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Getting Best Fit in Development Projects is like buying a new suit

written by Matt Andrews I often hear talk of moving from best practice to best fit in development. When I ask what people mean by this I seldom get the same answer. But the basic idea is that multiple solutions are considered  instead of a one-best-way solution. I like the idea in concept and have…Continue Reading Getting Best Fit in Development Projects is like buying a new suit

How do money, ideas and, reforms come together to produce better development outcomes?

Despite the considerable time, money, and effort that aid agencies, international organizations, and NGOs expend producing analysis and advice to inform or influence policymakers in developing countries, there is a remarkable lack of understanding about which of these instruments are most and least effective at spurring and sustaining reforms – and why. In an attempt…Continue Reading How do money, ideas and, reforms come together to produce better development outcomes?

Getting real about development; It is hard

Written by Matt Andrews I’m reminded so regularly that development is about change. If it’s done well it is about change that sticks, and even more about countries becoming adaptive (able to change continuously at the right pace and in the right way). This requires learning and building a specific type of DNA in people,…Continue Reading Getting real about development; It is hard

How do you keep 100 students awake on a Friday afternoon? Fast feedback and iterative adaptation seem to work

Guest blog written by Duncan Green There’s a character in a Moliere play who is surprised and delighted to learn that he has been speaking prose all his life without knowing it. I thought of him a couple of weeks into my new role as a part-time Professor in Practice in LSE’s International Development Department, when I…Continue Reading How do you keep 100 students awake on a Friday afternoon? Fast feedback and iterative adaptation seem to work

If you want to Do Development Differently but it sounds too hard…

written by Matt Andrews Arnaldo Pellini recently wrote an interesting personal blog post about the Doing Development Differently workshop and manifesto. He concludes with, “I agree with these ideas and  I can share and discuss these ideas with the team with whom I work  but what difference can it make if the systems around us due…Continue Reading If you want to Do Development Differently but it sounds too hard…

The PDIA Anthem

Need help decoding the acronym PDIA? Check out the PDIA anthem. This Anthem uses the Instrumental from Mos Def – Mathematics. It was made by a very talented student as part of an assignment for Matt Andrews course entitled Getting Things Done in Development. We had never imagined that we could write a song about…Continue Reading The PDIA Anthem

Introducing The DDD Manifesto

We are delighted to release The DDD Manifesto as an outcome of the 2014 Doing Development Differently (DDD) workshop. In late October, a group of about 40 development professionals, implementers and funders from around the world attended the DDD workshop, to share examples where real change has been achieved. These examples employ different tools but…Continue Reading Introducing The DDD Manifesto

Contexts and Policy Implementation: 4 factors to think about

written by Matt Andrews I recently blogged about what matters about the context. Here’s a video of a class I taught on the topic at the University of Cape Town over the summer (their winter). It is a short clip where I try to flesh out the 4 factors that I look at when thinking…Continue Reading Contexts and Policy Implementation: 4 factors to think about

How can we learn when we don’t understand the problem?

written by Salimah Samji Most development practitioners think that they are working on problems. However, what they often mean by the word ‘problem’ is the ‘lack of a solution’. This leads to designing typical, business as usual interventions, without addressing the actual problem. Essentially, they sell solutions to specific problems they have identified and prioritized…Continue Reading How can we learn when we don’t understand the problem?