HACKERS, FIXERS AND RELUCTANT INNOVATORS:

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HACKERS, FIXERS AND RELUCTANT INNOVATORS: THE FUTURE OF [TECHNOLOGY AND] DEVELOPMENT? @kiwanja

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GOOD INVENTIONS ARE OFTEN BORN OUT OF NEED. GREAT ONES ARE ACCIDENTAL -PARTHA DASGUPTA

AID IS OFTEN WASTED ON CONDITIONS THAT THE RECIPIENT MUST USE OVERPRICED GOODS AND SERVICES FROM DONOR COUNTRIES

MOST AID DOES NOT ACTUALLY GO TO THE POOREST WHO WOULD NEED IT THE MOST

AID AMOUNTS ARE DWARFED BY RICH COUNTRY PROTECTIONISM THAT DENIES MARKET ACCESS FOR POOR COUNTRY PRODUCTS, WHILE RICH NATIONS USE AID AS A LEVER TO OPEN POOR COUNTRY MARKETS TO THEIR PRODUCTS

LARGE PROJECTS OR MASSIVE GRAND STRATEGIES OFTEN FAIL TO HELP THE VULNERABLE AS MONEY CAN OFTEN BE EMBEZZLED AWAY

AFTER 60 YEARS AND $3 TRILLION OF DEVELOPMENT AID, WITH ONE BIG PUSH FOLLOWING ANOTHER AND WAVE AFTER WAVE OF THEORIES AND JARGON, THERE IS DEPRESSINGLY LITTLE EVIDENCE THAT OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT AID HAS ANY SIGNIFICANT BENIGN EFFECT ON THIRDWORLD POVERTY -JONATHAN FOREMAN

A REALITY CHECK:

A REALITY CHECK: WHILE NON-TRADITIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTORS JUST ‘GET ON’ AND TACKLE THINGS, MUCH OF THE OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT SECTOR SITS AROUND DEBATING WHAT THEY SHOULD DO, AND HOW THEY SHOULD BE DOING IT

THE RISE OF HOME GROWN SOLUTIONS TO DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS WILL BE MOST CRUCIAL IN FUTURE. THAT MEANS LOCAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS INCREASINGLY DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS TO LOCAL PROBLEMS, MANY OF WHICH HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN TACKLED BY OUTSIDERS. THIS, I THINK, WILL BE THE BIGGEST CHANGE IN HOW DEVELOPMENT IS ’DONE’ -GUARDIAN GUEST ARTICLE

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM? HAVE YOU SEEN, EXPERIENCED OR WITNESSED THE PROBLEM? WHY ARE YOU THE ONE FIXING IT?

DOES ANYTHING ELSE EXIST THAT MIGHT SOLVE THE PROBLEM? HAVE YOU SEARCHED FOR EXISTING SOLUTIONS?

COULD ANYTHING THAT YOU FOUND BE ADAPTED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM?

HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO ANYONE WORKING ON THE SAME PROBLEM? IS COLLABORATION POSSIBLE? IF NOT, WHY NOT?

IS YOUR SOLUTION ECONOMICALLY, TECHNICALLY AND CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE?

HAVE YOU CARRIED OUT BASE RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM BEFORE YOU START?

WILL YOU BE WORKING WITH LOCALLY-BASED PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS TO CARRY OUT YOUR IMPLEMENTATION? IF NOT, WHY NOT?

ARE YOU MAKING FULL USE OF THE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE OF THESE LOCAL PARTNERS? HOW?

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO MEASURE YOUR IMPACT? HOW WILL YOU KNOW IF YOUR PROJECT WAS A SUCCESS OR NOT?

DO YOU PLAN TO SCALE UP OR SCALE OUT THAT IMPACT? IF NOT, WHY NOT? IF YES, HOW?

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS/ SUSTAINABILITY MODEL?

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