DDD and large programmes: possible? Posted with Budiati Prasetiamartati a blog that discusses how approaches to complex social problems often start on the wrong foot, because they prescribe solutions and promise results. The Doing Development Differently (DDD) community instead advocates for something slightly different: to be problem driven, to try to work with conveners who […]
Blog post on Doing Development Differently Read More »
I found a couple of interesting articles about Indonesia on innovation, higher education and in a sense the future of the use of knowledge and research evidence in policy decision making. Jonathan Pincus, writes about foreign universities establishing branches in Asia. The conditions are favorable: rising incomes, favorable demography, growing college enrollments for years to come. Singapore, is a pioneer in the internationalization of
Higher Education & Doing Development DIfferently in Indonesia Read More »
The illusion of controlling the future has always been with us designing and implementing development projects and programmes. Tool after tool we have had an uncomfortable relationship with the idea that development is very messy, risky, prone to failure as well as success. Forecast and planning are key activities in our work: theories of change, logframes, the old zopp, outputs, outcomes, goal. All this to maintain some control
Superforecasters exist: they are people who are ready to challenge their own ideas Read More »
Jaime Faustino of The Asia Foundation in the Philippines features with two policy local activists in a 10 minutes video documentary produced by ODI\’s Politics and Governance programme. This very well made video documentary describes their development entrepreneurship approach and how they decided to do something about the fact that 12ml Filipino do not have a land title that proves that they own the land where they have built their homes.
Doing Development Differently in practice from the Philippines Read More »
I was sixteen when the excerpts I post below were published. For thirty-two years (and probably longer than that) development practitioners, researchers, academics, experts, technocrats, civil servants, elected officials have tackled the uncertainty of development processes. The answer thirty-two years ago as well as today seems to be the same: embrace uncertainty, make the most out of it.
Doing Development Differently, 30 years ago Read More »
Last Saturday morning I travelled to a hotel in central Jakarta to participate in the opening of the annual meeting of the Alumni Reference Group (ARG) organized by Australia Awards. There were about 150 people attending the meeting. These 150 people represent more than 6500 Indonesian alumni who received a scholarship to pursue a postgraduate degree in
Networks are everywhere. We are all part of networks Read More »
I published this blog post on ODI\’s website: The writer Elizabeth Pisani recently told an anecdote about asking 50 random people in Covent Garden, London, to point to Indonesia on a small plastic globe. Only a few pointed to the right spot. This confirmed, she said, that a country as vast, populated and diverse as
Big data, big decisions: the Indonesian way Read More »
Indonesia\’s 7th President, Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, was inaugurated just two weeks ago. Last weekend he presented his new cabinet, which includes eight women in the post—the highest representation of women in the cabinet so far in Indonesia’s history. This is a time of fast change. There is a positive mood and many expectations. I watched some of the the images broadcasted