Beyond investment: some lessons from development programmes

Abstract

In studies of development programmes, three factors have been identified as critical to success : political support or commitment 9 resources and leadership. It is argued in this paper that while these factors are important preconditions for successful performance, they do not ensure the success of a development programme. What conventional -wisdom does not take into account is 'strategic management', the set of top management interventions which leaders bring to bear on their development programmes. Specifically, there are certain critical interventions by the government and the programme leadership which provide the basic framework for operational decisions and set the pace for performance. This paper discusses the role of these critical interventions, or 'strategic management\ with reference to six relatively successful national development programmes selected from different parts of the Third World.