Why planned interventions for capacity development in the environment often fail

Capacity development in the subfield of the environment is a mode of planned intervention that has become one of the mainstays of development policy. Capacity development interventions are, however, characterized by a low level of success. Explored in this paper is the theoretical grounding for why...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International studies of management & organization 2006-07, Vol.36 (2), p.104-124
Main Author: Olsen, Karen Holm
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business management
Environmental management
Planning systems
Production capacity
Strategic management
Systems theory
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Summary:Capacity development in the subfield of the environment is a mode of planned intervention that has become one of the mainstays of development policy. Capacity development interventions are, however, characterized by a low level of success. Explored in this paper is the theoretical grounding for why planned interventions for capacity development in the environment often fail. Drawing on a review of mainstream systems theory and strategic management approaches, it is argued that these rely on overoptimistic assumptions about the institutional and social reality as manageable and controllable. An actor-oriented and constructivist approach is proposed as an alternative to improve our understanding of the unintended and unplanned outcomes of capacity development. Reprinted by permission of M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
ISSN:0020-8825