ward, Halina}, month = jan, year = {2016}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @article{flyvbjerg_principle_2016, title = {The {Principle} of the {Malevolent} {Hiding} {Hand}; or, the {Planning} {Fallacy} {Writ} {Large}}, volume = {83}, url = {https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2654423}, abstract = {We identify and document a new principle of economic behavior: the principle of the Malevolent Hiding Hand. In a famous discussion, Albert Hirschman celebrated the Hiding Hand, which he saw as a benevolent mechanism by which unrealistically optimistic planners embark on unexpectedly challenging plans, only to be rescued by human ingenuity, which they could not anticipate, but which ultimately led to success, principally in the form of unexpectedly high net benefits. Studying eleven projects, Hirschman suggested that the Hiding Hand is a general phenomenon. But the Benevolent Hiding Hand has an evil twin, the Malevolent Hiding Hand, which blinds excessively optimistic planners not only to unexpectedly high costs but also to unexpectedly low net benefits. Studying a much larger sample than Hirschman did, we find that the Malevolent Hiding Hand is common and that the phenomenon that Hirschman identified is rare. This sobering finding suggests that Hirschman’s phenomenon is a special case; it attests to the pervasiveness of the planning fallacy, writ very large. One implication involves the continuing need to de-bias decisions and decision support tools like cost-benefit analysis; another is that accountability for decision makers, planners, and forecasters is required for such de-biasing to be effective and lasting.}, language = {en}, number = {4}, urldate = {2019-03-12}, journal = {Soocial Research}, author = {Flyvbjerg, Bent and Sunstein, Cass R.}, year = {2016}, keywords = {Behavioral economics, Cost-benefit analysis, Hiding hand, Planning fallacy}, pages = {979--1004}, } @techreport{lough_reciprocity_2016, address = {Oslo}, title = {Reciprocity in {International} {Volunteer} {Cooperation}}, url = {https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin_Lough/publication/296845227_Reciprocity_in_International_Volunteer_Cooperation/links/56efaae708aed17d09f87fd3.pdf}, urldate = {2017-06-07}, institution = {Fredskorpset Norway}, author = {Lough, Benjamin J.}, year = {2016}, } @techreport{shutt_towards_2016, address = {Stockholm}, title = {Towards an {Alternative} {Development} {Management} {Paradigm}?}, url = {https://eba.se/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Rapport2016_07_webb.pdf}, abstract = {Demonstrating results has been a concern in international development cooperation ever since it was started and in recent years there has been an increased focus on achieving and reporting on “results”. Despite the fact that everyone involved in development cooperation wants to make a difference there has been a growing criticism from practitioners about the “results agenda” based on a concern that the approaches used are not fit for purpose. In the EBA-report, Cathy Shutt, at the University of Sussex, scrutinizes the recent critical debate about results based management, and the main arguments and motives behind the criticism. She shows that the debate is not only a matter of obsessive measurement and reporting of meaningless numbers for political accountability, but also a matter of problematic assumptions and how we think about development, evidence and learning. In the report, Shutt also explores what could be learned from those who are not just critiquing results based management approaches but also proposing alternatives. Are these new alternatives an answer to the criticism?}, urldate = {2019-12-02}, institution = {Expertgruppen för biståndsanalys (EBA)}, author = {Shutt, Cathy}, year = {2016}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @incollection{whaites_release_2015, title = {Release the pressure on governance practitioners}, url = {http://www.oecd.org/dac/governance-peace/governance/governance-practitioners-notebook.htm}, abstract = {The Governance Practitioner’s Notebook takes an unusual approach for the OECD-DAC Network on Governance (GovNet). It brings together a collection of specially written notes aimed at those who work as governance practitioners within development agencies. It does so, however, without attempting to offer definitive guidance – instead aiming to stimulate thinking and debate. To aid this process the book is centred on a fictional Governance Adviser. The Notebook’s format provides space for experts to speak on today’s governance issues: politics, public sector reform and stakeholder engagement. It encourages debate, charts the evolution of donor thinking, and highlights future challenges in the age of the Sustainable Development Goals. Each section introduces both technical issues and major areas of debate, providing ideas for future development support to institutional reform.}, urldate = {2016-08-11}, booktitle = {A {Governance} {Practitioner}’s {Notebook}: {Alternative} {Ideas} and {Approaches}}, publisher = {OECD}, author = {de Weijer, Frauke and Hauck, Volker}, editor = {Whaites, Alan and Gonzalez, Eduardo and Fyson, Sara and Teskey, Graham}, month = nov, year = {2015}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @incollection{whaites_its_2015, title = {It's the politics! {Can} donors rise to the challenge?}, url = {http://www.oecd.org/dac/governance-peace/governance/governance-practitioners-notebook.htm}, abstract = {The Governance Practitioner’s Notebook takes an unusual approach for the OECD-DAC Network on Governance (GovNet). It brings together a collection of specially written notes aimed at those who work as governance practitioners within development agencies. It does so, however, without attempting to offer definitive guidance – instead aiming to stimulate thinking and debate. To aid this process the book is centred on a fictional Governance Adviser. The Notebook’s format provides space for experts to speak on today’s governance issues: politics, public sector reform and stakeholder engagement. It encourages debate, charts the evolution of donor thinking, and highlights future challenges in the age of the Sustainable Development Goals. Each section introduces both technical issues and major areas of debate, providing ideas for future development support to institutional reform.}, urldate = {2016-08-11}, booktitle = {A {Governance} {Practitioner}’s {Notebook}: {Alternative} {Ideas} and {Approaches}}, publisher = {OECD}, author = {Unsworth, Sue}, editor = {Whaites, Alan and Gonzalez, Eduardo and Fyson, Sara and Teskey, Graham}, month = nov, year = {2015}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @book{burns_navigating_2015, address = {Rugby}, title = {Navigating {Complexity} in {International} {Development}: {Facilitating} {Sustainable} {Change} at {Scale}}, isbn = {978-1-85339-852-0}, shorttitle = {Navigating {Complexity} in {International} {Development}}, abstract = {Governments and organizations invest huge sums of money in development interventions to explicitly address poverty and its root causes. However, a high proportion of these do not work. This is because interventions are grounded in flawed assumptions about how change happens -- change is rarely linear, yet development interventions are almost entirely based on linear planning models. Change is also characterized by unintended consequences, which are not predictable by planners and by power dynamics, which drive outcomes towards vested interests rather than real need. Development processes need to engage effectively with these sorts of complex system dynamics. This book provides a conceptual framework for this thinking, offers detail case studies of interventions which have been built on this philosophy and which demonstrate key facets of it. It articulates some clear methodological underpinnings for this work, and draws out the implications both for development, practice and practitioners.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Practical Action Publishing}, author = {Burns, Danny and Worsley, Stuart}, month = oct, year = {2015}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @article{yanguas_barriers_2015, title = {Barriers to {Political} {Analysis} in {Aid} {Bureaucracies}: {From} {Principle} to {Practice} in {DFID} and the {World} {Bank}}, volume = {74}, issn = {0305-750X}, shorttitle = {Barriers to {Political} {Analysis} in {Aid} {Bureaucracies}}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X15001187}, doi = {10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.05.009}, abstract = {Politics has become a central concern in development discourse, and yet the use of political analysis as a means for greater aid effectiveness remains limited and contested within development agencies. This article uses qualitative data from two governance “leaders” – the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the World Bank – to analyze the administrative hurdles facing the institutionalization of political analysis in aid bureaucracies. We find that programing, management, and training practices across headquarters and country offices remain largely untouched by a political analysis agenda which suffers from its identification with a small cross-national network of governance professionals.}, language = {en}, urldate = {2020-10-15}, journal = {World Development}, author = {Yanguas, Pablo and Hulme, David}, month = oct, year = {2015}, keywords = {DFID, United Kingdom, World Bank, aid effectiveness, foreign aid, political economy analysis}, pages = {209--219}, } @book{black_international_2015, title = {International {Development} - {Illusions} and {Realities}}, isbn = {978-1-78026-239-0}, abstract = {Part of the popular, reissued NoNonsense series from New Internationalist'Development' is often misunderstood and can embrace everything from building a large dam to planting trees. The idea can often mask confusion, contradiction, deceit and corruption. This book is essential reading for anyone wanting to know what development actually is. It covers all the key themes and critically suggests ways to bring the poor and marginalised into the process.}, language = {English}, publisher = {New Internationalist}, author = {Black, Maggie}, month = sep, year = {2015}, } @book{eyben_politics_2015, title = {The {Politics} of {Evidence} and {Results} in {International} {Development}: {Playing} the {Game} to {Change} the {Rules}?}, isbn = {978-1-85339-886-5}, shorttitle = {The {Politics} of {Evidence} and {Results} in {International} {Development}}, url = {http://www.ids.ac.uk/publication/the-politics-of-evidence-and-results-in-international-development-playing-the-game-to-change-the-rules}, abstract = {Understanding and demonstrating the effectiveness of efforts to improve the lives of those living in poverty is an essential part of international development practice. But who decides what counts as good or credible evidence? Can the drive to measure results do justice to and promote transformational change change that challenges the power relations that produce and reproduce inequality, injustice and the non-fulfillment of human rights? The Politics of Evidence in International Development provides a critical examination of the results agenda, with practical strategies for rendering it more helpful in supporting transformative development. The book deconstructs the origins and concepts of the results and evidence agendas employed in international development. It describes with concrete examples the current effects and consequences of the agenda, and goes on to outline a range of strategies used by individuals and organizations to resist, adapt or comply with the useful and problematic demands for results-oriented measurement and evidence of value for money."}, language = {English}, publisher = {Practical Action Publishing}, editor = {Eyben, Rosalind and Guijt, Irene and Roche, Chris and Shutt, Cathy}, month = jul, year = {2015}, } @phdthesis{honig_navigating_2015, type = {Doctoral dissertation}, title = {Navigating by {Judgment}: {Organizational} {Structure}, {Autonomy}, and {Country} {Context} in {Delivering} {Foreign} {Aid}}, copyright = {open}, shorttitle = {Navigating by {Judgment}}, url = {https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/17467366}, abstract = {This dissertation examines when initiatives by International Development Organizations (IDOs) are more, and less, successful. The core argument is that allowing field-level agents to drive initiatives – what I call organizational Navigation by Judgment – will often be the most effective way to deliver aid. This inverts what a classical application of the principal agent model – the workhorse of studies of public management and bureaucracy – would predict, with better performance resulting from less control. In the delivery of foreign aid the costs of monitoring to the principal are often overshadowed by the deleterious effects of the monitoring itself. The core of the argument is that development implementation requires soft information, tacit knowledge, and flexibility that are crowded out by tight controls or an organizational navigation strategy focused on short term measurement and targets. As a result there are increasing returns to Navigation by Judgment in environments that are uncertain or difficult to understand from the outside and tasks where outputs are difficult to observe and/or poorly correlated with long term intervention goals. Insecure political authorizing environments which constrain the autonomy of IDOs prevent these organizations from Navigating by Judgment in situations where this is the best strategy. Empirically, this dissertation examines a cross-IDO dataset of projects (including over 14,000 projects over 50 years over 9 organizations), which I have assembled. It also examines eight cases of development interventions in Liberia and South Africa. These cases are matched pairs comparing the performance and navigation strategies of the US Agency for International Development (a low autonomy IDO) and the UK’s Department for International Development (a higher autonomy IDO) in capacity building and health sector interventions.}, language = {en}, urldate = {2018-02-12}, school = {Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts \& Sciences}, author = {Honig, Daniel}, month = may, year = {2015}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @incollection{alacevich_afterword_2015, title = {Afterword: {Alabert} {Hirschman} observed}, shorttitle = {{AFTERWORD}}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7864/j.ctt7zsw04.12}, abstract = {Albert Hirschman considered \textit{Development Projects Observed} a natural sequel to his earlier work. As Hirschman put it to an old acquaintance at the World Bank, his previous books identified the inner and often hidden mechanisms of development sequences: “Having worked out a few basic hypotheses …, I could perhaps test them (and hit on some new ones) by looking at Bank-financed projects that have had enough time to give rise to such sequences.”¹ But as much as it appeared as the logical evolution of Hirschman’s intellectual trajectory, this new research was also the offshoot of an important crisis in development}, urldate = {2022-07-11}, booktitle = {Development {Projects} {Observed}}, publisher = {Brookings Institution Press}, author = {Alacevich, Michele}, collaborator = {HIRSCHMAN, ALBERT O. and SUNSTEIN, CASS R.}, year = {2015}, pages = {175--190}, } @incollection{kjaer_still_2015, address = {Copenhagen}, title = {Still watering white elephants? {The} blueprint versus process debate thirty years on}, isbn = {978-87-7605-746-6}, language = {en}, booktitle = {Perspectives on politics, production and public administration in {Africa}: essays in honour of {Ole} {Therkildsen}}, publisher = {DIIS}, author = {Booth, David}, editor = {Kjær, Anne Mette and Engberg-Pedersen, Lars and Buur, Lars}, year = {2015}, note = {OCLC: 913447024}, } @techreport{coffman_advocacy_2015, address = {Washington D.C.}, title = {The {Advocacy} {Strategy} {Framework}. {A} tool for articulating an advocacy theory of change}, url = {http://www.evaluationinnovation.org/sites/default/files/Adocacy%20Strategy%20Framework.pdf}, urldate = {2016-11-12}, institution = {Center for Evaluation Innovation}, author = {Coffman, Julia and Beer, Tanya}, month = mar, year = {2015}, } @techreport{kleinfeld_improving_2015, title = {Improving development aid design and evaluation: {Plan} for sailboats, not trains}, shorttitle = {Improving development aid design and evaluation}, url = {http://www.gsdrc.org/document-library/improving-development-aid-design-and-evaluation-plan-for-sailboats-not-trains}, abstract = {How do reforms that require political engagement differ from traditional technical reforms? Why is political engagement different, and what are the implications for design and evaluation? How should development programmes that engage politics be designed? And how can those who fund or implement such programmes evaluate whether their efforts are contributing to reform? This report …}, urldate = {2016-05-06}, institution = {Carnegie Endowment for International Peace}, author = {Kleinfeld, Rachel}, year = {2015}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @techreport{r4d_call_2015, title = {A {Call} for {Innovation} in {International} {Development}}, url = {http://www.r4d.org/sites/resultsfordevelopment.org/files/Call for Innovation in International Development.pdf}, urldate = {2017-05-24}, institution = {Results for Development}, author = {R4D}, year = {2015}, } @techreport{ramalingam_strengthening_2015, address = {Brighton}, title = {Strengthening the {Humanitarian} {Innovation} {Ecosystem}}, url = {https://www.brighton.ac.uk/_pdf/research/centrim/humanitarian-innovation-ecosystem-research-project-final-report-with-recommendations.pdf}, urldate = {2021-04-28}, institution = {University of Brighton}, author = {Ramalingam, Ben and Rush, Howard and Bessant, John and Marshall, Nicholas and Gray, Bill and Hoffman, Kurt and Bayley, Simon and Warren, Kim}, year = {2015}, } @techreport{williamson_change_2015, address = {London}, title = {Change in challenging contexts}, url = {https://www.odi.org/publications/9877-change-challenging-contexts-how-does-it-happen}, abstract = {This report explores how genuine institutional change takes place in fragile and conflict-affected states reforms can be supported.}, language = {en}, institution = {ODI}, author = {Williamson, Tim}, year = {2015}, pages = {8}, } @techreport{world_bank_learning_2015, address = {Washington DC}, title = {Learning and {Results} in {World} {Bank} {Operations}: {Toward} a {New} {Learning} {Strategy}}, shorttitle = {Learning and {Results} in {World} {Bank} {Operations}}, url = {http://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/evaluations/learning-results-wb-operations2}, abstract = {This report is the second in a program of evaluations that the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is conducting on the learning that takes place through World Bank projects. Learning and knowledge are treated as parts of a whole and are presumed to be mutually reinforcing.}, urldate = {2017-06-09}, institution = {IEG , The World Bank}, author = {World Bank}, year = {2015}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @techreport{preskill_evaluating_2014, address = {Boston}, title = {Evaluating {Complexity}. {Propositions} for improving practice}, url = {http://www.fsg.org/publications/evaluating-complexity}, abstract = {9 propositions can help evaluators measure progress on complex social problems.}, institution = {FSG}, author = {Preskill, Hallie and Gopal, Srik}, month = nov, year = {2014}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @misc{chambers_perverse_2014, title = {Perverse {Payment} by {Results}: frogs in a pot and straitjackets for obstacle courses}, url = {https://participationpower.wordpress.com/tag/robert-chambers/}, abstract = {Posts about Robert Chambers written by idsppsc}, urldate = {2017-06-29}, journal = {IDS - Participation, Power and Social Change}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, month = sep, year = {2014}, } @misc{kiwanja.net_time_2014, title = {Time for a {Donor} {Funding} {Charter}?}, url = {http://www.donorscharter.org/}, urldate = {2017-06-27}, journal = {Donor's Chapter}, author = {kiwanja.net}, month = aug, year = {2014}, } @book{chambers_into_2014, address = {Rugby}, title = {Into the unknown: explorations in development practice}, isbn = {978-1-85339-823-0}, shorttitle = {Into the {Unknown}}, abstract = {Into the Unknown reflects on the journey of learning, and encourages readers to learn from observation, curiosity, critical feedback, play and fun. This book will be of interest to development professionals, including academics, students, NGO workers and the staff of international agencies}, language = {English}, publisher = {Practical Action Publishing}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, month = apr, year = {2014}, } @techreport{ang_making_2014, title = {Making {Details} {Matter}: {How} to {Reform} {Aid} {Agencies} to {Generate} {Contextual} {Knowledge}}, shorttitle = {Making {Details} {Matter}}, url = {https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2794434}, abstract = {My essay considers a central problem of reinventing foreign aid in the twenty-first century: how to reform aid agencies to enable a “best-fit” approach to development assistance. For the past decades, the aid community has tried to transplant best practices from the developed world to the developing world. Increasingly, however, it is recognized that copying best practices does not work and may even backfire; rather, aid programs work best when they are tailored to local contexts. Yet while the idea of a best-fit approach is widely embraced in principle, actualizing it is easier said than done. For meaningful changes to take root in practice, we must first identify the obstacles to localizing development assistance and suggest ways to address these problems. To this end, I propose a three-pronged strategy to promote the generation of contextual knowledge among aid professionals, a necessary condition for crafting solutions that can fit various local contexts, namely: (1) build a bank of knowledge about unorthodox practices that work, (2) diversify expertise within aid agencies; and (3) carve experimental pockets. My proposal does not fit neatly into any one of the six themes specified in the GDN competition; rather, it concerns all of the themes. Whether it is to use aid to improve governance, apply information technology, or design financial instruments, the overarching challenge is to empower and incentivize aid professionals to learn and apply contextual knowledge to creatively solve problems in developing societies.}, language = {en}, number = {Winning Essay of the 2014 GDN Essay Competition on "The Future of Development Assistance"}, urldate = {2018-05-23}, institution = {SSRN}, author = {Ang, Yuen Yuen}, year = {2014}, keywords = {Contextual knowledge, Localization, Public policy, foreign aid, international development}, } @article{pettit_power_2014, title = {Power {Above} and {Below} the {Waterline}: {Bridging} {Political} {Economy} and {Power} {Analysis}}, volume = {45}, issn = {02655012}, shorttitle = {Power {Above} and {Below} the {Waterline}}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/1759-5436.12100}, doi = {10.1111/1759-5436.12100}, language = {en}, number = {5}, urldate = {2016-04-21}, journal = {IDS Bulletin}, author = {Pettit, Jethro and Mejía Acosta, Andrés}, month = sep, year = {2014}, pages = {9--22}, } @techreport{puttick_innovation_2014, address = {London}, title = {Innovation teams and labs. {A} {Practice} {Guide}}, url = {http://states-of-change.org/assets/downloads/innovation_teams_and_labs_a_practice_guide.pdf}, urldate = {2018-10-03}, institution = {Nesta}, author = {Puttick, Ruth}, year = {2014}, } @techreport{ramalingam_best_2014, title = {From best practice to best fit: understanding and navigating wicked problems in international development}, shorttitle = {From best practice to best fit}, url = {https://www.odi.org/publications/8571-complexity-wiked-problems-tools-ramalingam-dfid}, urldate = {2016-09-22}, institution = {ODI}, author = {Ramalingam, Ben and Laric, Miguel and Primrose, John}, year = {2014}, } @techreport{rasmussen_adapting_2014, address = {Toronto}, title = {Adapting lean thinking to market systems development: {Principles} and practices for donors/funders}, url = {http://www.seepnetwork.org/adapting-lean-thinking-to-market-systems-development--principles-and-practices-for-donors-funders-resources-1315.php}, abstract = {The purpose of this paper is to provide funders and implementers of market systems development (MSD) projects with principles, practices, and structures that enables these projects to thrive. It is based on a book that has sold millions of copies worldwide, and a school of thought taught at institutions such as Harvard Business School and practiced in companies ranging from giants such as Toyota to the most successful tech start-ups in Silicon Valley. Published in 2011, Eric Ries wrote the Lean Startup as a remedy to the countless start-ups that create their own demises by getting started with the wrong goals, the wrong structures, and the wrong processes. He outlines an approach that enables the startup to navigate ambiguity and risk while using resources effectively. The conditions a MSD project faces are remarkably similar to those which a startup business faces; it needs structures and processes that are matched to the unpredictable, complex environment which it is attempting to influence. MSD projects can thus benefit from private-sector thought leadership on how start-ups can situate themselves for success. This paper starts with an overview of lean thinking, a concept that derives from lean manufacturing which is widely accepted as the leading approach to modern manufacturing. It explains how Ries’s Lean Startup adapts these principles, and then it in turn adapts these ideas for market systems development. The following three sections provide an overview of Lean Startup concepts, applying them to the development sector as appropriate. The final section summarizes and makes suggestions on next steps for funders who wish to set MSD projects up for success using a lean approach. Overall, the paper builds a case for how the Lean Startup’s approach can enable MSD projects to work successfully in ambiguity and increase their potential for achieving robust and sustainable results, all while using donor resources more efficiently.}, urldate = {2017-02-18}, institution = {Engineers without borders}, author = {Rasmussen, Leanne}, year = {2014}, keywords = {Adaptive Development, Lean}, } @misc{indy_johar_last_2013, title = {From a last mile century to a first mile revolution: the future is {OSLO}}, shorttitle = {from a last mile century to a first mile revolution}, url = {https://medium.com/field-notes/from-a-last-mile-century-to-a-first-mile-revolution-bf99b2f41248}, abstract = {The Future is OSLO}, urldate = {2016-09-16}, journal = {Medium}, author = {{Indy Johar}}, month = aug, year = {2013}, } @book{crowley_building_2013, address = {Boulder}, title = {Building a {Better} {International} {NGO}: {Greater} than the {Sum} of the {Parts}?}, isbn = {978-1-56549-583-8}, shorttitle = {Building a {Better} {International} {NGO}}, abstract = {In the wake of tremendous growth in the size and scope of their activities, as well as the increased complexity of their programs, how can large international NGOs work effectively―so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts? James Crowley and Morgana Ryan address this question, drawing on their extensive hands-on experience to offer a practical and even provocative guide. The authors cover a range of essential topics, among them: What are INGOs good at? What should they be good at? Where does new technology fit in? What about accountability? What’s the best way to tackle strategic planning? In the process, they challenge those in leadership positions to recognize and implement the changes that are needed so that their organizations can perform better―and stay relevant―in the decades to come.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Kumarian Press}, author = {Crowley, James and Ryan, Morgana}, month = jul, year = {2013}, } @book{carothers_development_2013, address = {Washington, DC}, title = {Development {Aid} {Confronts} {Politics}: {The} {Almost} {Revolution}}, isbn = {978-0-87003-400-8}, shorttitle = {Development {Aid} {Confronts} {Politics}}, url = {https://www.amazon.co.uk/Development-Aid-Confronts-Politics-Revolution/dp/0870034006}, abstract = {A new lens on development is changing the world of international aid. The overdue recognition that development in all sectors is an inherently political process is driving aid providers to try to learn how to think and act politically. Major donors are pursuing explicitly political goals alongside their traditional socioeconomic aims and introducing more politically informed methods throughout their work. Yet these changes face an array of external and internal obstacles, from heightened sensitivity on the part of many aid-receiving governments about foreign political interventionism to inflexible aid delivery mechanisms and entrenched technocratic preferences within many aid organizations. This pathbreaking book assesses the progress and pitfalls of the attempted politics revolution in development aid and charts a constructive way forward.}, language = {English}, publisher = {EDS Publications Ltd.}, author = {Carothers, Thomas and de Gramont, Diane}, month = apr, year = {2013}, } @phdthesis{kolker_managing_2013, title = {Managing {Upward} and {Downward} {Accountability} in an {International} {Development} {Project} - {A} {Case} {Study} of a {World} {Bank} {Telecommunications} {Infrastructure} {Project} in {Benin}}, url = {http://arc.hhs.se/download.aspx?MediumId=2093}, urldate = {2017-06-08}, school = {Master's Thesis, Stockholm School of Economics}, author = {Kolker, Eva and Kulldorff, Catharina}, year = {2013}, keywords = {Downward accountability, Upward accountability}, } @book{anderson_time_2012, address = {Cambridge, MA}, title = {Time to {Listen}: {Hearing} {People} on the {Receiving} {End} of {International} {Aid}}, isbn = {978-0-9882544-1-1}, shorttitle = {Time to {Listen}}, abstract = {Does the way international assistance is organized make sense? Is it working as we mean it to? This book approaches these questions through the experiences of people living on the receiving side of international assistance. It reports on the ideas, insights, and analyses of almost 6,000 people across 20 countries where international aid has been provided. From such a range of locations and people, one might expect vastly different ideas and opinions. However, remarkably consistent patterns and common judgments emerged. In the midst of difference, there was striking unanimity and consistency about the processes and the effects of the international aid system. Using their words, their experiences, and their ideas, this book describes why the cumulative impacts of international aid efforts have not met expectations. It describes a way forward to make changes that, according to those on the receiving end, will lead to more effective and lasting results.}, language = {English}, publisher = {CDA Collaborative Learning Projects}, author = {Anderson, Mary B. and Brown, Dayna and Jean, Isabella}, month = dec, year = {2012}, } @misc{noauthor_busan_2011, title = {Busan {Outcome} {Document}}, url = {http://effectivecooperation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/OUTCOME_DOCUMENT_-_FINAL_EN.pdf}, urldate = {2016-11-15}, month = dec, year = {2011}, } @book{cornwall_deconstructing_2010, address = {Oxford}, title = {Deconstructing {Development} {Discourse}: {Buzzwords} and {Fuzzwords}}, shorttitle = {Deconstructing {Development} {Discourse}}, url = {http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/deconstructing-development-discourse-buzzwords-and-fuzzwords-118173}, abstract = {Writing from diverse locations, contributors critically examine some of the key terms in current development discourse. Why should language matter to those who are doing development? Surely, there are more urgent things to do than sit around mulling over semantics?}, urldate = {2017-04-11}, publisher = {Oxfam \& Practical Action Publishing}, editor = {Cornwall, Andrea and Eade, Deborah}, month = nov, year = {2010}, } @techreport{brinkerhoff_unpacking_2010, address = {Bergen, Norway}, title = {Unpacking the concept of political will to confront corruption}, url = {http://www.u4.no/publications/unpacking-the-concept-of-political-will-to-confront-corruption/}, abstract = {Quite often, "lack of political will" is identified as the culprit for poorly performing anti-corruption programmes. Yet despite the frequency with which it is used to explain unsatisfactory reform outcomes, political will remains under-defined and poorly understood. Further, assessments are often conducted retrospectively, looking back at failed programmes. By applying a model of political will that specifies a set of action-based components that are observable and measurable, and amenable to external reinforcement and support, more clarity regarding the degree of political will can be achieved.}, institution = {U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre}, author = {Brinkerhoff, Derek W.}, year = {2010}, } @techreport{natsios_clash_2010, address = {Washington DC}, title = {The {Clash} of the {Counter}-bureaucracy and {Development}}, url = {http://www.cgdev.org/publication/clash-counter-bureaucracy-and-development}, abstract = {In this essay, Andrew Natsios gives a first-hand account of what he finds most hinders USAID—layers of bureaucracy that misguide and derail development work.}, urldate = {2016-09-22}, institution = {The Center for Global Development}, author = {Natsios, Andrew}, year = {2010}, } @article{flyvbjerg_survival_2009, title = {Survival of the unfittest: why the worst infrastructure gets built—and what we can do about it}, volume = {25}, issn = {0266-903X}, shorttitle = {Survival of the unfittest}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/oxrep/article-abstract/25/3/344/424009/Survival-of-the-unfittest-why-the-worst}, doi = {10.1093/oxrep/grp024}, number = {3}, urldate = {2017-06-15}, journal = {Oxford Review of Economic Policy}, author = {Flyvbjerg, Bent}, month = oct, year = {2009}, pages = {344--367}, } @book{malena_political_2009, title = {From {Political} {Won}'t to {Political} {Will}: {Building} {Support} for {Participatory} {Governance}}, isbn = {978-1-56549-311-7}, shorttitle = {From {Political} {Won}'t to {Political} {Will}}, abstract = {* Geographically diverse examples of participatory governance in action* Practical case studies show how citizens can participate more fully in the political process Despite a recent wave of democratization around the world, traditional systems of representative democracy seem to be in crisis. Citizens in both the North and the South lack opportunities, rights and access to information and have expressed growing disillusionment with their governments. Ordinary citizens (especially women, poor people and other marginalized groups) are largely excluded from the political processes that directly affect their lives. There is now growing consensus that good governance is participatory governance (PG), but public officials are often reluctant to adopt such an approach. From Political Won’t to Political Will addresses the particular challenge of encouraging these officials to involve citizens in the political process. The book presents contributions by participants from CIVICUS’ 2008 conference on building political will for PG. Representing the perspectives of both civil society and government actors, they propose a number of strategies and lessons such as demonstrating the benefits of PG to governments, complementing formal democratic institutions, building trust, supporting PG champions and using strategic political timing. Their practical and highly original findings will interest anyone eager to see the empowerment of people around the world.}, language = {en}, publisher = {Kumarian Press}, author = {Malena, Carmen}, year = {2009}, note = {Google-Books-ID: xILlSXw3D5oC}, } @book{easterly_white_2007, address = {Oxford}, title = {The {White} {Man}'s {Burden}: {Why} the {West}'s {Efforts} to {Aid} the {Rest} {Have} {Done} {So} {Much} {Ill} and {So} {Little}: {Why} the {West}'s {Efforts} to {Aid} the {Rest} {Have} {Done} {So} {Much} {Ill} and {So} {Little} {Good}}, isbn = {978-0-19-922611-5}, shorttitle = {The {White} {Man}'s {Burden}}, abstract = {We are all aware of the extreme hunger and poverty that afflict the world's poor. We hear the facts, see the images on television, buy the T-shirt and are moved as individuals and governments to dig deep into our pockets. Yet what happens to all this aid? Why after 50 years and \$2.3 trillion are there still children dying for lack of twelve cents medicine? Why are there so many people still living on less than \$1 a day without clean water, food, sanitation, shelter, education or medicine? In The White Man's Burden William Easterly, acclaimed author and former economist at the World Bank, addresses these twin tragedies head on. While recognising the energy and compassion behind the campaign to make poverty history he argues urgently and powerfully that grand plans and good intentions are a part of the problem not the solution. Giving aid is not enough, we must ensure that it reaches the people who need it most and the only way to make this happens is through accountability and by learning from past experiences. Without claiming to have all the answers, William Easterly chastises the complacent and patronising attitude of the West that attempts to impose solutions from above. In this book, which is by turns angry, moving, irreverent but always rigorous, he calls on each and everyone of us to take responsibility, whether donors, aid workers or ordinary citizens, so that more aid reaches the people it is supposed to help, the mother who cannot feed her children, the little girl who has to collect firewood rather than go to school, the father who cannot work because he has been crippled by war.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, author = {Easterly, William}, month = sep, year = {2007}, } @book{wallace_aid_2007, address = {Rugby}, title = {The {Aid} {Chain}: {Coercion} and {Commitment} in {Development} {NGOs}}, isbn = {978-1-85339-626-7}, shorttitle = {The {Aid} {Chain}}, abstract = {Significant proportions of aid already flow through the non-governmental sector, but questions are increasingly being asked about the role of NGOs and whether they can deliver on their ambitious claims. This study examines conditionality and mutual commitment between international aid donors and recipient NGOs, North and South. Fieldwork and case study material from Uganda and South Africa are used to support the authors’ contention that the fast changing aid sector has--in the context of a dynamic policy environment--encouraged the mainstreaming of a managerial approach that does not admit of any analysis of power relations or cultural diversity. This increasing--essentially technical-- definition of the roles of NGOs has worked to limit the extent of the very development that the organizations were initially established to promote.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Practical Action}, author = {Wallace, Tina and Bornstein, Lisa and Chapman, Jennifer}, month = sep, year = {2007}, } @article{cornwall_buzzwords_2007, title = {Buzzwords and fuzzwords: deconstructing development discourse}, volume = {17}, issn = {0961-4524}, shorttitle = {Buzzwords and fuzzwords}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09614520701469302}, doi = {10.1080/09614520701469302}, number = {4-5}, urldate = {2017-04-11}, journal = {Development in Practice}, author = {Cornwall, Andrea}, month = aug, year = {2007}, pages = {471--484}, } @article{geels_typology_2007, title = {Typology of sociotechnical transition pathways}, volume = {36}, issn = {00487333}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0048733307000248}, doi = {10.1016/j.respol.2007.01.003}, abstract = {Contributing to debates about transitions and system changes, this article has two aims. First, it uses criticisms on the multi-level perspective as stepping stones for further conceptual refinements. Second, it develops a typology of four transition pathways: transformation, reconfiguration, technological substitution, and de-alignment and re-alignment. These pathways differ in combinations of timing and nature of multi-level interactions. They are illustrated with historical examples.}, language = {en}, number = {3}, urldate = {2018-09-28}, journal = {Research Policy}, author = {Geels, Frank W. and Schot, Johan}, month = apr, year = {2007}, pages = {399--417}, } @techreport{chambers_poverty_2006, address = {Brighton}, title = {Poverty {Unperceived}: {Traps}, {Biases} and {Agenda}}, shorttitle = {Poverty {Unperceived}}, url = {http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/Wp270.pdf}, urldate = {2017-04-07}, institution = {IDS}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, year = {2006}, } @article{easterly_planners_2006, title = {Planners versus {Searchers} in {Foreign} {Aid}}, volume = {23-2}, url = {https://ideas.repec.org/a/ris/adbadr/2321.html}, abstract = {Only for the recipients of foreign aid is something akin to central planning seen as a way to achieve prosperity. The end of poverty is achieved with free markets and democracy—where decentralized “searchers” look for ways to meet individual needs—not Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The PRSPs and MDGs create lots of bureaucracy but hold no one specific agency in foreign aid accountable for any one specific task. Planners in foreign aid use the old failed models of the past—the “Financing Gap”, the “poverty trap”, the government-to-government aid model; and the “expenditures = outcomes” mentality. Searchers in foreign aid would imitate the feedback and accountability of markets and democracy to provide goods and services to individuals until homegrown markets and democracy end poverty in the society as a whole. An example of the more promising “searchers” approach in foreign aid is 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate Mohammad Yunus and Grameen Bank.}, language = {en}, number = {2}, urldate = {2019-03-12}, journal = {Asian Development Review}, author = {Easterly, William}, year = {2006}, pages = {1--35}, } @book{gibson_samaritans_2005, address = {New York}, title = {The {Samaritan}'s {Dilemma}: {The} {Political} {Economy} of {Development} {Aid}}, isbn = {978-0-19-927885-5}, shorttitle = {The {Samaritan}'s {Dilemma}}, abstract = {What's wrong with foreign aid? Many policymakers, aid practitioners, and scholars have called into question its ability to increase economic growth, alleviate poverty, or promote social development. At the macro level, only tenuous links between development aid and improved living conditions have been found. At the micro level, only a few programs outlast donor support and even fewer appear to achieve lasting improvements. The authors of this book argue that much of aid's failure is related to the institutions that structure its delivery. These institutions govern the complex relationships between the main actors in the aid delivery system and often generate a series of perverse incentives that promote inefficient and unsustainable outcomes. In their analysis, the authors apply the theoretical insights of the new institutional economics to several settings. First, they investigate the institutions of Sida, the Swedish aid agency, to analyze how that aid agency's institutions can produce incentives inimical to desired outcomes, contrary to the desires of its own staff. Second, the authors use cases from India, a country with low aid dependence, and Zambia, a country with high aid dependence, to explore how institutions on the ground in recipient countries also mediate the effectiveness of aid. Throughout the book, the authors offer suggestions about how to improve aid's effectiveness. These suggestions include how to structure evaluations in order to improve outcomes, how to employ agency staff to gain from their on-the-ground experience, and how to engage stakeholders as "owners" in the design, resource mobilization, learning, and evaluation processes of development assistance programs.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, author = {Gibson, Clark C. and Andersson, Krister and Ostrom, Elinor and Shivakumar, Sujai}, month = nov, year = {2005}, } @book{chambers_ideas_2005, address = {London}, title = {Ideas for {Development}}, isbn = {978-1-84407-088-6}, abstract = {Our world seems entangled in systems increasingly dominated by power, greed, ignorance, self-deception and denial, with spiralling inequity and injustice. Against a backdrop of climate change, failing ecosystems, poverty, crushing debt and corporate exploitation, the future of our world looks dire and the solutions almost too monumental to consider. Yet all is not lost. Robert Chambers, one of the ?glass is half full? optimists of international development, suggests that the problems can be solved and everyone has the power at a personal level to take action, develop solutions and remake our world as it can and should be. Chambers peels apart and analyses aspects of development that have been neglected or misunderstood. In each chapter, he presents an earlier writing which he then reviews and reflects upon in a contemporary light before harvesting a wealth of powerful conclusions and practical implications for the future. The book draws on experiences from Africa, Asia and elsewhere, covering topics and concepts as wide and varied as irreversibility, continuity and commitment; administrative capacity as a scarce resource; procedures and principles; participation in the past, present and future; scaling up; behaviour and attitudes; responsible wellbeing; and concepts for development in the 21st century.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Routledge}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, month = may, year = {2005}, } @article{eyben_donors_2005, title = {Donors' {Learning} {Difficulties}: {Results}, {Relationships} and {Responsibilities}}, volume = {36}, issn = {02655012, 17595436}, shorttitle = {Donors' {Learning} {Difficulties}}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.1759-5436.2005.tb00227.x}, doi = {10.1111/j.1759-5436.2005.tb00227.x}, language = {en}, number = {3}, urldate = {2019-03-12}, journal = {IDS Bulletin}, author = {Eyben, Rosalind}, month = jul, year = {2005}, pages = {98--107}, } @article{brett_participation_2003, title = {Participation and accountability in development management}, volume = {40}, issn = {0022-0388}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00220380412331293747}, doi = {10.1080/00220380412331293747}, abstract = {This article critically reviews the role of participatory theory in managing development projects and programmes in poor countries. Participation has emerged in response to global demands for greater individual and social control over the activities of state and private agencies, and especially to the manifest failures of traditional ‘top-down’ management systems in LDCs. Claims made on behalf of these participatory methodologies are critically reviewed and a distinction is drawn between strong and weak versions of the theory. Empirical evidence is then considered to evaluate the effectiveness of these methodologies, using long-standing insights of social science theory to show that participation can succeed for specific kinds of projects and programmes in favourable circumstances, but is unsuitable for many others. It commonly fails in contexts where local conditions make co-operative and collective action very difficult, or where it is manipulated by implementing agencies to justify their own actions or poor performance.}, number = {2}, journal = {The Journal of Development Studies}, author = {Brett, E. A.}, month = dec, year = {2003}, pages = {1--29}, } @techreport{naraya_voices_2000, title = {Voices of the poor: can anyone hear us?}, shorttitle = {Voices of the poor}, url = {http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/131441468779067441/Voices-of-the-poor-can-anyone-hear-us}, abstract = {This book is the first in a three-part series, about the common patterns that emerged from the poor people's experiences in many different places. Chapter 1 sets out the conceptual framework and methodology. Chapter 2 discusses poverty from the perspective of the poor. Chapter 3 examines poor people's experience with the state, and includes case studies of access to health care and education. Chapter 4 addresses the nature and quality of poor people's interactions with civil society. Chapter 5 considers the household as a key social institution, and discusses gender relations within households and how these relations affect and are affected by larger institutions of society. Chapter 6 focuses on social fragmentation, and includes a discussion of social cohesion and social exclusion. Chapter 7 concludes the analysis and proposes some policy recommendations. The analysis leads to these conclusions: 1) poverty is multidimensional; 2) the state has been largely ineffective in reaching the poor; 3) the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the lives of the poor is limited, forcing the poor to depend primarily on their own informal networks; 4) households are crumbling under the stresses of poverty; and 5) the social fabric - poor people's only}, language = {en}, number = {20246}, urldate = {2017-06-04}, institution = {The World Bank}, author = {Naraya, Deepa*Patel}, month = mar, year = {2000}, pages = {1}, } @article{gasper_evaluating_2000, title = {Evaluating the ‘logical framework approach’ towards learning-oriented development evaluation}, volume = {20}, issn = {1099-162X}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1099-162X%28200002%2920%3A1%3C17%3A%3AAID-PAD89%3E3.0.CO%3B2-5}, doi = {10.1002/1099-162X(200002)20:1<17::AID-PAD89>3.0.CO;2-5}, abstract = {The logical framework approach has spread enormously, including increasingly to stages of review and evaluation. Yet it has had little systematic evaluation itself. Survey of available materials indicates several recurrent failings, some less easily countered than others. In particular: focus on achievement of intended effects by intended routes makes logframes a very limiting tool in evaluation; an assumption of consensual project objectives often becomes problematic in public and inter-organizational projects; and automatic choice of an audit form of accountability as the priority in evaluations can be at the expense of evaluation as learning.}, language = {en}, number = {1}, urldate = {2022-12-05}, journal = {Public Administration and Development}, author = {Gasper, Des}, year = {2000}, note = {\_eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/1099-162X\%28200002\%2920\%3A1\%3C17\%3A\%3AAID-PAD89\%3E3.0.CO\%3B2-5}, pages = {17--28}, } @book{edwards_future_1999, address = {London}, edition = {First Edition edition}, title = {Future {Positive}: {International} {Co}-operation in the 21st {Century}}, isbn = {978-1-85383-631-2}, shorttitle = {Future {Positive}}, abstract = {An optimistic assessment of the prospects for a new international order - acting as a counter-blast to global pessimism. The text explains how the international system operates, the pressures it faces and the changes it must undergo, and offers concrete ideas to re-frame international relations, foreign aid and humanitarian intervention, without using jargon or simplistic judgements.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Routledge}, editor = {Edwards, Michael}, month = may, year = {1999}, } @article{biggs_beyond_1998, title = {Beyond methodologies: {Coalition}-building for participatory technology development}, volume = {26}, issn = {0305-750X}, shorttitle = {Beyond methodologies}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X97100419}, doi = {10.1016/S0305-750X(97)10041-9}, abstract = {Participatory and other approaches to technology development have shared a recent preoccupation with specific methods and doubts about just how much can be expected of the methods themselves, as opposed to how they are applied, by whom, and in what circumstances. Detailed analysis of historical cases suggests that the development of both technologies and methodologies is highly dependent on local context. Such processes are characterized by conflicts over the direction of change and affected by the activities of a particular type of grouping, the development coalition. These coalitions are examined and implications are considered for training, education and Participatory technology development.}, language = {en}, number = {2}, urldate = {2021-08-05}, journal = {World Development}, author = {Biggs, Stephen and Smith, Grant}, month = feb, year = {1998}, keywords = {agricultural research, methods, participatory development, research and development, rural development, science and technology}, pages = {239--248}, } @book{mosse_development_1998, title = {Development as {Process}: {Concepts} and {Methods} for {Working} with {Complexity}}, isbn = {978-0-415-18605-6}, shorttitle = {Development as {Process}}, abstract = {Process" approaches to economic and social development appear to be more flexible and offer greater prospects of success than traditional "project" methods. Development as Process addresses the questions raised by the different natures of the two approaches. The authors examine development projects through experience in water resources development in India and in organizational learning by a Bangladeshi NGO. Inter-agency contexts are examined in the setting of an aquaculture project in Bangladesh and in the setting of agriculture and natural resources development in Rajisthan, India. Finally, the role of process monitoring is explained in the context of policy reform, with illustrations from forestry in India and land reform in Russia.}, language = {en}, publisher = {Routledge}, editor = {Mosse, David and Farrington, John and Rew, Alan}, year = {1998}, note = {Google-Books-ID: baVE8SzJkNMC}, keywords = {Demography, Economic Development, Sociology}, } @article{chambers_editorial_1997, title = {Editorial: {Responsible} well-being — a personal agenda for development}, volume = {25}, issn = {0305-750X}, shorttitle = {Editorial}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X97100018}, doi = {10.1016/S0305-750X(97)10001-8}, abstract = {If development means good change, questions arise about what is good, and what sorts of change matter. Answers can be personally defined and redefined. The changing words, meanings and concepts of development discourse both reflect and influence what is done. The realities of the powerful tend to dominate. Drawing on experience with participatory approaches and methods which enable poor and marginalized people to express their realities, responsible well-being is proposed as a central concept for a development agenda. This links with capabilities and livelihoods, and is based on equity and sustainability as principles. The primacy of personal actions and non-actions in development points to the need for a pedagogy for the non-oppressed. This includes self-critical awareness, thinking through the effects of actions, and enabling those with power and wealth to experience being better off with less. Others are invited and encouraged to reflect, improve on this analysis, and write their own agenda.}, number = {11}, urldate = {2024-01-26}, journal = {World Development}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, month = nov, year = {1997}, keywords = {development vocabulary, ethics, methods, participation, poverty, well-being}, pages = {1743--1754}, } @book{chambers_whose_1997, address = {London}, edition = {2 edition}, title = {Whose {Reality} {Counts}? {Putting} the {First} {Last}}, isbn = {978-1-85339-386-0}, shorttitle = {Whose {Reality} {Counts}?}, abstract = {In this sequel to "Rural Development: Putting the last first" Robert Chambers argues that central issues in development have been overlooked, and that many past errors have flowed from domination by those with power.Development professionals now need new approaches and methods forinteracting, learning and knowing. Through analyzing experience - of past mistakes and myths, and of the continuing methodological revolution of PRA (participatory rural appraisal) - the author points towards solutions.In many countries, urban and rural people alike have shown an astonishing ability to express and analyze their local, complex and diverse realities which are often at odds with the top-down realities imposed by professionals. The author argues that personal, professional and institutional change is essential if the realities of the poor are to receive greater recognition. Self-critical awareness and changes in concepts, values, methods and behaviour must be developed to explore the new high ground of participation and empowerment."Whose Reality Counts?" presents a radical challenge to all concernedwith development, whether practitioners, researchers or policy-makers, in all organizations and disciplines, and at all levels from fieldworkers to the heads of agencies. With its thrust of putting the first last it presents a new, exciting and above all practical agenda for future development which cannot be ignored.}, language = {English}, publisher = {ITDG Publishing}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, month = jan, year = {1997}, } @book{ferguson_anti-politics_1994, address = {Minneapolis}, edition = {First edition}, title = {Anti-{Politics} {Machine}: {Development}, {Depoliticization}, and {Bureaucratic} {Power} in {Lesotho}}, isbn = {978-0-8166-2437-9}, shorttitle = {Anti-{Politics} {Machine}}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/anthropology/social-and-cultural-anthropology/anti-politics-machine-development-depoliticization-and-bureaucratic-power-lesotho?format=HB&isbn=9780521373821}, abstract = {Development, it is generally assumed, is good and necessary, and in its name the West has intervened, implementing all manner of projects in the impoverished regions of the world. When these projects fail, as they do with astonishing regularity, they nonetheless produce a host of regular and unacknowledged effects, including the expansion of bureaucratic state power and the translation of the political realities of poverty and powerlessness into "technical" problems awaiting solution by "development" agencies and experts. It is the political intelligibility of these effects, along with the process that produces them, that this book seeks to illuminate through a detailed case study of the workings of the "development" industry in one country, Lesotho, and in one "development" project.Using an anthropological approach grounded in the work of Foucault, James Ferguson analyzes the institutional framework within which such projects are crafted and the nature of "development discourse," revealing how it is that, despite all the "expertise" that goes into formulating development projects, they nonetheless often demonstrate a startling ignorance of the historical and political realities of the locale they are intended to help. In a close examination of the attempted implementation of the Thaba-Tseka project in Lesotho, Ferguson shows how such a misguided approach plays out, how, in fact, the "development" apparatus in Lesotho acts as an "anti-politics machine," everywhere whisking political realities out of sight and all the while performing, almost unnoticed, its own pre-eminently political operation of strengthening the state presence in the local region.James Ferguson is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of California at Irvine.}, language = {English}, publisher = {University Of Minnesota Press}, author = {Ferguson, James}, month = feb, year = {1994}, } @inproceedings{eyben_process_1992, address = {Bangor}, title = {The process approach}, author = {Eyben, R.}, month = jul, year = {1992}, } @article{hoben_trapped_1992, title = {Trapped in a {Treadmill}: {Bureaucratic} {Constraints} on {Aid} {Programs}}, volume = {15}, issn = {0739-1854}, shorttitle = {Trapped in a {Treadmill}}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/42760358}, number = {1}, urldate = {2022-07-11}, journal = {Harvard International Review}, author = {Hoben, Allen}, year = {1992}, note = {Publisher: Harvard International Review}, pages = {22--62}, } @article{rondinelli_review_1985, title = {Review of {Development} {Projects} as {Policy} {Experiments}: {An} {Adaptive} {Approach} to {Development} {Administration}}, volume = {61}, issn = {0013-0095}, shorttitle = {Review of {Development} {Projects} as {Policy} {Experiments}}, url = {https://www.jstor.org/stable/143872}, doi = {10.2307/143872}, number = {2}, urldate = {2023-11-03}, journal = {Economic Geography}, author = {Uphoff, Norman}, collaborator = {Rondinelli, Dennis}, year = {1985}, note = {Publisher: [Clark University, Wiley]}, pages = {181--183}, } @book{chambers_rural_1983, title = {Rural development: putting the last first}, copyright = {http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/80}, shorttitle = {Rural development}, url = {https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/178}, language = {en}, urldate = {2017-04-07}, publisher = {Prentice Hall}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, year = {1983}, } @book{rondinelli_development_1983, address = {London}, title = {Development {Projects} as {Policy} {Experiments}: {An} {Adaptive} {Approach} to {Development} {Administration}}, shorttitle = {Development {Projects} as {Policy} {Experiments}}, abstract = {International assistance programmes for developing countries are in urgent need of revision. Continuous testing and verification is required if development activity is to cope effectively with the uncertainty and complexity of the development process. This examines the alternatives and offers an approach which focuses on strategic planning, administrative procedures that facilitate innovation, responsiveness and experimentation, and on decision-making processes that join learning with action. A useful text for academics and practitioners in development studies, geography and sociology.}, publisher = {Methuen}, author = {Rondinelli, Dennis A.}, year = {1983}, } @article{korten_community_1980, title = {Community {Organization} and {Rural} {Development}: {A} {Learning} {Process} {Approach}}, volume = {40}, issn = {00333352}, shorttitle = {Community {Organization} and {Rural} {Development}}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/3110204?origin=crossref}, doi = {10.2307/3110204}, number = {5}, urldate = {2017-09-26}, journal = {Public Administration Review}, author = {Korten, David C.}, month = sep, year = {1980}, pages = {480}, } @book{tendler_inside_1975, address = {Baltimore; London}, title = {Inside {Foreign} {Aid}}, isbn = {978-0-8018-2016-8}, abstract = {A classic, important study in the anthropology of development, grounded in the author's own work within USAID, and analysis of the organizational and institutional pressures that constrain and shape development agency employees' cognition and action.}, language = {English}, publisher = {The Johns Hopkins University Press}, author = {Tendler, Judith}, year = {1975}, keywords = {IMPORTANT}, } @article{chambers_managing_1974, title = {Managing {Rural} {Development}}, volume = {6}, issn = {1759-5436}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1759-5436.1974.mp6001002.x}, doi = {10.1111/j.1759-5436.1974.mp6001002.x}, language = {en}, number = {1}, urldate = {2022-07-11}, journal = {Institute of Development Studies Bulletin}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, year = {1974}, note = {\_eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1759-5436.1974.mp6001002.x}, pages = {4--12}, } @book{chambers_managing_1974, title = {Managing {Rural} {Development}: {Ideas} and {Experience} from {East} {Africa}}, isbn = {978-91-7106-075-4}, shorttitle = {Managing {Rural} {Development}}, language = {en}, publisher = {Scandinavian Institute of African Studies}, author = {Chambers, Robert}, year = {1974}, note = {Google-Books-ID: W4IsAAAAMAAJ}, } @article{singer_review_1969, title = {Review {Article}: {Albert} {O}. {Hirschman}: {Development} {Projects} {Observed}}, copyright = {http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/IDSOpenDocsStandardTermsOfUse.pdf}, issn = {1759-5436}, shorttitle = {Review {Article}}, url = {https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/11148}, doi = {10.1111/j.1759-5436.1969.mp1003006.x}, urldate = {2017-04-07}, author = {Singer, Dr H. W.}, month = jan, year = {1969}, } @book{hirschman_development_1967, address = {Washington, DC}, title = {Development {Projects} {Observed}}, isbn = {978-0-8157-3651-6}, abstract = {The experience accumulated in the wake of more than two decades of sustained effort to promote growth and change in the low-income countries presents a rich field for scholarly inquiry and new insights into the development process. The success and failures of such projects, the new skills and attitudes they impart, and the internal tensions they sometimes generate obviously have an important bearing on the next stages of a county's development effort. Yet little has become known about these truly formative experiences which are due to the behavior —and misbehavior —of development projects. In this recent volume, Professor Albert O. Hirschman turns his attention to the ways in which decision making is molded, activated, or hampered by the specific nature of the project that is undertaken; for example, the establishment and operation of a pulp and paper mill in east Pakistan, an irrigation project in Peru, railway expansion in Nigeria, and other development undertakings. In some parts of the present inquiry Hirschman elaborates on his earlier writings in this series; and occasionally, he qualifies or modifies his previous conclusions; the bulk of the study explores new territory.}, language = {English}, publisher = {Brookings Institution}, author = {Hirschman, Albert O.}, year = {1967}, } @article{hirschman_principle_1967, title = {The principle of the hiding hand}, language = {English}, number = {6 (Winter)}, journal = {National Observer}, author = {Hirschman, Albert O.}, year = {1967}, }