Liberalization and Democratization: The Forum and the Hearth in the Era of Cosmopolitan Post-Industrial Capitalism

Rather than the desire for economic liberalization bringing about political democratization, the struggles against autocracy have created an opening for economic liberalization. While undermining partriarchy and hierarchy, anti-authoritarian movements have also paved the way for post-industrial capitalism, with its emphasis on information management, flexible working conditions, and a global outlook

Participatory development : myths and dilemmas

The recent evolution of development thinking has highlighted popular involvement in decision making. Yet policy gridlock and stop-and-go implementation have been associated with excessive responsiveness to interest groups. This paper aims to pull together seemingly disparate strands of development thinking and experience. After debunking some popular myths, the development antecedents of participation are identified and a definition of participation is offered. Next, a stylized theory is presented at the micro level. Some implications are then drawn for organizational design and for development policy planning. The focus on participatory development signifies an opening of development economics to disciplines other than macroeconomics. In particular, microeconomics and business administration must join forces under the umbrella of institutional economics, political economists, and development practice should be shaped by all the social science disciplines.Health Economics&Finance,Economic Theory&Research,ICT Policy and Strategies,TF054599-PHRD-KYRGYZ REPUBLIC: WATER MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT,Governance Indicators

Development Effectiveness at the Country Level

While we know a lot about how countries become prosperous, we have only begun to understand how aid contributes to economic growth and poverty reduction. The development record is mixed and no robust association between the volume of aid and development performance has been discovered. The limits of cross-country regressions have become clear: they do not throw much light on the reality of aid. But the novel mix of qualitative and quantitative methods fashioned by independent evaluators constitutes a serviceable approach to the assessment of aid effectiveness both at project level and at country level. In particular, a new brand of country assistance evaluations (CAEs) has demonstrated that success at project level matters even if it does not automatically translate into success at country level?the ?micro-macro paradox?. Evaluations confirm that well-managed aid, using instruments that are tailored to specific country contexts, works. They show that budget support mechanisms and programme aid instruments have a role to play in certain circumstances while projects are the aid vehicles of choice in others. The popular notion that development effectiveness can be ensured through the targeting of aid towards countries classified as good performers by idealized sets of indicators has been discredited. Recent policy research suggests that, despite the risks ...aid, policies, projects, programmes, country strategies

The UK's diverted profits tax:an admission of defeat or a pre-emptive strike?

The author explains the draft legislation for the U.K.’s proposed diverted profits tax and analyzes the relationship of the provisions to the reforms under negotiation through the BEPS process of the G-20 and OECD. Although the official U.K. position is that the proposals are not out of line, they clearly go beyond what has been proposed so far in the BEPS project. Hence, they seem to be either an admission that international agreement will not be reached that would satisfy U.K. concerns or an attempt to put pressure on the negotiators to do so

Is International Agricultural Research a Global Public Good?

Presentation at ICW 2000 by Robert Picciotto, Director General of the Operations Evaluation Department of the World Bank. Picciotto announces a review of global public policies and programs, including the CGIAR, to be conducted by Uma Lele, a former TAC member, now in his department.He discusses the approach of the World Bank to global issues, the role of the CGIAR, and the need for change. He finds that it is not obvious that the CGIAR is producing global public goods

Towards a Complexity Framework for Transformative Evaluation

Background:  Complexity ideas originating in mathematics and the natural sciences have begun to inform evaluation practice. A new wave in evaluation history is about to break. A new mindset, new methods, and new evaluation processes are being summoned to explore and address the challenges of global pandemics, growing inequities, and existential environmental risks. This is part of a broader paradigm shift underway in science where interdisciplinarity has become the norm rather than the exception. Purpose: This article explores the utility of a complexity framework for a more effective evaluation function. It unearths the antecedents of complexity thinking; explores its relevance to evolving knowledge paradigms; provides a bird’s eye view of complexity concepts; uses the logic of complex adaptive systems to unpack the role of evaluation in society; and draws the implications of contemporary social challenges for evaluation policy directions. Setting: Not applicable. Intervention: Not applicable. Research design: Not applicable. Findings: The evaluation complexity challenge coincides with an urgent imperative: social transformation. The on-going pandemic has brought to light the disproportionate effects of health emergencies on disadvantaged groups and emphasized the urgency of improving the interface between humans and nature. It has also demonstrated the importance of modelling for policy making – as well as its limitations. Evaluation, a complex adaptive system, should be transformed to serve society. Keywords: complexity; computers; disciplines; emergence; modelling; paradigm, system

Evaluation Independence in Organizations

Background: Evaluation independence is a neglected issue in the literature. Yet, it is a critical aspect of evaluation governance in organizations.   Purpose: The article draws on organizational theory, institutional economics and international development evaluation practice to define evaluation independence in organizations, outline principles geared to the design of evaluation processes within organizations and trigger a debate on evaluation independence in the evaluation community.   Intervention: Not applicable.   Research Design: Literature review informed by personal exposure to management of the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group.   Data Collection and Analysis: Not applicable.   Findings: Independent and self-evaluation are complementary and synergistic. Organizational theory demonstrates that a judicious combination of independent and self-evaluation contributes to managerial accountability and double loop learning.   Keywords: independence; accountability; internal evaluation; external evaluation; double loop learnin

On the Table

Although I hope it is not too easy, this cryptic crossword is elementary