Danida seminar: Building State Capabilities

TID: Tirsdag den 10. december kl. 09.30-16.30

STED: Eigtveds Pakhus, Asiatisk Plads 2, 1402 København K.

Building State Capabilities – Governance and Capacity Development – Old challenges and new perspectives. A Danida Development Seminar

TID: Tirsdag den 10. december kl. 09.30-16.30

STED: Eigtveds Pakhus, Asiatisk Plads 2, 1402 København K.

Building State Capabilities – Governance and Capacity Development – Old challenges and new perspectives. A Danida Development Seminar

Making development results sustainable in institutional and governance terms has always been a core preoccupation for development agencies, NGOs and practitioners alike.

Danida has paid systematic attention to this challenge for decades, and developed guidance and competencies for more effective support for Capacity Development and Change.

Very early on this guidance recognized the importance of political economy factors and the considerable limitations of attempts to introduce purportedly “best practice” linear blueprints for capacity development, governance and reform outcomes.

Recognizing the complexity of the challenges and issues at hand have not yet, however, led to broadly more effective support to capacity development, reform and reformers.

In the seminar, leading researchers and practitioners will discuss new perspectives that build on previous insights and suggest ways forward on how to escape capability traps where appearance overshadows realities, and on how more successful developmental states are able to solve collective action problems.

Possible operational implications for development agencies, NGO´s and practitioners working in support of capacity development will be discussed.

Programme

9.00-9.30 Registration, coffee

9.30-9.45 Welcome and introduction to the seminar – Danida, facilitator

9.45-10.15 Getting to where we are: The institutional strengthening and capacity development trajectory in Danida – Nils Boesen, former Director, Knowledge, Innovation and Capacity Group, UNDP, and Ole Therkildsen, DIIS

10.15-11.00 Escaping Capability Traps – Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation. Matt Edwards, Kennedy School of Governance, Harvard University

11.00-11.20 Buzz Groups (at tables): What´s new, what´s different, does it work?

11.20-12.00 Governance for development in Africa – David Booth, Overseas Development Institute

12.00-12.30 Plenary – Q&A

12.30-13.15 Light lunch

13.15-13.30 From government focused capacity development to strengthening of collaborative capacities – Nils Boesen, former Director, UNDP

13.30-14.30 Buzz Groups and Plenary Summary: Action implications – New fads or practical alternatives? Can and should development agencies work differently? What would it take?

14.30-14.45 Coffee break

14.45-16.00 Panel discussion: What´s new, and can it work? Presenters, Alison Evans, former Director of ODI (tbc), Danida representative.

16.00-16.30 Closure – take-aways for NGOs, practitioners and Danida

Registration

The seminar is open to all. For logistical purposes, please write to [email protected] to indicate participation.