1 Complex contexts
Development actors live and work – as we all do – in complex and fast-changing contexts. You will start by thinking about context. Context includes the immediate environment within which an intervention is planned and implemented. It also includes a myriad of other contextual factors – history, culture, the economy, social relationships and all the many other factors and trends that shape the world in which we find ourselves in today. Each context is different, and each context is endlessly changing.
Development actors sometimes find it hard to know what to do about this. They tend to be working under considerable time pressure and may be expected to bring about extraordinary levels of change with very limited resources. The consequence of this can sometimes be that development actors have highly skewed perceptions of what shapes the world ‘beneficiaries’ inhabit. For example:
- Many development actors are quite blind to the significance of religious faith in others’ lives.
- Development actors often have a greatly exaggerated estimation of the importance of development projects in people’s lives and livelihoods.