This is a collaborative space which allows those interested in capacity development at theoretical and practical level to contribute to the knowledge base.
Capacity development has been at the centre of international development assistance since the end of II World War and the start of the decolonization period. However, the general acceptation of the concept has been very much influenced by the role of the Marshall Plan in the reconstruction of Europe and, ultimately, by its successful implementation. The general view that has dominated development thinking for decades since the inception of international development cooperation has been that the main drivers of socio- economic development, regarded as the ultimate development goal of decolonised countries, were capital and ‘know how’.
This general acceptation of capacity development, however, neglected the role that knowledge, as a much wider concept that extends beyond technical training and know how; leadership, as the catalyst of societal transformations; institutions, as complex systems of policies, legislative frameworks, ethics and values; and social capital play in any country’s socio-economic development.
The past decade has witnessd a resurgence of interest in the issue of capacity development and with it the redefinition of the concept, with the intent of moving away from the traditional acceptation of capacity development based on technical training and foreign expertise and to capture the concept in its complexity and entirety.
A new wiki page on this topic provides an overview of current understanding of the concept of capacity development and its application in everyday development practice.