Written by Michael Woolcock The frequency and sophistication with which case studies are deployed by social scientists has greatly expanded in recent years. The goal now is not merely to document or describe, but to diagnose, explain, interpret, and inform a basis for action. Professional schools across the disciplines – from medicine and engineering to…Continue Reading Making the case for case studies in development practice
World Bank uses PDIA in Sierra Leone
written by Salimah Samji International development experts often tell us that they cannot do PDIA because the project processes within their organizations do not allow for flexibility. The truth however, is that all development agencies have some sort of instrument that does allow for experimentation and flexibility. Here’s an example of how a Pay and…Continue Reading World Bank uses PDIA in Sierra Leone
World Cup Lessons: Is it the team or is it the star?
Amy Bass in an article in today’s CNN opinion section entitled, four key takeaways from World Cup 2014, asks the question of all sports – Is it the team, or is it the star? In development circles, many people believe the answer to this question is ‘the star.’ Leaders are seen as heroic figures that…Continue Reading World Cup Lessons: Is it the team or is it the star?
BSC video 33: Multi-agent leadership in action
Who leads? How do they lead? When do they lead? Why do they lead? Answers to these questions are very important in understanding how change happens. Change is about people and people need to be led. In this video, Matt Andrews, uses the story of Singapore to illustrate how true champions are the ones who…Continue Reading BSC video 33: Multi-agent leadership in action
BSC video 32: Who is the leader?
In a study of successful change, we interviewed 150 people in 12 different places and asked them “who is the leader?” Instead of the listing the 12 champions, they responded with 107 names. In this video, Matt Andrews, highlights that successful change requires someone to authorize the change, motivate, provide money, empower the people, define…Continue Reading BSC video 32: Who is the leader?
The 5 M’s of Development: Mobilizers matter (Part 5 of 5)
written by Matt Andrews As I reflect on how change happens in development, 5 themes come to mind. I have written about the importance of moments, muddling, the mundane and multiple men and women. In keeping with the ‘m’s’, today I will emphasize the importance of mobilizers. These are the people who bring multiple men…Continue Reading The 5 M’s of Development: Mobilizers matter (Part 5 of 5)
The 5 M’s of Development: Multiple Men and Women matter (Part 4 of 5)
written by Matt Andrews As I reflect on how change happens in development, 5 themes come to mind. I have written about the importance of moments, muddling and the mundane. Today I will discuss the fourth one: multiple men and women matter. In my experience, development and governance reform is about people, not as targets of…Continue Reading The 5 M’s of Development: Multiple Men and Women matter (Part 4 of 5)
The 5 M’s of Development: Mundane matters (Part 3 of 5)
written by Matt Andrews As I reflect on how change happens in development, 5 themes come to mind. I wrote about the importance of moments which are vital to foster change in complex contexts, and muddling which is important to find and fit reform and change content that fosters real development. Today I will discuss…Continue Reading The 5 M’s of Development: Mundane matters (Part 3 of 5)
The 5 M’s of Development: Muddling matters (Part 2 of 5)
written by Matt Andrews As I reflect on how change happens in development, 5 themes come to mind. I wrote about moments yesterday. Today I will discuss the second one: muddling matters. What I mean is that developing countries need to muddle through if they want to improve governance; there are no quick answers to…Continue Reading The 5 M’s of Development: Muddling matters (Part 2 of 5)
The 5 M’s of Development: Moments matter (Part 1 of 5)
written by Matt Andrews As I reflect on how change happens in development, 5 themes come to mind. The first is simple, but is one of the most important observations I continually make when observing successful change that fosters better government and development results: Moments matter. ‘Change events’ happen when contexts become ready for change….Continue Reading The 5 M’s of Development: Moments matter (Part 1 of 5)