
Defining and Applying Development Effectiveness: Getting the concepts, indicators, and partnerships right.
Understanding the changing landscape in international development: Increasing pressure, policy shifts, and a new focus from MDGs to SDGs.
Tracking the evolution of development effectiveness (from 2000 to present): A summary of Key Global Development Commitments.
How do the poverty trends look? : Development progress to date and regional
disparities.
Can we reach the 2030 SDG targets? : Identifying challenges and opportunities (Hunger, Child Mortality, and Public Health).
Where next for development effectiveness? : Ongoing monitoring and opportunities for global partnerships.
Aid and its critics: examining the aid-development correlation, aid and local markets, aid approaches, and some success stories.
Why does poverty persist? : Understanding the role of poverty traps.
Lessons from previous shortcomings in development interventions: A look at some case studies.
Has the increase in monitoring and evaluation been effective? : The need for good data, the right questions and better alignment.
Best practices in development evaluation: Applying key evaluation criteria and quality standards.
Quantitative methods: An overview of quisi-experimental and experimental methods in development evaluation.
Conducting evaluation in an evolving development context: A look at Randomized Trials, PDIA, Complexity Theory , and Learning approaches.
Identifying local solutions for local problems.
Opportunities and Challenges with participatory approaches in development.
Development Finance: Key Partners, Aid Fragmentation, Dynamics in North-South and South-South Partnerships, and Future Aid Flows.
Baby steps…not big ideas: The Power of Small targeted Interventions, Feasibility versus Desirability, Re-thinking the Planning Process.
Conducting Feasibility Assessments: Key elements, Case Study, and Application.
Project Management Tools and Concepts: Overview of Key Principles, Success Criteria, Risk Areas, and the Role of Communication and Leadership.
Investing in innovation and change: Emerging Development Innovation Initiatives and Key Concepts on Innovation.
The role of training and capacity building: Training for Development, Designing Effective Training, and Criteria for Evaluating Impacts of Training.
Change management in international development: The Role of Change Management, and Application of Key Principles.
Remaining Authentic: Avoiding Isomorphic Mimicry
Strategic Planning and Goal setting: Key Components of Strategic Planning, Formulating Theories of Change, Goal Setting, and Refining Strategic Plans.
Building Organizational Resilience: Definitions, Core Drivers, and Strategies for Building Organizational Resilience.
The problem of inefficiency in the not-for-profit sector: defining efficiency, drivers of inefficiency, and potential solutions.
Challenges measuring efficiency in the not-for-profit sector: financial ratios versus broader efficiency measurements.
Applying Efficiency Models 1: Subsidies versus Free Delivery Interventions (Bed Nets distribution)
Applying Efficiency Models 2: Direct Distribution versus Market Fairs (Agricultural Input distribution programs).
Applying Efficiency Models 3 : Assessing Technical Efficiency of New Interventions (Conservation Agriculture impact assessment).
There is a broad recognition in the international development community that it can no longer be business as usual in doing development work. Poverty alleviation efforts have fallen short and funding for development has not always led to tangible improvements in people's lives. The lack of a clear correlation between development interventions and sustainable livelihood outcomes has led to an increased emphasis on better design and delivery of development and poverty alleviation programs, as well as a call for greater collaboration and accountability among development actors. Some progress is being made, as seen by the renewed global commitment for sustainable development through the UN`s Agenda 2030. However, there remains a lot of work to do to bridge the aid-development gap and enhance the effectiveness of development interventions.
This course presents some key insights into the dynamic field of international development and poverty alleviation, and provides concepts and tools to foster the effectiveness of development efforts. By taking this course, you can expect to gain a strategic understanding of emerging priorities, problems and solutions for international development. You will access the essential concepts and tools for enhancing sustainable development and poverty alleviation. In this course, you will:
Gain a strategic understanding of emerging priorities, problems and solutions for international development.
Access essential tools and training for enhancing the effectiveness of development projects and programs
Apply course concepts to your work using the development effectiveness toolkit
Access lecture videos with accompanying notes and handouts
Get a Certificate of Completion after finishing the course
Who can take this course?
This course can be taken by anyone, directly or indirectly, involved in international development work. The course combines theory and practice, and uses a hands-on approach to tackle some of the most pressing development issues of our time. The course can be taken by development practitioners, NGOS, donors, funding agencies, researchers, academics, students, and citizens with a stake in seeing greater impacts of development and poverty alleviation efforts