The Power of Peer Learning

The Power of Peer Learning Synopsis

An ancient Chinese proverb tells us ""Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."" The same can be said for development assistance. Solutions provided by outside ""experts"" are often rejected or politely shelved. However, solutions based on the principle of ""selfhelp"" are far more likely to take root. This book explores the self-help, peer learning approach of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), comparing it with that of IDRC. It focuses on the importance of networks to development and growth, and demonstrates that network management is fundamentally different from the management of companies, organizations, or other bodies that fall under a single authority. The book will be of interest to planners, policymakers, and researchers in the industrialized and developing worlds, and particularly in the new and emerging democracies of Eastern Europe.