The design of resource-delivery Systems: a Socio-ecological perspective

Abstract

Organizing the delivery of resources to the poor in a fair manner in a basically "unfair" social and economic structure poses a tremendous challenge to policy planners. The problem becomes further complicated when there is a mismatch between the eco logical characteristics of the environment and the criteria used by public resource-delivery organizations, such as nationalized banks, to provide resources to the people. As a result, safer and surer organizational practices and designs tend to emerge to cater to articulated demands for resources rather than designs that involve the identification of the needs of the poor and their conversion into demands on the organization. The market creating developmental role is overshadowed by the market responding role. Sectoral, spatial, and seasonal imbalances widen.