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Papers by Alex Duncan

DFID RESEARCH POLICY PAPER.

vi I Introduction: aim and approach II Meeting the MDGs in Bangladesh: prospects and determinants... more vi I Introduction: aim and approach II Meeting the MDGs in Bangladesh: prospects and determinants 2.1 Poverty trends and dynamics 2.2 Achieving the MDGs: opportunities and threats 4 2.3 Prospects and risks: 2001-2015 and beyond Supporting the drivers of pro-poor change This is a public document. The views expressed here reflect those of the author(s) and not that of official DFID policy. iv partners 5.1 Introduction 30 5.2 The political process 31 5.3 Government 5.4 Civil society and the media 33 5.5 The private sector 35 5.6 DFID and other development partners 36 5.7 Conclusion 40 Annexes I Poverty assessment II Economic performance, prospect and risks III Areas of policy and practice: table of issues emerging IV Health sector: financial and institutional issues V Micro-finance VI Engendering education VII Rural land VIII Seeds IX Infrastructure for growth and access X Social protection XI Rule of Law XII Public financial accountability XIII Policy analysis and decisions XIV Making local government effective XV List of references XVI List of persons met in Bangladesh Supporting document: 'Socio-economic determinants of Bangladesh's ability to meet the Millennium Development Goals: a preliminary analysis and literature review,' by Tim Ruffer, Oxford Policy Management, 2001.

This is a public document. The views expressed here reflect those of the author(s) and not that o... more This is a public document. The views expressed here reflect those of the author(s) and not that of official DFID policy.

Development Policy Review

The UK Department for International Development's country office in Nigeria (DFID Nigeria) ha... more The UK Department for International Development's country office in Nigeria (DFID Nigeria) has gradually adopted a thinking and working politically (TWP) approach in its governance programming. The initial focus on strengthening analysis has progressively been linked to discussion about the country and programme strategy, as well as programme‐management practices. Important lessons can be learned from this experience on how the TWP approach can be applied in practice. The article addresses three research questions: (1) To what extent have DFID Nigeria and its governance programmes adopted a TWP approach? (2) How has the TWP approach influenced the design and delivery of programming? (3) Has the application of the TWP approach enhanced the results of the DFID governance programming?. Using project documentation and wider theoretical literature, but mainly relying on extensive participant observation within DFID Nigeria programmes, the article uses a historical perspective to outline how the TWP approach has been applied in Nigeria over 15 years of programme design, delivery, lesson‐learning and refinement. Published evaluation reports are used to provide evidence of programme results. DFID Nigeria and its programmes have progressively adopted TWP principles. This has led to clear changes in country strategy and programme design, as well as programme‐management practices. There is some evidence that the adoption of these principles has enhanced the results of DFID Nigeria programmes. By focusing on experimentation and “small bets,” TWP has proven relatively successful in generating and supporting ‘islands of effectiveness,’ but has had more limited impact in terms of generating more systemic, transformational change. The results obtained in Nigeria using the TWP approach have depended not only on Nigeria's political economy but also on the political economy of the development agency and donor country. DFID Nigeria's ability to engage in critical self‐reflection and to create an authorizing environment for risk‐taking have been vital to create enabling conditions for the TWP approach. However, other aspects of DFID and the UK's political economy are creating constraints that limit the prospects to go further and to go deeper in adopting the principles of TWP.

African Economic History, 1993

Oxford Development Studies, 2010

... View full textDownload full text Full access. DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2010.531616 Alex Duncan, ... more ... View full textDownload full text Full access. DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2010.531616 Alex Duncan, Martin Evans, Simon Hunt & Frances Stewart ... Born in New Zealand, he started his professional career as a medical doctor (FRCS, MB, ChB), working in Biafra as a surgeon in the ...

International Affairs, 1993

ABSTRACT

IDS Bulletin, 1986

The Macroeconomic Context Kenya's is an open trading economy (exports plus imports were the equiv... more The Macroeconomic Context Kenya's is an open trading economy (exports plus imports were the equivalent of 70 per cent of GNP in 1970) and therefore heavily influenced by conditions over which the country has no control. The major net exports are overwhelmingly agricultural; little diversification has occurred over the past 30 years. Internally, Kenya operates a comparatively free market, but with heavy government involvement in many activities. Key functions, including the marketing of basic foods, are at least partly carried out by parastatals. The government 'owns shares in textiles, shoes, sugar, tyres, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, canning, mining salt, drilling, paper, hotels, cement, batteries, vehicles, radios, fishing, engineering, beverages and food processing' [Kenya Government 19821. The 1976/77 coffee boom caused the values of the main export to rise from US107mnin1975toUSUS 107 mn in 1975 to USUS107mnin1975toUS494 mn in 1977, and led government to undertake an ambitious programme of development expenditure and, on the implicit but false assumption that these high revenues would be sustained, to increase recurrent spending by means which included a decreed 10 per cent rise in public-sector employment in 1979. Kenya therefore had far to fall as a result of the 1979-8 1 oil price rise and the international recession. Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford. The study on which this paper is based was carried out n 1983 in conjunction with Paul Mosley, University of Bath. The study set Out to assess the effectiveness of official multilateral and bilateral aid to Kenya over the past 10 years, using the criteria of economic growth and the alleviation of poverty. lt was based on a visit to Kenya of 3-4 weeks in 1984, during which time interviews were held with senior officials of relevant ministries, with the resident staff of major donors, and with field staff ofsome projects. Visits were also made to the headquarters of most major donors in Europe and North America. Cooperation from Government and donors was good in almost all cases. The many documents consulted, both internal and unrestricted, included those of the Kenya Government. together with many project papers and evaluation documents, and the country analyses prepared by several of the bigger donors.

Food Policy, 1998

This paper considers food security aims and instruments against a background of changed circumsta... more This paper considers food security aims and instruments against a background of changed circumstances internationally and regionally. The international changes discussed are: a sharper focus on achieving macro-economic stabilization, which inter alia has led to closer scrutiny of what the public ...

Food Policy, 1993

In many countries ways of financing and delivering services to farmers are being re-examined, as ... more In many countries ways of financing and delivering services to farmers are being re-examined, as impatience with ineffective state services grows and costs exceed government revenues. Recent changes in thinking with respect to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are ...

Development Policy Review, 1999

Development Policy Review, 1997

The three case studies show that while these countries [Ghana, Senegal and Uganda] have made cons... more The three case studies show that while these countries [Ghana, Senegal and Uganda] have made considerable progress, they still have a long way to go.' Hadjimichael et al., p.1 'Then the camel-men cursing and grumbling And running away, and wanting their liquor and women…' T.S. Eliot, 'Journey of the Magi' * Programme Manager, Oxford Policy Management and Visiting Professor, Wye College, UK.

Development Policy Review, 1995

Stabilization and Structural Adjustment: Macro-economic Frameworks for Analysing the Crisis in Su... more Stabilization and Structural Adjustment: Macro-economic Frameworks for Analysing the Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. By Finn Tarp. London and New York Routledge, 1994. 212 pp. f13.99. Structural Adjustment and Beyond in Sub-Saharan Africa: Research and Policy ...

Development Policy Review, 2001

Development Policy Review, 2009

Theories of growth have made progress in understanding the mechanisms of growth in economic terms... more Theories of growth have made progress in understanding the mechanisms of growth in economic terms. However, there is less understanding of the political processes that enable or obstruct these mechanisms. This article provides a four-stage framework to clarify and analyse the ...