DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT
CONCEPTS
ELECTIVE-IV (DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE)
AGENDA:
• Introduction
• Scope
• What is development?
• Development as a multidimensional concept
• What is development management?
Introduction
• In many parts of the developing world, the failure of development interventions rather than the
absence of resources has been the bane of progress.
• It is almost taken for granted that once development interventions are fashioned and implemented,
‘development’ should follow.
• However, it is important to recognize that, the management aspect of development, which was
arguably hitherto taken for granted, is as vital as development itself.
• This significant observation in modern development thought and has necessitated a process of
critical rejection upon the meaning, administration, institutions and practices through which diverse
forms of development are conceived and delivered (Darand Cooke, 2008).
Introduction
•This has also led to the application of management principles in the achievement of development
objectives.
•Thus, development is not a one-way street: in one direction, valuable insights from concepts,
assumptions and critical analysis of development theories are sent for an informed decision on
the choices and courses of action development.
•On the other hand, the conception and analysis of development can be broadened and deepened
by incorporating the diverse theories and principles of management
Scope
•It is perceived that the challenges of society such as poverty, malnutrition, unemployment, inequality
and illiteracy, among others, can be properly addressed when interventions are implemented within the
context and broader umbrella of management.
•Thus, management should occupy an important nucleus and be invoked as a critical element in the
development agenda.
•Development management therefore involves a radical rethinking and identification of some
management imperatives in ways that ensure better outcomes and subsequently address the concerns
and priorities of the recipients of development interventions.
Scope
•Development management therefore involves a radical rethinking and identification of some
management imperatives in ways that ensure better outcomes and consequently address the concerns
and priorities of the recipients of development interventions.
•Development management is of strategic importance in economic and social development especially in
developing countries.
•It has the potential to influence the success or failure of developmental activities and plans.
•The concept has been widely discussed and debated because of its important ramifications.
•Much has been written about the concept by both practitioners and scholars in terms of its meaning,
theories, processes and influences.
•Generally, development management is a deliberate attempt to cause development by actively steering
institutional and organizational changes toward greater levels of efficiency and effectiveness.
What is development?
• This characteristic of development often aspects the approach that observers, analysts and practitioners
prescribe and adopt to deal with developmental issues and societal problems (Zafarullah and Huque,
2012).
• It has been equated to several terms such as economic growth, industrialization, progress,
modernization, expansion and advancement, among others.
• The breadth and scope of development keep changing as we understand it better and as previously
suggested solutions to the challenges of development fail.
• The disagreements and divergence in defining the term development make it easier to criticize and
contest suggested definitions than providing an alternative definition of development
What is development?
•Indeed, definitions of development go beyond academic debates to its conception among international
development agencies, leading to different political and policy implications.
•For instance, there is disagreement on the measure of development between the World Bank and the
United Nations Development Programme.(UNDP)
• Whereas the UNDP uses its Human Development Index (HDI) to measure development based on a
range of factors such as educational attainment, health purchasing power and human rights, among
others, the World Bank in its annual World Development Reports mainly uses economic criteria as a
measure of development.
•This has policy implications to the extent that there are disagreements as to which policy to pursue to
attack poverty and what to do to achieve development (Thomas, 1996).
What is development?
•At the national and local levels there is also disagreement on the definition of poverty and what can be
done to reduce it as part of the means of ensuring development.
•Whereas NGOs who work directly with the local people emphasize the immediate needs of the people,
a government’s attention is one economic growth and industrialization leading to differences in
development policies.
•Thomas (1992: 7) distinguishes two major ways in which the term development can be used rst, we
could define development as an historical process of social change in which societies are transformed
over long periods; and second, development could be defined as consisting of deliberate efforts aimed
at progress on the part of various agencies, including governments, all kinds of organizations and
social movements.
What is development?
• Taking a broader perspective, Todaro and Smith (2012: 5) defined the concept of as the process of improving the quality of
all human lives and capabilities by raising people’s levels of living, self-esteem and freedom.
• This definition appears to broaden the scope to cover Sen’s capability approach which will enable each individual to enjoy
their freedom.
• A major factor that has been introduced into the meaning of development is happiness.
• Todaro and Smith (2012: 19) explained that happiness is part of human well-being because it helps to expand individuals’
capability to function.
• In fact, Bhutan has adopted gross national happiness instead of gross national income as a measure of development
progress.
• Thus, while the economic definition of development is by no means inconsequential, it does not provide adequate and
reliable distribution of wealth.
• Therefore, to get a better understanding of development, it should be best described as the interaction of both economic and
non-economic factors.
• Therefore, it is preferable to describe development as multi-dimensional.
Development as a multidimensional concept
• The struggle for development in all its forms is probably one of the most challenging tasks facing most
governments globally, especially in developing countries.
• Thus, unless one pretends, development challenges can be seen everywhere, although the form and nature
of them vary from region to region and country to country.
• Thus, since World War II, developing countries have continued to strive for development in order to improve
upon the living conditions of the poor who are mostly in the majority (Turner, Hulme and McCourt, 2015).
• The term development has therefore assumed significance, having been mixed with many terms, such as
administration (development administration ) and management (development management), and due to its
involvement in the work of many agencies at the international level(World Bank, UNDP), national level and
local level as well as in non-governmental organizations
Development as a multidimensional concept
•One of the ways of dealing with the ambiguities associated with defining the concept of development
is to tackle it from a multidimensional perspective. This ranges from economic to social, political,
environmental and cultural perspectives, among others.
•Earlier definitions of development have taken an economic focus measured in terms of GNP per
capita, economic growth industrial and modernization (Thomas, 1996). The World Bank for instance
defines development in terms of GNP per capita especially in categorizing countries as developed and
developing.
•Therefore, GNP per capita is a wealth-based indicator of measuring development.
Development as a multidimensional concept
•According to Willis (2005) the use of a wealth indicator is deemed appropriate because it is assumed
that greater wealth comes with other benefits such as improved health, education and quality of life.
•Therefore, policies normally embarked on to ensure development include improving growth rates,
industrialization, employing import substitution measures, promoting savings and investment, raising
income levels, creating employment, distributing income, agricultural modernization, setting up
export-oriented ventures, building infrastructures, technological progress, utilizing external aid, and so
on (Zafarullah and Huque, 2012).
•The view was that economic growth will have a trickle-down effect to reduce poverty and improve
societal well-being (Todaro and Smith, 2003).
What is development management?
• Zafarullah and Huque (2012) made the point that the economic aspect of development has been complemented
by the social dimension to enhance the total well-being of a society and its people.
• Therefore, expanding social choices has become important to increase opportunities for social actions.
• Extending this into the realm of public policy and development management, the social dimension of
development requires the state, international organizations and other development agencies to consciously
intervene in the provision of social services such as education, housing and health to address the problems of
inequality and poverty.
• This dimension echoes Seers’s (1979) definition of development as poverty alleviation, raising employment,
decreasing inequality, wider educational opportunities, political participation, reduced dependency foreign
assistance and self-reliance.
What is development management?
• Development management is a crucial concept as it provides the understanding of the drivers for
economic and social development.
• Development management has its root in development administration and this has been confirmed in the
extant literature.
• , For instance, Brinkerhoff and Coston (1999) in their assessment of development management trace its
history from the 1950s and acknowledge that it is actually a continuation of development administration.
• Esman (1991) for instance contends that it is difficult to pinpoint what informed the transition
from development administration to development management.
What is development management?
•Thomas (1992: 105) distinguishes between development management and the management of
any type of task in the context of development and development management as the management
of development efforts(management of interventions, with conflict of goals).
•In his subsequent paper, Thomas (1999) added a third dimension, development management as a
style of management. In defining development management Thomas (1996) argued that the
nature of the task at hand determines the appropriate version of management.
•Hence, if development is considered to be a long-term historical change process, then
development management may be viewed as the management of any type of task in the context
of development.
What is development management?
•On the other hand, if development is viewed as deliberate efforts at progress, then development
management would be characterized as the management of deliberate efforts at progress on the
part of one of several agencies, the management of intervention in the process of social change in
the context of conflicts of goals, values and interests(Thomas, 1996: 106).
•Therefore, the two conceptions of development influence the meaning of development
management which Thomas (1996) summed up as management in development and management
of development.
•From a radical participative perspective, Thomas (1996) contends that development management
may be viewed as the management of interventions on behalf of the relatively powerless.
What is development management?
•However, in another study, Thomas (1999) redefined development management as ‘management
undertaken with a development orientation, rather than management in the context of the
development process or the management of development interventions or tasks’ (p.10).
•He is very cautious in making a distinction between the ‘management of development’ –
managing deliberately designed development interventions by the best means available, and
‘ management development’ – where development management is seen as a style of management
designed deliberately for development intervention on or to enhance development.
What is development management?
•Even though elsewhere Thomas (2000) agreed that development management is the progressive
management of development, he is certainly not sure about how this progressive orientation is put
into practice due to ambiguity with values, disagreements over the definition of development as well
as power struggles.
•Development management will often therefore remain an idealistic concept, rather than a description
of what takes place (Thomas, 2000).
•Brinkerhoff and Coston (1999) provided a similar view on development management which they
defined as ‘managing the processes and building capacity necessary to achieve improvements in
people’s lives and communities’ well-being, including understanding and dealing with the array of
constraints that impinge upon their achievement: political, institutional, social, cultural and so on’ (p.
347).
What is development management?
•Very often, some students and researchers use development management and development
assistance interchangeably. This is perhaps based on an interventionist perspective to the extent
that it is about international development assistance and the programs that look to ensure
development in developing countries.
•From this perspective, Brinkerhoff and Coston (1999) argued that development management is a
broadly diverse concept which focuses on four facets.
•First, development management is a means of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of
foreign assistance and expanding the policy agenda of international agencies;
What is development management?
• Second, development management is a toolkit for the application of a range of management and analytical
tools which are adopted by a variety of social science disciplines;
• Third, development management integrates a value dimension with an emphasis on self-determination,
empowerment and fair distribution of development benefits; and finally, development management is a process
intervention that self-consciously addresses political and value issues.
• While these facets together constitute development management as a field of theory and practice, there are
bound to be intrinsic tensions among them (brinkerhoff and coston, 1999).
• Zafarullah and huque (2012: 411) argued that development management as a field is interdisciplinary and
utilizes the wealth of knowledge from different fields such as sociology, political science, economics and
management for societal wellbeing and progress.
What is development management?
•The multi-faceted nature of development management is what Brinkerhoff and Coston (1999:
350) called development management as a toolkit.
•This is basically about ‘the application of a range of management and analytical tools adapted
from a variety of disciplines, including strategic management, public policy, public
administration, psychology, anthropology and political science’ (p. 350).
