International Development Projects Research Articles

Determining the context of an international development project

One of the most difficult aspects of international development project planning is determining what the context of a project is. This paper presents the Circles of Sustainability (Situated and Differentiated Project), or CoS (SDP) framework to assist development practitioners to more clearly identify and reflect on the essential socially driven context considerations of a community development project. This paper contends that the role of the NGO is often overlooked as a significant and critical project context factor. Therefore the concept of ‘the NGO Construct’ is explored as the basis for the framework presented. The final model presented is a sphere that is divided into two halves – the ‘situated context’ on one side and the ‘differentiated context’ on the other, the whole of which identifies eight major social domains that allow for the vibrancy and multifarious nature of communities to be more fully appreciated. This sphere depicts the eight domains as intricate and interrelating to one another. Rather than separate externalities, the domains are coherent analytical categories informing the larger holistic social entity. It is argued that only when the two halves of the context – the ‘situated and differentiated’ are established, can a project context be more comprehensively appraised. The model arises from utilizing RMIT Global Cities Research Institute’s original Circles of Sustainability framework as one half of the framework, as it clearly presents four local ‘situated’ context domains (Economics, Ecology, Politics and Culture). The other half of the framework consists of four ‘differentiated’ domains drawn from the NGO Construct, namely Presiding Conventions, Institutional (NGO), Project Operations and Personal (Project Staff). These four differentiated domains are further broken down and discussed to identify seven essential perspectives. By undertaking this detailed analysis of context factors, it is hoped that project planning will be more strategic and sustainable and will highlight that all the dynamics outlined in the framework occur at any one time. The model is designed to inspire debate and become a collaborative process tool for development practitioners to engage further reflection, discussion and creative project analysis. The final model is a visually stimulating heuristic representation of the array of complex, yet accessible macro and micro factors that intersect to create each unique project environment.

Challenges facing international projects for entrepreneurial development in South Africa

International development projects that support entrepreneurship face a number of challenges, not least because they need to integrate different paradigms. Based on the case study of a Canadian non-governmental organisation in South Africa, this paper provides an exploratory assessment of these challenges and highlights four major factors that affect the success of such international projects: transposing a northern business model to the south; developing local roots and adapting to the local context; balancing the allocation of resources between managing the project and providing services to entrepreneurs; and aligning the cultures of the private sector and international development agencies. In practical terms, the findings provide benchmarks for the success of these projects and could help improve interventions that encourage entrepreneurship in developing countries.

The survival and development conditions of community-based organizations for HIV/AIDS prevention and control among men who have sex with men in three Chinese cities

To investigate the survival and development conditions of community-based organizations (CBOs) for HIV/AIDS prevention and control among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chinese cities including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chongqing. This study employed both qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (questionnaire survey) methods to obtain information from 15 MSM CBOs in three Chinese cities. The mean work time of the 15 CBOs for HIV/AIDS prevention and control among MSM was 6.7 years (2.1-11.3 years), and the majority of their funds was from international cooperation projects (80 447 000 RMB, 73.0%) from 2006 to 2013. The survival cost of MSM CBOs apart from expenditure of activities was 2 240-435 360 RMB per year. As it was shown in the graph, the survival and development of MSM CBOs was closely related to the development of international cooperation projects. There was a few small size MSM CBOs taking part in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and their work content was limited before 2006. From 2006 to 2008, some international cooperation projects were launched in China, such as the China Global Fund AIDS project and the China-Gates Foundation HIV Prevention Cooperation program. As a result, the number of MSM CBOs was increased sharply, and both the scale and 2012, the performance of these programs further promote the establishment of new MSM CBOs and the development of all MSM CBOs with regard to the work places, full-time staffs, work contents, work patterns and the specific targeted population. After 2012, most international cooperation programs were completed and the local department of disease prevention and control continued to cooperate with MSM CBOs. However, the degree of support funds from the local department was different among different regions. Where the funds were below the half of program funds, the development of MSM CBOs ceased and work slowed down. Besides, there were still some constraints for the survival and development of MSM CBOs, such as insufficient funds, no legitimate identity, the outflow of talents and the unsustainable development. The survival and development of MSM CBOs was closely related to the development of international cooperation projects in China. Some departments of disease prevention and control took over the cooperation with MSM CBOs when the international cooperation projects were completed. Given the survival cost of MSM CBOs and the constraints of MSM CBOs development, it needs further investigation on how to ensure the local departments of disease prevention and control to take over the cooperation with MSM CBOs and how to cooperate with MSM CBOs.

Safety and volunteer construction workers

The construction industry is dangerous, with 39 fatalities at work in the UK in 2012/13 and comparable and even larger figures reported worldwide. People also take part in construction on a voluntary basis; most volunteers have limited training and no technical qualification, whilst safety regulation frameworks range from being comparable to professional sectors to zero regulation in some international contexts. Unstructured interviews were undertaken with volunteer construction workers from two areas: those returning from international development projects and those regularly volunteering on UK heritage railways. Taking a social constructionist perspective, data was explored using discourse analysis to illuminate ‘safety’ within this unique construction ‘industry’. Those with engineering or technical backgrounds developed more tangible constructions of safety, around risks and hazards, within their activities, yet volunteers without this experience also acknowledged a wider context of danger. Volunteers on overseas projects developed discourses of ‘difference’ between safety at home and safety outside the UK, associated with negative practices overseas yet with acceptance of their inevitability as part of the voluntary experience. Further work is proposed to determine whether these insights can contribute to improved safety management within the voluntary construction context.

Best practice? Bare bones planning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo – a country the size of Western Europe – has suffered from years of kleptocracy, warfare and civil strife. As a result, development has suffered enormously: governance and the rule of law are weak, there are few roads and many facilities are dilapidated. A United States Agency for International Development project working with twelve local governments provides a useful example of the applicability (or lack thereof) of best practice in local planning, financial management and citizen involvement, and how sources of best practice potentially applicable to the project were identified and evaluated. This is contrasted with the objective of making development support replicable within the local context and therefore providing a sustainable model. Details are given of the practices finally adopted and implemented – preparing action plans for local government, introducing improved financial management practices with citizen participation and introducing participatory budgetin...

Relating Outputs, Outcomes and Impact in the Evaluation of International Development Projects

Background: The recent controversies on the pages of the JMDE regarding UNDP evaluations, as well as the DAC criteria, are discussed in the light of two UNDP/GEF evaluations in Latin America for which the author was primarily responsible.Purpose: The author defends the utilization of all five evaluation criteria of the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD (the DAC criteria), and their integration via Theories of Change.Setting: The pine/oak forest of Honduras and the mangrove regions along the coast of Brazil.Intervention: Two projects of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the respective governments.Research Design: Mid-term evaluations with site visits and interviews.Data Collection and Analysis: In the Brazilian case, longitudinal analysis of available data was conducted and related to the findings of the interviews and observation, as well as published reports and studies. A Theory of Change (action model) of the Honduran project was structured and graphically portrayed based on desk review of the project document and other documentation, adapted following initial interviews, and field tested.Findings: In Brazil, preliminary evidence derived in part from Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) questions with reference to results indicates a relative lack of project effectiveness and of preliminary signs of impact. The state of Pará offers one possible exception, related in part to the fact that a certain momentum had already been built up in that state prior to project start-up and in part to the early adoption through the project of a new method of transportation of the fiddler crab (Ucides cordatus), in baskets covered with wet sponges rather than in sacks. The Honduran project, with the strong support of the national government and the UNDP field office as well as GEF, successfully adapted the provisions of the project document to pursue a more community- and community organization-centered approach, rather than relying on the outside consultants originally specified. Project-supported gathering of impact data raised environmental awareness, strengthened the local university and established a baseline for future ex-post impact evaluation. Keywords: Theory of Change; DAC criteria; capacity development; displacement of goals; UNDP/GEF.

Integrating social network analysis with analytic network process for international development project selection

The social relationships between development agencies, non-governmental organizations, private companies, and other groups working on development projects play an important role in the overall success of projects. However, traditional project selection and prioritization processes ignore the organizational relationships. This paper proposes to integrate social network analysis into multi-criteria decision-making processes to enhance the effectiveness of project selection. A set of topological metrics of social network are used to quantitatively measure the organizational relationships and integrated into the analytic network process (ANP) to form a multi-criteria ANP project selection model. Utilizing empirical social network data of a water and food security research for development network in the Mekong River Basin, we investigate the effectiveness of the proposed model. The results show that it will offer companies, government agencies, and other donor organizations the opportunity to prioritize strategic network goals simultaneously with research and development priorities, and help companies and research organizations to increase their impact and reach within networks.

Do the ends justify the means? Dialogue, development communication, and deontological ethics

Despite being a frequently discussed topic in the public relations literature, dialogue is often misunderstood as simply two-way communication and seldom examined in practice. While international development organizations frequently claim to use dialogic and participatory methods, development communication remains a relatively unexplored area in public relations. To further clarify public relations’ understanding of dialogue as well as its potential in development practice, this study examined how a USAID-sponsored international development project adopted participatory communication practices to encourage Bolivian farmers to switch from coca to coffee. Drawing from public relations and development literature on dialogue, the article juxtaposes the approaches to “dialogue” used in the project against normative concepts of the theory. The article argues that using genuine dialogue is a matter of differentiating deontological, means-based approaches to communication practice, from consequentialist, ends-based orientations.

Plans for Embedding ICTs into Teaching and Learning through a Large-Scale Secondary Education Reform in the Country of Georgia

Integrating ICTs into international development projects is common. However, focusing on how ICTs support leading, teaching, and learning is often overlooked. This article describes a team’s approach to technology integration into the design of a large-scale, five year, teacher and leader professional development project in the country of Georgia. The main goal of this project was to improve student outcomes via changing core pedagogical practices such as formative assessment, higher order thinking, and student-centered learning. In this article, we describe the background of the project, detail the country and sector context, the project team composition, the technological approach used in the development plan, and offer an analysis of how the proposed technology interventions push teachers and leaders to use technology to improve tasks and improve the teaching and learning experience. The full text of the article can be found at 10.18275/fire201502011047

Redefining Technology in Development Work: A Need for Learning Outcomes in ICT Projects

Redefining Technology in Development Work: The full text of the article can be found at 10.18275/fire201502011068 A Need for Learning Outcomes in ICT Projects Jayson W. Richardson Gregory C. Sales Technology has redefined, and will likely continue to redefine, educational processes and procedures around the world. In many development efforts, however, the focus is on the hardware, software, or professional development. Rare is the international development project focused on teaching and learning. In this special issue of the Forum for International Research in Education (FIRE), we propose a reframing of ICT by shifting the paradigm to focus on Instructional quality, Curriculum development, and Teaching pedagogy. Thinking of ICTs in this I-C-T context moves the discussion away from the technology itself, and spotlights changing and improving teaching and learning. In this special issue the Information and Communication Technology for Development Special Interest Group (ICT4D SIG) of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), solicited articles that focus on improving and measuring teaching and learning outcomes in technology-focused development projects.

Resilience projects as experiments: implementing climate change resilience in Asian cities

The capacity of actors and institutions to learn and reorganize is central to the resilience of complex systems, particularly in the context of rapidly urbanizing cities. A process of qualitative, reflective research among practitioners within the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) showed that development projects and programmes can contribute meaningfully to this capacity when they introduce projects as “experiments”. While projects did provide desired tangible benefits to certain groups of actors, many of the most significant contributions to resilience were related to knowledge, networks, information, and greater engagement of citizens with the state. This emphasis on the capacity to learn and reorganize provides a counterpoint to ideas around “implementation” and “mainstreaming” normally promoted within climate change adaptation practice – and, importantly, can help enrich these practices to maximize their effectiveness. This paper focuses on international development projects in particular, although findings have implications for other types of adaptation and resilience initiatives supported by governments, private sector, or community-based organizations.

International Development Projects: Peculiarities and Managerial Approaches

Project Management JournalVolume 45, Issue 6 p. e1-e1 Cover to Cover-Book Review International Development Projects: Peculiarities and Managerial Approaches Kenneth H. Rose PMP, Kenneth H. Rose PMPSearch for more papers by this author Kenneth H. Rose PMP, Kenneth H. Rose PMPSearch for more papers by this author First published: 18 November 2014 https://doi.org/10.1002/pmj.21460Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume45, Issue6December 2014/January 2015Pages e1-e1 RelatedInformation

Teaching ‘community engagement’ in engineering education for international development: Integration of an interdisciplinary social work curriculum

This article reviews the literature on challenges faced by engineering faculty in educating their students on community-engaged, sustainable technical solutions in developing countries. We review a number of approaches to increasing teaching modules on social and community components of international development education, from adding capstone courses and educational track seminars to integrating content from other disciplines, particularly the social sciences. After summarising recent pedagogical strategies to increase content on community-focused development, we present a case study of how one engineering programme incorporates social work students and faculty to infuse strategies for community engagement in designing and implementing student-led global engineering development projects. We outline how this interdisciplinary pedagogical approach teaches students from the two disciplines to work together in addressing power balances, economic and social issues and overall sustainability of international development projects.

Adoption of project management practices: The impact on international development projects of non-governmental organizations

International Development (ID) projects carried out by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are considered one of the pillars for providing assistance to developing countries, but these projects are reported to have high failure rates and their performance is often considered not satisfactory. Only recently researchers started to consider project management (PM) practices as possible remedy for the poor performance of ID projects. Following this direction, we have conducted a large-scale survey among project managers working for NGOs and dealing with ID projects to assess the extent of adoption of methodologies and tools. Moreover, this study assesses the impact of the PM practices on project performance. We present an analysis and discussion of the evidence from this international survey administered to almost 500 project managers. The results indicate different levels of maturity in the adoption of PM tools that are related to project success in both the short and long term.

Differences in farmer and expert beliefs and the perceived impacts of conservation agriculture

Departing from the traditional agricultural model of input-heavy, intensive agriculture via the use of agrochemicals and irrigated water, many international development projects have started to promote conservation agriculture in developing countries. However, relying solely on technical expertise, largely generated outside the rural communities in which they are applied, often does not consider whether local ecological and culturally influenced beliefs are consistent with the technologies being promoted for adoption. We suggest these disconnects can be linked to differing ‘mental models’ of scientific experts and rural agricultural communities regarding the nature of farming dynamics and predicted impacts of introduced farming practices. Using an agricultural development project in Nepal as a case study, this research seeks to understand the relationship between trends in expert and rural farmer reasoning and predictions regarding the outcomes associated with development technology based on these beliefs. Further, we seek to compare these mental model-based differences with local environmental conditions (using soil measurements) and agricultural outcomes in terms of farm production (i.e. yield). While researchers’ mental models predicted that minimum tillage would improve yield, mental models from two of the three villages predicted that yield would decrease. Local soil and yield measurements support the farmers’ mental model predictions. Our results indicated that conservation agriculture techniques should not be applied universally, development practitioners should engage in a two-way learning with local communities to benefit from locally situated knowledge.

Competencies of project managers in international NGOs: Perceptions of practitioners

In international development, despite the professionalization on NGOs of the numerous projects carried out, very few studies address the competencies of project managers in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as opposite to the significant body of studies conducted for private sector projects. This article presents findings from an exploratory study aimed at identifying competencies of international development project managers and how these competencies are used in projects. A survey conducted with international development project managers in NGOs show the very specific situation they have to deal with and the significant change in meaning for project management capacities, considering their very particular environment. Here, human competencies take a new meaning for people who manage projects with limited support, limited resources and a double client system, where they need to satisfy a client donor while respecting local populations which needs are not always compatible with donors' vision.

Social Work and Engineering Collaboration: Forging Innovative Global Community Development Education

Interdisciplinary programs in schools of social work are growing in scope and number. This article reports on collaboration between a school of social work and a school of engineering, which is forging a new area of interdisciplinary education. The program engages social work students working alongside engineering students in a team approach to developing and implementing international community development projects. The author chronicles the prevalence and types of interdisciplinary, academic social work collaborations over the past 2 decades and outlines the uniqueness of an engineering and social work partnership. After presenting the components of the collaboration, the author analyzes the collaboration’s fit for social work education using a model of interdisciplinary social work. Implications for social work education and research are discussed.

International development projects by non-governmental organizations: an evaluation of the need for specific project management and appraisal tools

International development (ID) projects are pivotal in the field of international aid, but their actual impact is difficult to assess and often questioned. Focusing on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in this paper we analyse two aspects related to the impact of ID projects. The first concerns the characteristics of ID projects. We reviewed the literature to define the distinctive features of these projects. Second, we analyse the state of the art of project management processes and tools for ID projects. In particular, we verify the differences between standard project management methodologies (i.e. PMBOK® Guide and IPMA) and the methodologies specifically developed for NGOs (i.e. PM4NGOs and PM4DEV). The results suggest the need for specific managerial approaches and tools for ID projects. In particular, we show that standard project management methodologies could be complemented by specific tools (e.g. the logical framework) in order to increase the likelihood that high social impact is the outcome of the project.

Weighing Up the Risks: The Challenge of Studying ‘Risk’ in Empirical Research

Studying multifaceted risks that are simultaneously and differently perceived and experienced presents significant challenges, but gaining insight into multiple realities and rationalities is crucial for achieving effective and collaborative governance. This article describes the challenges of a recent study that looked at how different actors, ranging from smallholder farmers to international biotechnology development projects, weigh up the risks associated with the uncertain future of maize agriculture in Kenya. It presents personal reflections on a 12-month experience of applying a multi-sited, ethnographic research approach in Kenya and the UK, in an attempt to observe the creation, perception and experience of risks. The article demonstrates the importance of history, knowledge, social and institutional settings, trust and politics in the ways that risks are created, perceived and experienced by these different actors, and argues for the necessity of engaging with these highly contextualised processes at individual, local and institutional levels.

Learning from international development projects: Blending Critical Project Studies and Critical Development Studies

This article aims at making international development (ID) projects critical. To that end, it shows that project management (PM) in ID has evolved as an offshoot of conventional PM moving like the latter, but at varying speeds, from a traditional approach suited to blueprint projects where tools matter (1960s–1980s); towards eclectic and contingent approaches suited to process projects where people matter the most (1980s–now); and finally pointing towards the potential contribution of a critical perspective which focuses on issues of power (1980s–now). Consequently, it points to a confluence between the Critical Project Studies movement and Critical Development Studies movements. More specifically, it argues that the postdevelopment, the Habermasian, the Foucauldian and the neo-Marxist lenses may be effectively called upon in that scholarship. Thus, it suggests a framework to encourage project actors to reflect on their personal positions in light of the power relations which shape PM in ID.