We are Capability

The challenge

Genuine social development and democratic governance progress is complex, uncertain, and involves changing how policy and decision-making systems work. As David Booth noted, development initiatives can struggle to change the way governance and policy systems work. Change is a slow and steady process that may not fit the set time frame often imposed on development programmes. Time is required to learn about the politics and the systems and identify the spaces where change can happen.

The politics and complexity of social development and democratic governance change require new approaches to programme design, planning, and implementation. It requires designing portfolios of strategic activities that attempt to change the system at multiple points and help learn to dance with the system. It involves an adaptive and flexible plan to spot and stop what does not work and scale what works well. It includes the design of monitoring, learning and evaluation systems that, on the one hand, produce and reward the kinds of learning and adaptation that are important for contributing to change. Yet, at the same time, these systems must provide acceptable evidence that implementation is on track. Learn more.