In order to help bring attention to the need for scholarship and fresh ideas in this area, and to encourage broad participation, the Global Development Network (GDN) in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announces an international essay contest. The contest invites essays on the future of development assistance. The primary objective of the contest is to invite fresh thinking related to the future of aid that can inform the ongoing discourse on development assistance and to make this thinking available to policymakers and key stakeholders.
Up to 20 winning entries will be chosen, and receive $20,000 each.
I think a good answer would start with thinking why this is probably the kind of question and mindset that leads foreign aid not to be a disaster in the first place.
First, most policies and institutions cannot be reinvented, they must be either hijacked and changed on the margin (unless you can drown them in a bathtub).
Second, grand schemes have a bad track record. Cue Hayek, Popper, Scott, and Easterly, albeit using them to be constructive (which they are not–that’s the hard part).
There is a good essay to be written here, possibly from the perspective of the piecemeal social engineer who recognizes it is generally very hard to social engineer, and that most of the time you don’t have the right to do so.
That is as close as I will get to writing 5000 words on this I am afraid.
25 Responses
RT @cblatts: You can win $20k for telling the Gates Foundation how to reinvent development. My two cents. http://t.co/SrMU9ZjsN2
RT @cblatts Win $20,000 to be part of the problem? http://t.co/4FlT2XVEHS
@cblatts “…leads foreign aid NOT to be a disaster”, or to be a disaster? Did you mean latter but typo in the former?
Win $20,000 to be part of the problem?: In order to help bring attention to the need for scholarship and fresh… http://t.co/6RvUneuxBV
RT @TimHarford: Win $20,000 to be part of the problem… http://t.co/xpgksR4mwU
RT @TimHarford: Win $20,000 to be part of the problem… http://t.co/xpgksR4mwU
RT @TimHarford: Win $20,000 to be part of the problem… http://t.co/xpgksR4mwU
Win $20,000 to be part of the problem… http://t.co/xpgksR4mwU
RT @cblatts: You can win $20k for telling the Gates Foundation how to reinvent development. My two cents. http://t.co/SrMU9ZjsN2
It’s not about development, it’s about aid. Mega difference. One is a tiny (but not irrelevant) subset of the other… @cblatts
Win $20,000 to be part of the problem? Why @chrisblattman says you can’t “reinvent” foreign aid http://t.co/pJpV1rG7ga
Win $20,000 to be part of the problem? http://t.co/7HpTPRCOiG via @cblatts
RT @cblatts: You can win $20k for telling the Gates Foundation how to reinvent development. My two cents. http://t.co/SrMU9ZjsN2
RT @cblatts: You can win $20k for telling the Gates Foundation how to reinvent development. My two cents. http://t.co/SrMU9ZjsN2
RT @cblatts: You can win $20k for telling the Gates Foundation how to reinvent development. My two cents. http://t.co/SrMU9ZjsN2
Win $20,000 to be part of the problem? http://t.co/OyzGFPAOxz via @cblatts cc @eugenialeee
RT @pj_blue: .@gatesfoundation essay contest entries intriguingly in MS Word only RT @cblatts: Win $20k to be part of the problem? http://t…
RT @cblatts: You can win $20k for telling the Gates Foundation how to reinvent development. My two cents. http://t.co/SrMU9ZjsN2
You can win $20k for telling the Gates Foundation how to reinvent development. My two cents. http://t.co/SrMU9ZjsN2
Worthwhile initiative reflecting need to stop and think before moving on further. MDG at an end requires look back and focus on the best way forward.
Is Aid exhausted or just still running fast spending without achieving. Some bright minds may come up with something.
My own view is that aid fails due to thinking everybody is the same. Community based projects which will only work for some in the community or some communities rather than other communities. Push this on up to some countries against others. This leaves you with anthropology and insufficient of it results in the struggles of development and aid. Aid has to toughen up.
.@gatesfoundation essay contest entries intriguingly in MS Word only RT @cblatts: Win $20k to be part of the problem? http://t.co/jcQwRmpQGA
The price of co-option? “@cblatts: Win $20,000 to be part of the problem? http://t.co/z92xzk6H1R”
RT @helpage: GDN & @gatesfoundation hold essay contest 2 look at future of aid. RT @cblatts Win $20,000 to be part of the problem? http://t…
RT @helpage: GDN & @gatesfoundation hold essay contest 2 look at future of aid. RT @cblatts Win $20,000 to be part of the problem? http://t…
GDN & @gatesfoundation hold essay contest 2 look at future of aid. RT @cblatts Win $20,000 to be part of the problem? http://t.co/HmLNSRzyhR