Thank you for your insightful reflection. You’ve highlighted important issues in development programming—overly ambitious theories of change (ToC) that lack realistic pathways to impact. Linking complex outcomes like food security to limited activities, such as a one-day training, underscores the gap between intention and implementation. I feel, this is often due to a weak or missing theory of action, which should detail how activities translate into outcomes within specific contexts.
Your observation on the limited involvement of local communities in program design and delivery is equally important. Without meaningful engagement, interventions risk being misaligned with real needs and may fail to gain local ownership—critical for sustainability. I also appreciate your use of the Sanskrit fable, which reflects the dynamics between donors, implementers, and evaluators.
Given your wealth of experience across Africa and Asia, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on how these challenges play out differently—or similarly—across contexts, and whether smaller, community-led initiatives have managed to overcome some of the structural limitations of large-scale projects. Looking forward to your insights.
RE: Do Big Projects Deliver Effective Solutions in a Complex World?
Nepal
Ram Khanal
Advisor
Community of Evaluator (COE) Nepal
Posted on 08/04/2025
Dear Lila,
Thank you for your insightful reflection. You’ve highlighted important issues in development programming—overly ambitious theories of change (ToC) that lack realistic pathways to impact. Linking complex outcomes like food security to limited activities, such as a one-day training, underscores the gap between intention and implementation. I feel, this is often due to a weak or missing theory of action, which should detail how activities translate into outcomes within specific contexts.
Your observation on the limited involvement of local communities in program design and delivery is equally important. Without meaningful engagement, interventions risk being misaligned with real needs and may fail to gain local ownership—critical for sustainability. I also appreciate your use of the Sanskrit fable, which reflects the dynamics between donors, implementers, and evaluators.
Given your wealth of experience across Africa and Asia, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on how these challenges play out differently—or similarly—across contexts, and whether smaller, community-led initiatives have managed to overcome some of the structural limitations of large-scale projects. Looking forward to your insights.
Warm regards,