If development were soccer...
‘…before the whistle blows, there would be drawn-out negotiations on the definition of a penalty, a task force established to appoint the referee, and a manual drafted on how to procure the whistle. That this is frustrating, wastes time, and generates ill will is bad enough. Worse still, it disrupts the flow of achieving development, draining it of creativity, motivation, and a clear-headed strategy.’ So writes Twaweza Head Rakesh Rajani in his article ‘If Development Were Soccer.’ The article has been published in the new book Frontiers in Development published by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Frontiers in Development is a new effort from USAID to bring together leading global thinkers and practitioners in the development sector to debate, provoke discussion and to learn from each other. USAID hopes that this initiative will contribute to improving the analysis, design and implementation of its programs around the world.
The book will be launched during a gathering under the same name at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. on June 11-13. At the meeting Rajani will be a panelist for the discussions Helping Democracies Deliver: Creating Dialogue and Change Through Open Government and Investing for Sustainable Development.
Rajani’s article appears alongside essays by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Bill Gates, Paul Collier and many other government and civil society organization leaders. The book can be read in full here. ‘If Development Were Soccer’ starts on page 40 of the document. A shortened version of the essay can be found here.
Read Rajani's previous articles, 'If Government Was a Restaurant' and 'If NGOs Were a Newspaper.'
Read more: civil society development Rakesh Rajani
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