Some lessons from OU MSc Development Management - Interventions

1) 'International Development' with its modern meaning came about since the mid 1950s, following post-war Marshall Plan reconstruction, intensive trade with the African colonies and decolonialisation.  It's really a post-colonial phenomenon.

2) Microcredit may well be on the wane.  Drop in # of borrowers shown in India between 2010 and 2012 and both Roodman, 2011, and Duvendack et al, 2011 indicate that there is no consistent concomitant reduction in poverty from microcredit programmes.  It's particularly difficult to find annual spend ODA figures for investment in microcredit - there is at least $6bn in revolving microfinance funds, and Grameen indicate an asset base of >$1bn. 


3) While there were competing capitalist and communist models post-WW2, MSc has a clear message - 'capitalism has won'.  Mainstream social development interventions exist in a paradigm of 'ameliorating the disordered faults of progress' (Cowen & Shenton, 1996).  

4) 'The Sphere Project' provides minimum standards for humanitarian intervention, very widely used.  The UN 'cluster approach' provides an administrative framework within which to co-ordinate intervention, with various agencies taking the lead of, for example, shelter (IFRC) or WASH (UNICEF).

5) Logframes form the standard basis for application for development donor funding.

6) The right-based approach underpins much practice by development NGOs - building the capacity of beneficiaries to realise their 'inalienable' rights (such as those broadly agreed upon under international law). This is broad enough to be widely accepted, although it involves educating individuals about their rights and may cause problems for donors looking for immediate social welfare outputs.