Practical guidelines to accomplish more in the context of fragile settings

PPT presentation Seth Kaplan PSD Network Conference 15 jan 2010

This PPT presentation highlights practical ideas for working in Fragile states. Some final thoughts include:

-Be ambitious in goals but humble in attitude                                                                                                                    -Be both creative and pragmatic                                                                                                                                      -Work with existing assets; don’t obsess over what is lacking                                                                                      -Societies with weak rule of law fall back on “rule of man”: make sure you know which people and networks matter and how to use them                                                                                                                                                       

-To change political dynamics you need to stimulate inclusive growth                                                                                     -You must take risks, which means you will sometimes fail. Be ready to create positives that outlast project failures: spread lessons learned, recycle valuable elements of failed programs, train lots of people, etc.                                                -Benchmarks can be useful, but make sure you use ones appropriate to the place—generic markers such as the MDGs and corruption tables may have limited practical relevance in fragile states                                                                                -In everything you do, try to build on what already works, create sustainability, and empower locals                             -Lastly, remember that success does not mean winning plaudits from our colleagues or even from the political elites of fragile states; if our job is to fix fragile states, then our success depends on designing and implementing projects that actually impact the lives of local people

Alpha International Consulting, Ltd. 2010

Alpha International Consulting, Limited helps corporations tailor their strategies and operations to fit the challenging conditions found in developing countries. Clients have included Morgan Stanley, Compaq Computers, Toshiba, and Brainpop.com.