Redefining Development: Resolving Complex Challenges in a Global Context

In 2015,Old Fadama,the largest informal community in Accra,was a government no-go zone. Armed guards accompanied a participatory action research team and stakeholders as they began an empirical research project. In three years,they designed a collaboration intervention based on rigorous evidence,Ghana's culture, and data from 300 core stakeholders. Sanitation policy change transformed the community,and government began to collaborate freely. By 2022,the intervention was replicated in Accra,Kumasi and eleven rural communities,providing health services to more than 10,000 kayayei (women head porters) and addressing complex challenges for 15,000 direct and hundreds of thousands of indirect beneficiaries.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 06 July 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

In 2015, Old Fadama, the largest informal community in Accra, was a government-prohibited zone. Armed guards accompanied a participatory action research team and stakeholders as they embarked on an empirical research project aimed at resolving wicked problems, advancing collaboration theory, and providing direct services to vulnerable beneficiaries. Over three years, the team designed a collaboration intervention based on rigorous evidence, Ghana's culture, and data from 300 core stakeholders. The intervention transformed the community, leading to increased government collaboration. By 2022, the intervention was replicated in Accra, Kumasi, and eleven rural communities, serving over 10,000 kayayei (women head porters) and addressing complex challenges for 15,000 direct and hundreds of thousands of indirect beneficiaries. This collaboration intervention not only improved community participation but also influenced policy changes and redefined development in theory and practice. The title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

ISBN-13: 9781009394864
Edition number: 2 Revised edition