Can We Know Better?: Reflections for development

by Robert Chambers

This book is intended for all who are committed to human wellbeing and who want to make our world fairer, safer and more fulfilling for everyone, especially those who are ‘last’. It argues that to do better we need to know better. It provides evidence that what we believe we know in international development is often distorted or unbalanced by errors, myths, biases and blind spots. Undue weight has been attached to standardised methodologies such as randomized control trials, systematic reviews, and competitive bidding: these are shown to have huge transaction costs which are rarely if ever recognized in their enormity. Robert Chambers contrasts a Newtonian paradigm in which the world is seen and understood as controllable with a paradigm of complexity which recognizes that the real world of social processes and power relations is messy and unpredictable. To confront the challenges of complex and emergent realities requires a revolutionary new professionalism. This is underpinned by a new combination of canons of rigour expressed through eclectic methodological pluralism and participatory approaches which reverse and transform power relations. Promising developments include rapid innovations in participatory ICTs, participatory statistics, and the Reality Check Approach with its up-to-date and rigorously grounded insights. Fundamental to the new professionalism, in every country and context, are reflexivity, facilitation, groundtruthing, and personal mindsets, behaviour, attitudes, empathy and love. Robert Chambers surveys the past world of international development, and his own past views, with an honest and critical eye, and then launches into the world of complexity with a buoyant enthusiasm. He draws on almost six decades of experience in varied roles in Africa, South Asia and elsewhere as practitioner, trainer, manager, teacher, evaluator and field researcher, also working in UNHCR and the Ford Foundation. He is a Research Associate and Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, his base for many years. Can We Know Better? is essential reading for researchers and students of development, for policy makers and evaluators, and for all those working towards the better world of the Sustainable Development Goals.

214 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2017

About the author

There is more than one Robert Chambers in the Goodreads Library

Robert John Haylock Chambers (1932-) is a British academic and development practitioner. He spent his academic career at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. In 2013 he became an honorary fellow of the International Institute of Social Studies. He has been one of the leading advocates for putting the poor, destitute and marginalized at the center of the processes of development policy since the 1980s. In particular he argues they should be taken into account when the development problem is identified, policy formulated and projects implemented. He popularized within development circles such phrases as "putting the last first" and stressed the now generally accepted need for development professionals to be critically self-aware. The widespread acceptance of a "participatory" approach is in part due to his work. This includes participatory rural appraisal.

Robert Chambers and G.R. Conway provided the first elaborated definition of the concept of sustainable livelihoods which reads: "a livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (stores, resources, claims and access) and activities required for a means of living: a livelihood is sustainable which can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the next generation; and which contributes net benefits too there livelihoods at the local and global levels and in the short and long term"

Reviews

[Wim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Chambers, the participation champion. A must read for development professionals, and for those like me who value community empowerment as basis for good change. Maybe the book is not very suitable for others, as Chambers uses quite some jargon and assumes the reader already has a high level of knowledge of the aid world.

In his known enthusiast way, Chambers argues against mechanistic, reductionist approaches (log frame, RCTs, payment for results) of the 'Newtonian’ paradigm, and in favor of eclectic pluralism through flexible participatory methodologies of the ‘Flexibility’ paradigm.

I did not really enjoy the first chapters on errors and myths, biases and blind spots. To me, Chambers was flying through examples, not developing them enough, which raised more questions than making things clear. The exception here is the interesting part on FTIs (faecally transmitted infections).

However, I adored chapter 3 (Lenses and lock-in) and Chambers’ critique on rigid, mechanistic donor procedures and how upward accountability distorts programs and projects, just as the eye-opening parts on the very popular RCTs (randomized control trials), on competitive bidding and payment by results. I also liked chapters 4 to 6 in which Chambers explores ways of “knowing better” by thinking and acting accord to the complexity paradigm, on participatory methodologies (I already was a fan of immersions, now I have discovered the reality check approach) and on a new professionalism of knowing.

Very inspiring!

[Paul, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Chambers is the elder statesman of participatory development. His keen insight, long experience, and deep humility are combined in another gem for the world of international development. I read this book as I was preparing to conduct an impact assessment myself, and I found it quite helpful. Though most of the book was highly theoretical: why RCTs aren't as good as everyone thinks they are, the benefits of participatory statistics, and other similar topics. But there were some very practical references to tools, one of which "Participatory Impact Assessment", I ended up adopting. This book is highly recommended for development professionals, particularly those in monitoring and evaluation, program design, program management, and executive leadership.

This quote should be on the wall of every leader in the world "The more powerful people or institutions are, the more likely they are to demand, receive, and believe distorted information, with incestuous reinforcement from acolytes, dependants, or colleagues." Especially those of us who are in the business of helping the poor.

Here are a few more of my favorite quotes:Overlooking history. Ignorance of history is a widespread factor. The past is easily and often overlooked by outside observers, researchers, and visitors. Communities have much longer memories as well as incomparably more knowledge of local context and history than visiting professionals. Common-sense solutions to problems thought out by outsiders fail again and again through ignorance of what has already not worked. A typical example is the multi-donor Flood Action Plan in Bangladesh drawn up in 1989 and implemented at huge cost to build embankments to prevent floods, a ‘solution’ which had already failed, only to be abandoned after a few years (Lewis, 2013: 119–21). History was overlooked in the myth of ‘the green revolution'

stories can be a powerful way of changing organizations and their cultures (Denning, 2000). They can also reinforce beliefs. ‘Good’ stories, whether true, representative, or not, get repeated and spread on their own.

Catechists and teachers are well aware of the importance of repetition for internalizing knowledge and beliefs. Repeated often enough, or in enough places or media, they become simplified, losing their qualifications, and are then internalized and believed as truth. This may occur especially among those who speak in public about their subjects, and do this in a mode of advocacy: priests, preachers, politicians, passionate advocates of a cause, or guides who show a succession of visitors round a project. All these are liable to speak each time with more conviction. How profoundly disabling public repetition can be by drowning doubt and cementing dogma, is barely recognized, despite its many pathological manifestations whatever the persuasion of the speaker

[Sharanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is an academic read. An interesting and it should be read by people working in the development sector. The major flaw is the book is laden with jargon. I would recommend this book to everyone. I wish it was a smooth read.

[Michelle Seizer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides some necessary debate and points for all those wanting to make a better world.