New emperor, old clothes? International funding – who’s setting the agenda?
Subcontractors or visionaries?
1 September 2008
Alliance magazine
One of the most important concepts in the development debate is trusteeship – the capacity of community leadership to make accountable choices, to reflect on these choices and make course corrections when necessary, and to maintain a focus on the goal of equity. The need for this kind of trusteeship is poorly understood by grant givers, and I believe its absence is a serious omission. For me, a fundamental question donors need to ask is this: do they want subcontractors to carry out their mission? Or do they want to support those who have a vision for their own transformation?
