The Power of Peer Learning Networks and Development Cooperation

The Power of Peer Learning Networks and Development Cooperation 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.

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About Jean-H. Guilmette

Jean-H. Guilmette is the former director of the International Development Research Centre's division for central and Eastern Europe initiatives, director of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Sahel Club, former executive director of the African Development Bank, and director general of the strategic planning unit in the Africa and Middle East Branch of the Canadian International Development Agency. He lives in Gatineau, Canada.