Article: Development Projects

Question 1

Providing aid through projects

Answer 1

Characteristics of a project:

• Focus on a specific area of intervention for donor involvement.
• Funds are targeted for specific pre-determined activities.
• Goals, results, and measurements of success.
• Tangible objectives e.g. building schools.
• Time-bound rationale (project cycle)
• Measured with Logical Frameworks (matrix of inputs outputs outcomes = the development goal?)
• By small NGOs or large organizations
• Kick starting economies
• Since 1950s
• Vary in size
• Projects are the original way of providing aid, assisting countries that were short of savings and technological capabilities. (Also a form of integrated rural development)

Question 2

Project: Three types of activities:

Answer 2

• Enabling actions that support economic growth or more effective governments
• Inclusive or broadbased actions that benefit the entire population
• Targeted interventions of which the benefits go directly to the poor people

Question 3

Different Projects:

Answer 3

• Technical cooperation (infrastructure projects)
• Rural projects
• Micro-finance
• Social Funds

Question 4

Development Projects: Critique

Answer 4

• Since 1970s or 1980s
• May undermine local ownership
• Sustainability, relating to ownership: maintenance
• Aid projects have imposed large burdens on recipient governments, particularly aid-dependent countries. → limiting donors.
• Strong focus on project outputs → donor projects have contributed little to broader government strategies.
• Fungibility
• Projects may undermine government policies (e.g. resource planning)
• Measuring tool LogFrame’s mechanistic character: not allowing adequate description of complex policy processes and indirect consequences. Neglecting personal relationships, cultural sensitivity, and potential conflicts
• Projects not always owned by and implemented by local agencies

Question 5

Technical cooperation

Answer 5

transfer of knowledge and skills (technical, economic, organisational..) - focuses on strenghtening capacity to promote development rather than simply providing money or other benefits.

Infrastructure projects: model of early aid industry, efforts after disasters

Critique: technical assistance has often become island of excellence.Strong focus on outputs → donor projects have contributed little to broader government strategies.

• Failed Projects - e. g. roads that are not used, lack of maintenance
• Example: when focus shifted to poverty reduction-utilities became unable to absorb the advice completely, and dependent on the international consultants> weakening the organizations
• Support for building dams
• 1980s 1990s: Aid fatigue lead to decline and lack of maintenance

Question 6

Rural projects

Answer 6

• 2 major project approaches: Integrated rural development (focus on poor farmers) and sustainable livelihoods (focusing on peoples’ social, economical and natural resources) > Green revolution: did not necessarily translate into benefits for the poor
• 9 paradigms since 1960s
  • Cash cropping
  • Community development
  • Basic human needs
  • Regional integration 1 (national food self-sufficiency)
  • Regional integration 2 (Food First)
  • Structural adjustment 1 (demand management)
  • Structural adjustment 2 (growth with equity)
  • Supply shifters
  • Sustainable development

Critique:

• Green revolution: reduced genetic diversity, increased vulnerability to pests, soil erosion, and water shortages,…
• Integrated rural development: complex - coordination was both difficult and time consuming
• Sustainable livelihoods: Attention too far from agriculture and ambition to work across a range of sectors (challenging). “Agricultural productivity must be maintained in situations where food insecurity prevails”.

Question 7

Micro-finance

Answer 7

= target finance to poor people

Critique: problems with targeting poor (inclusion error=people who are not poor get benefits) (exclusion error=people who are poor do not get benefits). The poorest may be excluded either by the project staff or the groups themselves - especially in high pressure for repayment. + negative social consequences (e. g. inabilities to pay the loans)

Question 8

Social Funds

Answer 8

fixing economic crises. Often co-financed. Primarily channeling resources to small-scale projects for poor and vulnerable groups. Appraise, finance and supervise implementation of small-scale projects - but do not implement them. Operating institutionally and organizationally separately from governmental policies and services.

Critique: (Social funds and other) support provided to communities - can increase corruption

Potential conflicts between efficiency goals and the need for time-consuming/costly processes of community ownership and decision making. There are potential tradeoffs among reaching the poor and demand-led approaches, the varying interests involved, and the need to enhance the capacities of the communities to participate. Only small proportion of the funds could be categorised as really demand oriented, and reviews have raised questions regarding the adequacy of the methodology to formulate community needs. Social funds tend to create new structures rather than working to reform existing governmental institutions. Phasing out or integrating of social funds into existing structures also does not seem to be a focus at planning stages. Creating parallel structures. Establishing funds may displace other sources of funding.

Fungibility=the risk that ministries reduce their allocations to areas that are targeted by social funds.

Question 9

Fungibility

Answer 9

=the risk that ministries reduce their allocations to areas that are targeted by social funds.

Question 10

inclusion error

Answer 10

=people who are not poor get benefits

Question 11

exclusion error=

Answer 11

people who are poor do not get benefits