Why don't we learn

Abstract

Rural development is essentially a process of widening decision making options of the majority of the poor. Creating choices without generating capacity to act might impair learning abilities of both, who create choices and also those who have to exercise these. Development agents, institutions and organizations often recognize after the fact that they failed to keep track of their learning vis-a-vis the learning is paid for by the poor who learn sometimes to be helpless. This paper lists certain aspects of mutual monitoring for appropriate learning at both the ends. Development experimentation involves costs which are often paid by those who benefit least from it. Policy planners seem to know all about why developmental programmes fail and yet we have not learnt to be impatient with failures? why don't we learn! How do we learn from those who have learned to live with our ignorance! The paper lists a few theorems on monitoring and learning besides identifying areas of future research.