Obsessive Measurement Disorder or Pragmatic Bureaucracy?
Coping with Uncertainty in Development Aid Relations
- 204 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
Obsessive Measurement Disorder or Pragmatic Bureaucracy?
Coping with Uncertainty in Development Aid Relations
About this book
The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online.
Complex coordination across time, space, and cultures involves a great deal of uncertainty. This uncertainty may be accepted and handled with judgment and pragmatism, but more often in contemporary modern society, it is treated as a technical problem to be 'solved'. This is a book about the paradoxical implications of the quest for certainty in interorganizational relations in the complex field of development aid.
Authors Alexius and Vähämäki scrutinize questions related to the concept Obsessive Measurement Disorder, i.e. what causes an increase in control mechanisms, and how and when can this prove counterproductive? They further investigate the question on why performance management - and measurement requirements seem in some instances to hinder, and in others to support the implementation of aid projects and programs.
Drawing on 80 original interviews with aid bureaucrats working at different levels and in different organizations, including public agencies, companies, non-government organisations, and universities all involved in development aid projects financed fully, or in part, by the Swedish taxpayer, they identify coping mechanisms and responses that may help to prevent the extremes of obsessive measurement disorder, and foster instead pragmatic, constructive organizing and learning that benefits not only aid organizations and their employees, but also - and more fundamentally - the societies in need.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Obsessive Measurement Disorder or Pragmatic Bureaucracy?
- Obsessive Measurement Disorder or Pragmatic Bureaucracy?: Coping With Uncertainty in Development Aid Relations
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Preface
- 1. Coping With Uncertainty in Development Aid Relations
- 2. Complexities, Uncertainties, and Responses
- 3. Recipients Are Responsible Donors Too: On Plural Actorhood and Role-Switching
- 4. Practices of Approximation: Simplifying the Complex and Controlling the Future
- 5. In Proper Organization We Trust: On Extrapolation From Proper Organization Proxies
- 6. Certainty for Sale?: A Historic Exposé on the Role of External Experts in Development Aid 1960s–2020s
- 7. Multivocal Brokering: Translating and Decoupling for Results
- 8. Pragmatic Bureaucracy: An Antidote to Obsessive Measurement Disorder?
- References
- Appendix 1: Methods and Material and Reflections on the Research Process
- Appendix 2: Summary: Conditions and Factors to Consider