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"Entwicklungsprojekt"
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Current issues in project analysis for development
This major work brings together authors with experience of both academic and operational project work to focus on issues such as the shadow exchange rate, the shadow wage, the discount rate and assessment of poverty impact and risk, as well as problems relating to specific sectors covering environmental projects, transport, education and health. There are also general chapters on the experience of semi-input--output-based estimation of shadow prices and the relevance of shadow pricing techniques to the context of developed economies in the EU. An overview by the editors sets out the evolution of the literature and highlights current issues. The general conclusion is that project analysis techniques remain relevant, albeit within a very different development context to that in which they were originally envisaged to be applied.
Book
Instruments, Randomization, and Learning about Development
There is currently much debate about the effectiveness of foreign aid and about what kind of projects can engender economic development. There is skepticism about the ability of econometric analysis to resolve these issues or of development agencies to learn from their own experience. In response, there is increasing use in development economics of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to accumulate credible knowledge of what works, without overreliance on questionable theory or statistical methods. When RCTs are not possible, the proponents of these methods advocate quasirandomization through instrumental variable (IV) techniques or natural experiments. I argue that many of these applications are unlikely to recover quantities that are useful for policy or understanding: two key issues are the misunderstanding of exogeneity and the handling of heterogeneity. I illustrate from the literature on aid and growth. Actual randomization faces similar problems as does quasi-randomization, notwithstanding rhetoric to the contrary. I argue that experiments have no special ability to produce more credible knowledge than other methods, and that actual experiments are frequently subject to practical problems that undermine any claims to statistical or epistemic superiority. I illustrate using prominent experiments in development and elsewhere. As with IV methods, RCT-based evaluation of projects, without guidance from an understanding of underlying mechanisms, is unlikely to lead to scientific progress in the understanding of economic development. I welcome recent trends in development experimentation away from the evaluation of projects and toward the evaluation of theoretical mechanisms.
Journal Article
Testing the claim of greater project effectiveness: a systematic review of comparative evaluations of locally led development
In the sphere of foreign assistance, there is a growing push for locally led development (LLD). One common argument is that LLD approaches are more effective than traditional approaches for producing project outcomes. However, the empirical evidence for the claim of greater project effectiveness remains unexamined. This systematic review asks 'what is the empirical evidence for the relative effectiveness of LLD approaches compared to traditional, or less locally led, approaches?' We include studies that measure the comparative effectiveness of an LLD approach to a traditional or less LLD approach. We exclude studies that only compare an LLD approach to the status quo or doing nothing. Our index and website search (May 2024) plus snowball search yielded 1,749 hits. Ten studies passed all screening criteria. Study findings are mixed. Our main findings are: there is limited evidence on the relative effectiveness of LLD approaches compared to other development interventions; there is no evidence on relative cost effectiveness; and findings are mixed on the relative effectiveness of the same intervention depending on context and outcomes measured. We conclude that policy advocates should refrain from setting expectations about relative cost effectiveness and focus on other reasons for locally led development.
OSF
https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/E9FH3
Journal Article
Developing a project performance assessment model for benchmarking the project success of Indian construction projects
PurposeIn recent times, there has been a lot of research focused on performance measurement (PM) in project-based sectors. However, there are very few studies that were reported on the significance of PM in the construction sector. Keeping track of an organization in achieving organizations goals and objectives seems an important way. One of the major challenges faced by the industry is unavailable of an appropriate PM system for assessing organizational performance. Most of the PM approaches consider the traditional project triangle assessment of project success. Based on the limitations identified in existing PM models, the purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive PM model, i.e. Modified Project Quarter Back Rating (MPQR) applicable for construction projects.Design/methodology/approachA detailed list of performance areas as a method for PM is analyzed in the construction industry context. Also, industry-specific professionals conducted semi-structured interviews to assess whether these performance areas are sufficient to measure and understand the PM systems.FindingsThe research finding focuses on developing the MPQR model that considers both financial and non-financial areas for performance assessment to provide a holistic assessment of project performance.Practical implicationsMPQR model provides an opportunity to set the benchmark for overall performance for construction organizations.Originality/valueThe findings of the study are expected to provide guidelines to construction professionals for implementing the performance model that will improve performance in the construction industry.
Journal Article
Development Projects and Economic Networks
This article investigates the effects of development projects on economic networks. To this end, we study the impact that a randomly allocated Community-Driven Development program in The Gambia has on economic interactions within rural villages. The program provides an exogenous source of variation to village-level stocks of productive capital and to village-wide collective activities. Based on detailed data on economic and social networks, we find a significant reduction of transfers in these networks in treatment villages. Guided by a theoretical framework, we investigate several possible mechanisms and find evidence that is consistent with two channels. First, the evidence points to modest wealth effects and a village-level transformation process towards a more formal economy. Second, we also find evidence that is consistent with elite capture, favouritism, and unequally distributed benefits leading to reductions in social capital and thus economic transactions. Overall, our findings suggest changes in networks as an avenue through which development interventions may have unintended consequences.
Journal Article
Examining barriers and facilitators of capacity building in development: a systematic review of international development projects
This study systematically reviews capacity building projects and programs within the field of international development cooperation, with the aim of identifying key facilitators and barriers across different levels of implementation. While capacity building is increasingly recognized as a central mechanism for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), existing frameworks remain fragmented and conceptually inconsistent. To address this gap, the article proposes a level-based analytical framework that disaggregates capacity development into individual, organizational, and systemic components and conducts a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature. Guided by the PRISMA methodology, this study integrates qualitative synthesis with quantitative text mining and word cloud analysis to uncover thematic patterns and frequently cited success factors. Key success factors include local ownership, partnerships, and context-sensitive training. Conversely, barriers such as misalignment, institutional instability, and resource constraints are shown to significantly hinder capacity outcomes. This study contributes both theoretically by clarifying the operational components of capacity building and practically by offering a diagnostic tool for project design and evaluation. It provides development practitioners and policymakers with actionable insights to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of capacity building interventions.
Journal Article
Megaprojects—mega failures? The politics of aspiration and the transformation of rural Kenya
Megaprojects are returning to play a key role in the transformation of rural Africa, despite controversies over their outcome. While some view them as promising tools for a ‘big push’ of modernization, others criticize their multiple adverse effects and risk of failure. Against this backdrop, the paper revisits earlier concepts that have explained megaproject failures by referring to problems of managerial complexity and the logics of state-led development. Taking recent examples from Kenya, the paper argues for a more differentiated approach, considering the symbolic role infrastructure megaprojects play in future-oriented development politics as objects of imagination, vision, and hope. We propose to explain the outcomes of megaprojects by focusing on the ‘politics of aspiration’, which unfold at the intersection between different actors and scales. The paper gives an overview of large infrastructure projects in Kenya and places them in the context of the country´s national development agenda ‘Vision 2030′. It identifies the relevant actors and investigates how controversial aspirations, interests and foreign influences play out on the ground. The paper concludes by describing megaproject development as future making, driven by the mobilizing power of the ‘politics of aspiration’. The analysis of megaprojects should consider not only material outcomes but also their symbolic dimension for desirable futures.
Journal Article
The effect of humble leadership on the success of international development projects: the mediating role of organizational learning
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of humble leadership on project success. In addition, we examine the mediating effect of organisational learning on the relationship between humble leadership and the success of international development projects.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a quantitative research methodology based on questionnaire data collected from 80 international development project managers from different sectors in Senegal (West Africa). The variance-based structural equation method, following the partial least squares approach, was used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
The results showed that humble leadership is positively related to project success. Furthermore, organizational learning mediates the relationship between humble leadership and project success.
Research limitations/implications
This research has several limitations. The authors did not examine the role of organizational culture as a moderating variable. However, the authors believe that the cultural variable can have an impact on project success and team building, and future studies should consider this aspect as well. In the African context, each country has its own culture, which may affect the behaviour of the project manager. Also, the authors admit that the sample size is relatively small, which greatly reduces the generalizability of the results.
Practical implications
These findings have important implications. First, because a project leader’s humility enhances project success, it is critical for development projects to select leaders who demonstrate modest conduct in the workplace. The perfect selection of a humble leader depends heavily on judgements about the characteristics of a humble leader from new project manager candidates.
Originality/value
Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study found that humble leadership is important for project success, thus extending the utility of the concept of humble leadership to the project literature.
Journal Article
Challenges of network interaction in managing sustainable development projects in developing countries: case of an international consulting company
Purpose
This study aims to explore the challenges and complexities of interaction in international stakeholder networks within the context of projects focused on the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs). In particular, it examines the challenges faced by stakeholders in a network from a developed country during interaction in the context of a developing country.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative approach, this study analyses interview data collected from the key managers of an international consulting company in charge of a water supply and sanitation project in Nepal. The primary data is triangulated with secondary data, such as project reports and related academic articles.
Findings
This study illustrates how interaction in international stakeholder networks affects and is interrelated with SDGs, as well as how aiming to achieve one specific goal can stimulate the implementation of other sustainable goals. Further, this research shows how project managers from a developed country had to adapt to the specifics of the developing country context and how their sustainability project influenced the well-being of local communities by improving environmental and social sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
The research suggests that challenges in stakeholder interaction may arise because of differences in process management methods used by the international stakeholders involved in the project and country-context specifics, such as corruption, imperfect national regulations, cultural specifics, effects of climate change, etc.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the literature on international multi-stakeholder interaction between actors from developed and developing countries. Furthermore, it adds to the literature on stakeholder networking by highlighting the importance of engaging in a dialogue with local communities during the conceptualisation stages of both sustainability and SDG implementation because of diverging worldviews and practices.
Journal Article