One of the recurring themes here on Aid on the Edge of Chaos is that the complexity of real world systems is seldom recognised and acknowledged by international agencies, leading to systemic failures in aid policy and practice. The work of renowned policy analyst Russell Ackoff provides a useful way of unpacking these issues. Drawing [...]
Archive for the ‘Accountability’ Category
The paradox of aid failures
Posted in Accountability, Evaluation, Evolution, Innovation, Knowledge and learning, Organisations, Public Policy on December 13, 2010 | 3 Comments »
SciDev: Development Needs Systems Thinking
Posted in Accountability, Innovation, Institutions, Knowledge and learning, MDGs, Public Policy, Strategy, Technology on November 1, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Last weeks editorial on SciDev, the leading source of authoritative information on science and technology for development, focused on the need for ‘holistic approaches’ in development. Specifically, it argued that developing countries need more joined-up systems thinking to promote growth and reduce poverty, and that donor agencies needed to find ways of supporting such efforts. One positive move [...]
Former USAID Afghanistan Chief looks to Complexity Science
Posted in Accountability, Chaos, Conflict and peace building, Evaluation, Innovation, Institutions, Knowledge and learning, Leadership, Organisations, Public Policy, Strategy on October 5, 2010 | 3 Comments »
The most interesting story this week for anyone interested in complexity and aid issues is the news that Bill Frej, head of the United States Agency for International Development’s mission to Afghanistan from May 2009 until June 2010, will be the first ‘development diplomat in residence’ at the Santa Fe Institute, the leading global think-tank [...]
MDGs and theories of change
Posted in Accountability, Financial crisis, Innovation, Knowledge and learning, MDGs, Public Policy on October 5, 2010 | 5 Comments »
The Millennium Development Goals have been succinctly described as “the world’s biggest promise”. The last few weeks have seen a veritable mountain of reports, papers, policy papers, blogs and tweets on reaching the 10 year mark and the imminent approach of 2015, the anticipated end-date of the MDGs. Despite the sheer volume of material and amassed intellect that [...]
Pushing back against linearity
Posted in Accountability, Innovation, Institutions, Knowledge and learning, Leadership, Meetings, Organisations, Public Policy, Strategy on September 29, 2010 | 7 Comments »
The Big Push Back was convened last week by the Participation and Social Change team at IDS. With over 70 attendees, the theme of the day was to reflect on and develop strategies for ’pushing back’ against the increasingly dominant bureacratisation of the development agenda. As the meeting background note put it: Development NGOs and researchers are [...]
