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Issue 37 : Understanding context
In capacity development, it is good to be humble and recognise the contextual dynamics that are often more forceful and influential in the long term than support intervention itself. This issue of Capacity.org focuses on methods that can help to understand the societal context in which capacity development takes place. One of these methods is systems thinking, in which organisations, sectors and societies are seen as systems composed of elements that interact with each other.
All Articles
Thinking systemically
29 October 2010
Support for capacity development is often framed in projects based on a very
narrow understanding of the factors that influence the ability to of people, organisations and
institutions to perform. There is a need to look at organisations and networks of
organisations
systemically embedded in and connected to a much wider context the potential to
help development workers better understand the factors that influence the abilities of people,
organisations and institutions to perform and to achieve desired outcomes.
- Search Terms:
- analytical frameworks
Bob Williams
(Consultant, Wellington, New Zealand)
Organism or machine?
29 October 2010
Insufficient attention has been given
to understanding how capacity develops in different organisational and societal contexts. For
a number of years, the international community has emphasised the importance of capacity
development for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and for sustainable
development in general. However, a recent ECDPM report entitled
Capacity, Change and Performance argues that the development community needs to reflect
critically on the way it thinks about and approaches capacity development work.
- Search Terms:
- analytical frameworks
Tools, principles or policies?
29 October 2010
One of the most notable changes in the field of agricultural development has been the growing popularity of thinking in terms of innovation systems rather than just focusing on research.
More- Search Terms:
- rural development
- casestudies
- africa
- analytical frameworks
- knowledge-sharing
The power of understanding power
29 October 2010
Analysing power relations is
important for understanding the contexts in which decisions about capacity development are made.
There is a lot more to power than the simple struggle between those who have it and those who don’t
. A more comprehensive view of power can ensure that it is used in a more strategic way
- Search Terms:
- analytical frameworks
- casestudies
- latin america
Beyond the dotted line
29 October 2010
Systems thinking is very common among European NGOs, but it often covers over the complexity of context, power relations and local knowledge. Chris Mowles gives an example of how taking a systems approach overlooked local initiatives, and thus made it difficult for local people to engage in genuine partnerships with European NGO staff.
MoreContextual forces
29 October 2010
Causal loop
diagrams can show the many factors that contribute to a problem, and how they link together. By
understanding the broader context, organisations can identify what is within and what is beyond
their ability to change.
- Search Terms:
- analytical frameworks
- casestudies
- asia
- civil society
Value chain analysis
29 October 2010
SNV Ethiopia is using value chain analysis to understand how farmers are interlinked with other actors, and to identify capacities of key actors that require strengthening.
More- Search Terms:
- analytical frameworks
- casestudies
- africa
- rural development
Evaluating capacity development support
29 October 2010
The Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently launched a major evaluation of Dutch support for capacity development in 17 countries.
More- Search Terms:
- analytical frameworks
- global
Context matters
29 October 2010
GUEST COLUMN
A
spectre is haunting donors – the spectre of insignificance. Once the world seemed to be on a rather
straight path towards universal well-being: donors could provide investments to boost the economy
(1960 and1970s), or pay attention to basic needs (1980s) or press for market and fiscal policy
reforms (1990s). Today, donors herald the virtues of target-driven comprehensive planning with a
focus on social sectors, embodied in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). These efforts throughout the decades have been accompanied by
mountains of training and technical assistance aimed at developing capacity.
Context in capacity development
29 October 2010
In capacity development, it is good to be humble and recognise the contextual dynamics that are often more forceful and influential in the long term than support intervention itself. This issue of Capacity.org focuses on methods that can help to understand the societal context in which capacity development takes place. One of these methods is systems thinking, in which organisations, sectors and societies are seen as systems composed of elements that interact with each other.
MoreLocal economic development from a systems perspective
29 October 2010
Local economic development (LED) projects are being undertaken in many municipal areas of South Africa. These municipalities have been criticised by analysts for prioritising infrastructure and service backlogs above LED. Applying thinking in terms of system dynamics, Bodhanya shows that the municipalities are right, and that infrastructure and service delivery should be considered part of local economic development.
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