A growing body of literature is documenting what development practitioners have observed for some time: the most critically needed, well-conceived, and technically sophisticated interventions can be undone by what Campos and Syquia call "the politics of change."1 In some reform efforts, widespread support for the substance and method of development projects generates harmonious collective action and successful implementation. In other cases, sewage systems fail because residents aren’t vested in paying taxes to maintain them, government employees resist adapting Financial Management Information Systems because they like the old system better, government procurement rules seem fine on paper yet the practice is rife with bribery and collusion. The politics of change is a factor in every reform effort. But when government dysfunction, corruption, political rivalry, weak rule of law, top-down processes, and numerous other interpersonal and institutional vulnerabilities stall development activities, the harms extend beyond the project. Missed milestones mean development funds sit undispersed, projects may be restructured and gains to date are lost, alliances dwindle, and cynicism becomes more entrenched. On the ground, poverty continues to exact its daily toll from the world’s most vulnerable people.
The Bank has some of the world’s most sophisticated operational knowledge and technical tools at its disposal. Yet, when political and interpersonal complexities hinder development, technical expertise alone is powerless to get projects back on track. Moving from the status quo to the desired state of reform requires infusing implementation teams with a special set of information and skills that equips them to negotiate their unique political economies and mobilize groups to overcome the barriers to reform. One of the World Bank Group’s key resources for strengthening intervention teams is the Collaborative Leadership for Development (CL4D) approach.
E-book: Putting Leadership at the Center of Development, The Collaborative Leadership for Development Approach [PDF 4.9 MB]