Rethinking the Capacity Development Model

Abstract

Researchers have long raised questions regarding the way capacity development is practiced. At the same time, they agree on the need to understand how capacity development takes place before rushing to establish capacity development programs. Many researchers have pointed to the need for understanding the demand side of capacity development, including the need to understand the context, the enabling environment, political will, local governance, and the engagement of civil society organizations. Based on the literature review, a new and holistic conceptual model is presented in this chapter. The Perception Driven Joint Learning Approach (PeDJoLA) model pulls together government’s and community’s interventions within an environment and disaster risk landscape. Donors and different levels of governments work in a top-down manner, which is matched by bottom-up actions of a community. However, only their combined and integrated efforts can lead to effective capacity development. The chapter starts by providing a brief overview of existing capacity development models and why they provide only a piecemeal understanding of the capacity development process. PeDJoLA is presented with detailed description of its components.