[EQ] Overseas Development Assistance ODA - The Birth of Hypercollective Action

The End of Overseas Development Assistance ODA (II):
The Birth of Hypercollective Action

Jean-Michel Severino is a former CEO of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). He chairs the French Partnership for Water (FPW), is a member of the French Académie des Technologies and a senior fellow of the Fondation pour la Recherche Economique Internationale (FERDI).

Olivier Ray is a staff member and researcher at AFD.

CGD Working Paper 218. June 2010 Washington, D.C.: Center for Global Development.
Swedish International Development Agency support.

Website: http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/1424253

PDF [48p.] at: http://www.cgdev.org/files/1424253_file_The_End_of_ODA_II_FINAL.pdf

 

The authors"  …..argue that old architectures for global collaboration are not sufficient to handle the shift from collective action to today's ‗hypercollective'action. They push for and new, more open and comprehensive framework and offer concrete suggestion to make that happen, including initiatives to share knowledge and evaluation, innovative sticks and carrots for governments and all civil society players to improve convergence; new generations of coalitions and clubs…."  Nancy Birdsall

"…..The development business has become much more complex in the past decade, with actors proliferating and collaboration fragmenting. This trend is characteristic of the change from collective action to what the authors term hypercollective action. Such a shift brings new energy and resources to international development, but also more difficulty managing global public policy. Severino and Ray use the lessons of the Paris Declaration— the first large-scale effort to coordinate hypercollective action—as a starting point for envisioning a new conceptual framework to manage the complexity of current international collaboration.

They offer concrete suggestions to improve the management of global policies, including new ways to share information, align the goals of disparate actors, and create more capable bodies for international collaboration.

 

Contents

Summary

Introduction

1.1 An institutional jungle

The demographic surge of global public finance

Privatizing international cooperation… with public support

Hypercollective action: a whole new ball game

1.2 Jungle hazards

Policy mismatch

Capacity poaching

2. Why traditional solutions won't do

2.1. The ‗suicidal' and ‗gosplanist' temptations

Back to the ―Old Boys' Club

Erecting a Leviathan

2.2 The Paris Declaration: too much, too little?

A (very) rough draft

Supply or demand-driven aid?

The double trap

2.3 De rerum cognescere causas

The marginal player syndrome

The diverging accountabilities syndrome

The evaluation gap syndrome

The capacity-building paradox

3. Engineering processes of hypercollective action

3.1 Getting the philosophy right

Facing complexity

Shaping complexity

3.2 Addressing specific gaps in the market of global public policies

Informing the policy

Incentivizing the policy

Generating common norms, standards and objectives

Conclusion

 

*      *     *

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

"Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAHO/WHO Website
Equity List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html
Twitter http://twitter.com/eqpaho

IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended
recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or
confidential information. If you are not the intended
recipient or a person responsible for delivering this
transmission to the intended recipient, you may not
disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take
any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission
in error, please dispose of and delete this transmission. 

Thank you.