3 Thinking about change
It has been said that development is good change. But how does change happen? How can desired changes be planned for and brought about? Here are eight different ways of thinking about change which the authors of this course call ‘archetypes’. These archetypes of change are specific sets of events and/or circumstances that can set change in motion. (Eyben et al., 2008 p. 203)
- The Ladder: Change is achieved by allowing people to resolve immediate needs and gradually accumulate resources and voice.
- Enlightened Elites: Change is achieved by shifting the hearts and minds of people in power, either through self-interest or threat, leading them to make institutions and policies more responsive.
- People in the Streets: Change is achieved by building enough political pressure from below to ensure that institutions uphold their obligations and distribute power more equitably.
- A Good Example: Change is achieved by showing that ‘it can be done’. Localised success creates belief and provides safety for individuals, institutions, and countries to follow suit.
- Shock to the System: Change is achieved when power structures can’t cope, due to sudden collapse or natural disasters. Weakness of elites is revealed, and new institutions and/or leaderships emerge.
- Follow the Leader: Change originates from individuals who, through example and personality, inspire others to change their behaviour. Change is infectious, exponential.
- The Power of Belief: Change comes through widespread consciousness-raising that profoundly shifts how people understand their rights and the basics of human dignity. Values are at the core of social change.
- Good Old-Fashioned Democracy: Change comes through formal democratic processes (political parties, elections) and/or direct exercise of democratic processes through community-based participation (town councils, neighbourhood committees).
In the next activity you will think about change in your own context.
Activity 2
Take a moment to think about whether you have been involved in bringing about change through an activity that fits one or more of the archetypes.
- Who were the actors bringing about change in your example(s)?
Note your reflection in the box below.
Discussion
Hopefully, you were able to identify example(s) of change that you have been involved in through reflecting on these archetypes. It may have surprised you that your example could be considered as development change.
Such change does not necessarily require the intervention of development actors. But these archetypes suggest some different strategies that development actors might usefully pursue.