Why Some Development Works: Understanding Success (International Studies in Poverty Research)

Why do some development projects succeed where others fail? This book looks at some macro and some less known micro success stories and considers what enabled them to bring change in some of the world’s most deprived communities. Using case studies from ten countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, Tiwari’s innovative approach offers a multi-layered understanding of poverty which provides insights into causal, enabling and impeding factors. While a macro level analysis of development is a common feature of the current literature, there has been little attempt to develop a micro level understanding of development at the grassroots. Tiwari’s work fills this important gap while drawing attention to the importance of engaging local actors at an individual, collective, and state level, demonstrating how achieving a “convergence” of goals among all actors is a crucial component to a development project’s success. Looking beyond the case studies to consider how this unique “convergence framework” might be usefully applied to other contexts, the book has profound implications for how we view fragile states and conflict zones, and the ability of the international agencies to take effective action. A unique study based on extensive empirical research, Why Some Development Works will make essential reading for students and researchers studying international development across the social sciences, as well as humanitarian and development practitioners and policy makers.

Meera Tiwari is an associate professor of international development studies at the University of East London, where she leads the MSC in NGO and Development Management. She has also played an active role in a number of development projects around the world, including work with the NGO Childreach International in India. Her previous books include After 2015: International Development Policy at a Crossroads (co-authored with Andrew Sumner, 2009) and The Capability Approach: From Theory to Practice (co-edited with Solava Ibrahim, 2014).

Juliana Martínez Franzoni is associate professor of political science at the University of Costa Rica.

THOMAS POGGE received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University, He has published widely on Kant and in moral and political philosophy, including various books on Rawls and global justice. He is Professor of Political Science at Columbia University and Professorial Fellow at the ANU Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics. He is also editor for social and political philosophy for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science.

Thomas Pogge is Leitner professor of philosophy and international affairs at Yale University.