Learning to Learn: Undoing the Gordian Knot of Development Today

Abstract:     
The deep flaw of existing approaches to development is their dirigisme: the assumption, common to nearly all development theory, that there is an expert agent that already sees the future. A common thread connects the emergent alternatives to development orthodoxy: the enhancement of the conditions of individual and collective learning. This approach to development highlights the existence of unresolved problems and the necessity of problem solving in every sphere. The enhancement of the conditions of learning can be the key to improving performance, resolving deadlocks, and overcoming blockages, at every level at which common dilemmas and collective problem solving occur - from the global commons to the local enterprise.

Keywords: Development, dirigisme, learning, problem solving, democracy

Working Paper Series