George M. Guess – författare

Managing international development and aid programs often relies on trial and error and flexibility. Practitioners need a mix of management theory and field practice to prepare them for work in other countries—transitional, developing, wealthier, and poorer alike. Filling an important gap in the literature for graduate students and practitioners in the public sector, private firms, contractors, and nonprofit organizations that manage development assistance projects, this is a guide to dealing with core issues likely to be faced in doing field work.

International Development Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations offers an accessible primer on the basics of managing and motivating people, teams, and organizations. It focuses on challenges and opportunities to managing in difficult cultures and contexts, including hostile political regimes. The book takes a deeper look at management in four sectors: public finance, urban transport, K–12 education, and natural resources and the environment. Presented throughout the book are 28 cases, designed to stimulate critical discussions, as well as five technical exercises to allow integration of theory and practice. This textbook is supplemented by slides for teaching along with a sample syllabus. It is addressed to current and future international aid managers, including those enrolled in international management and international development courses at the university level. Professional development organizations, such as contractors, nonprofits, and donors, will also find the book a useful addition to their training materials.

Managing international development and aid programs often relies on trial and error and flexibility. Practitioners need a mix of management theory and field practice to prepare them for work in other countries—transitional, developing, wealthier, and poorer alike. Filling an important gap in the literature for graduate students and practitioners in the public sector, private firms, contractors, and nonprofit organizations that manage development assistance projects, this is a guide to dealing with core issues likely to be faced in doing field work.

International Development Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations offers an accessible primer on the basics of managing and motivating people, teams, and organizations. It focuses on challenges and opportunities to managing in difficult cultures and contexts, including hostile political regimes. The book takes a deeper look at management in four sectors: public finance, urban transport, K–12 education, and natural resources and the environment. Presented throughout the book are 28 cases, designed to stimulate critical discussions, as well as five technical exercises to allow integration of theory and practice. This textbook is supplemented by slides for teaching along with a sample syllabus. It is addressed to current and future international aid managers, including those enrolled in international management and international development courses at the university level. Professional development organizations, such as contractors, nonprofits, and donors, will also find the book a useful addition to their training materials.

First published in 1987, this reissue explores contemporary United States foreign aid policies and thinking in the Reagan era. The author argues that aid policy is often confused as a result of bureaucratic decision-making processes. The book contrasts the experience of the many countries where aid-giving has produced unwished-for effects with the few countries where the desired results have occurred. The author concludes by arguing for a new approach to aid-giving by the United States.

First published in 1987, this reissue explores contemporary United States foreign aid policies and thinking in the Reagan era. The author argues that aid policy is often confused as a result of bureaucratic decision-making processes. The book contrasts the experience of the many countries where aid-giving has produced unwished-for effects with the few countries where the desired results have occurred. The author concludes by arguing for a new approach to aid-giving by the United States.

Efforts by governments to promote sustained domestic economic development have been mixed. Success depends on many factors including location, geography, climate, external competition, human resources, natural resources, timing, political and governmental institutions, government capacity, implementation, leadership, values—and maybe luck. This complexity means that while development experts can often identify ingredients for success, few can prescribe the specific mix needed by a particular state to achieve sustained development over the long term.

In Building Democracy and International Governance, author George M. Guess uses both case studies and careful data analysis to argue that federalist democracy may just be the most responsive, authoritative, and flexible system for nation building, and that there is value in confronting the challenges that lie in exporting federalist democracy abroad. Guess demonstrates the ways in which federation structures provide positive redundancy against failures, flexibility to change course and implement programs and policies, and state legitimacy and strength. Examining twelve wealthy and developing countries from five regions, representing democratic and authoritarian government structures, confederations, and federations, this book will be of interest to those teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in Political Development, Democratization, Federalism, and Comparative Political Economy.

Efforts by governments to promote sustained domestic economic development have been mixed. Success depends on many factors including location, geography, climate, external competition, human resources, natural resources, timing, political and governmental institutions, government capacity, implementation, leadership, values—and maybe luck. This complexity means that while development experts can often identify ingredients for success, few can prescribe the specific mix needed by a particular state to achieve sustained development over the long term.

In Building Democracy and International Governance, author George M. Guess uses both case studies and careful data analysis to argue that federalist democracy may just be the most responsive, authoritative, and flexible system for nation building, and that there is value in confronting the challenges that lie in exporting federalist democracy abroad. Guess demonstrates the ways in which federation structures provide positive redundancy against failures, flexibility to change course and implement programs and policies, and state legitimacy and strength. Examining twelve wealthy and developing countries from five regions, representing democratic and authoritarian government structures, confederations, and federations, this book will be of interest to those teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in Political Development, Democratization, Federalism, and Comparative Political Economy.