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In this episode, I discuss a way to think about effectiveness in development projects & programs that could allow international development to deliver on its original promises of development effectiveness.  I discuss Albert Hirschman’s ‘hiding hand’ that veils difficulties as well as the creativity available to solve problems as planners engage in the design process.  The Goal Model is still prominent in development organizations, although it presents difficulties in actually verifying project effectiveness.  Development agencies need to move toward the outcome-focused model (OFM, discussed in episode 025) to become more effective, due to its ability to verify the success of the causal chain.  In addition, this offers a new way to improve the effectiveness of development organizations themselves.

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.
[email protected]

Reference:
Hirschman, A. O. 1967. Development Projects Observed. The Brookings Institution. Washington, DC.

[This content originally appeared as episode 014 in May 2016]