Technical assistance: a practical account of the challenges in design and implementation version 2; peer review: 2 approved

Technical assistance is provided to country governments as part of international development programmes to support policymaking or strengthen state capability. This article presents the conceptual evolution of ‘technical assistance’ linked to capacity development, starting with programmes aiming exc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inGates open research
Main Authors Nastase, Alexandra, Rajan, Alok, French, Ben, Bhattacharya, Debarshi
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Taylor & Francis Ltd 19.11.2021
Subjects
Bibliographic literature
Cooperation
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Developing countries
Economic development
Government
LDCs
Public health
System theory
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Technical assistance is provided to country governments as part of international development programmes to support policymaking or strengthen state capability. This article presents the conceptual evolution of ‘technical assistance’ linked to capacity development, starting with programmes aiming exclusively to enhance individual capacity in the 1950s to 1970s and progressing to complex systems approaches in the past ten years. It also presents some of the frequent challenges in designing and implementing technical assistance, drawing from the existing literature and the authors’ experience in international development. The article summarises the latest thinking about delivering more effective development, including the adaptive management practices and the initiatives to strengthen evidence about what works. Finally, we complement this article with a follow-up open letter reflecting on the current policy options and opportunities for change.
ISSN:2572-4754
2572-4754
DOI:10.12688/gatesopenres.13205.2