Aid to developing countries: the technology/ecology fit Page: 45
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These problems exemplify the drawback of piecemeal approaches.
If more projects were designed specifically to produce resource
development plans for target areas but the plans do not become the basis
for subsequent development assistance projects, nothing has been gained.
Similarly, if projects were given longer periods for planning and
implementation, but continued to move rapidly into full scale operation
and disallowed mid term corrections, then damage from ecologically
unsustainable technologies still might result.
Potential Oversight Questions:
What is the average length of your projects? Are projects generally expected to be
self-sustaining after this period? Which kinds of projects are appropriate for gradual
development and phase in of technologies and which are appropriate for rapid scale
up of operations?
What is the typical ratio of investment in project planning to investment in project
implementation for various kinds of projects (agricultural, industrial, institution
building, research, etc.)?
What would be the advantages and disadvantages of increasing:
a) the general lengths of projects?
b) the ratio of project planning expense to investment in project
implementation?
Increase personnel motivation and accountability
The World Bank and AID have few mechanisms to reward officers
responsible for developing successful technology interventions, or to
induce improved decision making for those who have made poor
technology choices. Project officers commonly move on to new projects
or geographic regions prior to the termination of the initial project. This
management prob em will become more difficult, particularly in AID, as
they shift incres ngly to policy and economic support interventions
where cause and effect may be obscure. In these, technology suitability is
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United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment. Aid to developing countries: the technology/ecology fit, report, June 1987; [Washington D.C.]. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc39872/m1/52/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.