Folly of expert-driven, top-down development
Dr. Alex Awiti speaking at a symposium of the Aga Khan University, East African Institute (EAI) in Nairobi, Kenya, October 2017.
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Article Author: Folly of expert-driven, top-down development
Media Source: The Star (Kenya)
Date: 10 May 2021
Dr Alex Awiti, Vice Provost of the Aga Khan University in Kenya, writes that the dominant model of economic development, raising incomes and alleviating poverty, is predicated on a technocratic, formulaic fantasy. The illusion of the so-called economic development experts is that low levels of human development are solely a…
Dr Alex Awiti, Vice Provost of the Aga Khan University in Kenya, writes that the dominant model of economic development, raising incomes and alleviating poverty, is predicated on a technocratic, formulaic fantasy. The illusion of the so-called economic development experts is that low levels of human development are solely a technical problem that is amenable to technical solutions. People must transition to pluralistic perspectives because development problems are inherently wicked problems that demand complexity thinking, transdisciplinary and participatory approaches.