Crowd-programmed initiatives:

Facilitating the development of beneficiary-led aid

programmes

Dr. Adrian FlintLecturer in Development Politics

University of Bristol

Chris Meyer zu Natrup, CA, MScDirector

MzN | International

Setting the scene

• Participation has conceptual & operational limits and has not delivered all it promised.

• A lot of hype about how ICT can address this.

• Advances in ICT now permit beneficiaries to potentially define responses & interventions

Beneficiary determined programmes

• Beneficiary defined programmes: The idea that affected people materially design a response/intervention.

• Attributes of beneficiary determined programmes • Establish feedback and open listening processes receptive for all

comments• Analyse and correlate non-interaction data (migration, use,

frequency)• In addition, not instead: mobile, web & traditional forms of data

gathering• Open source and open use

• Different from participation as there is no upfront design of the listening process (“crowd driven”) and donors/agencies are called to act upon what is heard

Problems with Participation

• Accusations of “Quick & Dirty” needs assessments (R. Chambers 1981: p.95)

• Riddled with problems

• logistical challenges (late, narrow spotlight (local and few voices)• too few voices (gender hierarchy, local power structures, age bias• too inefficient• too narrow thematically• legitimizing agendas? • institutionally facilitated/managed

• Crowd sourced information designed to capture more, quicker, broader.

The good news…

• There are approximately 6 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions in the world today.

• More people have mobiles than electricity.

• By the end of 2011, nearly one third of the world’s population had access to the internet (2.3 billion people).

• Basic handsets now cost as little as US$20.

The bad news…

• Harnessing the “wisdom” of crowds is about more than improved mobile technology & roll-out

• Questions infrequently asked:o What power structures needs to be considered?o “Do no harm” (social fabric, data security)o What donor and agency agendas need to be considered?o To what extent can the crowd be “trusted” (needs vs. wants?) o Issues of data ownership, protection, privacy and security

Is this “game changing”?

• We now have the tools to be more needs and beneficiary led than ever.

• If structural and political challenges are addressed, a genuine, direct and more democratic form of designing interventions and responses can be developed.

• If applied effectively…o It is needs driven as opposed to agency driveno It should increase impact and value for moneyo It’s more “unmanaged”, helping to overcome the agenda-led

problemo Democratizing forceo Generates better data (automatic baseline, constant feedback loop,

etc)

Yes, CAN be a “game changer”, if done right

Let’s do it right…• It’s too easy for ICT-led strategies to become an end rather than a means

to an end (‘technovelty’).o Drive towards VfM and more Impact channels investments into

technology, but….

• Key questions are not technological in nature: o True beneficiary engagement works on trust only. o Beneficiaries need to feel they are not just listened to, but acted upon.o Donors/Agencies need to be willing to accept outcomeso This is more of a political, then technological issue

• We think this is a game changer, because it requires a change in the way we assess needs (and wants)

• Listen without designing the listening process…• …and accept the outcomes.

Let’s do it right…• Better needs assessment includes

o Constant listeningo Open access and Open useo Not agency facilitated/managedo larger spotlight

…leading to…

• Crowd programmes initiatives done right can help towardso Better, more robust, needs assessment o Overcomes the agenda-bias as listening process is totally undesignedo Cost effective way to establish baseline and build an open body of

knowledgeo Leads to more effective programmes

Let’s do it!• 12 month long concept phase to:-

o Underpin theoretical concepto address in detail political and sector structure questions, o use MzN Development Experts in over 15 countries to

consider local differences and harness knowledge networko Involve political decision makers where possible o Start a pilot project in needs assessment

Join us & keep up to date. Register by email to office@mzninternational.com

Thank you!