IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wdevel/v139y2021ics0305750x20304617.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Getting institutions right: Matching institutional capacities to developmental tasks

Author

Listed:
  • Ricks, Jacob I.
  • Doner, Richard F.

Abstract

Since the 1990s, scholars and international organizations such as the World Bank have recognized the centrality of institutions for development. While important, this “institutional turn” has generally minimized the diversity of development challenges and the corresponding need for different institutional capacities. Yet distinguishing among developmental tasks is a critical step in understanding the kinds of institutions necessary to accomplish policy tasks. We identify five dimensions of task difficulty that affect the degree and nature of policy challenges and, as a result, the institutional capacities necessary to accomplish such challenges. We assess the utility of this framework through a qualitative analysis of two cross-national/single sector comparative cases: irrigation construction and maintenance in Taiwan versus Thailand and upgrading in the natural rubber industry in Malaysia versus Thailand. This framework constitutes a diagnostic tool for identifying areas in need of institutional strengthening, emphasizing the importance of “fit” between institutional capacities and developmental tasks.

Suggested Citation

  • Ricks, Jacob I. & Doner, Richard F., 2021. "Getting institutions right: Matching institutional capacities to developmental tasks," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:139:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x20304617
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105334
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X20304617
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105334?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jacob I. Ricks, 2017. "Sector-Specific Development and Policy Vulnerability in the Philippines," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 48(3), pages 567-589, May.
    2. Abel, Martin E., 1975. "Irrigation Systems In Taiwan: Management Of A Decentralized Public Enterprise," Staff Papers 14290, University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Economics.
    3. Levy, Brian, 2014. "Working with the Grain: Integrating Governance and Growth in Development Strategies," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199363810, Decembrie.
    4. Andrews,Matt, 2013. "The Limits of Institutional Reform in Development," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107016330.
    5. Pritchett, Lant & Woolcock, Michael, 2004. "Solutions When the Solution is the Problem: Arraying the Disarray in Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 191-212, February.
    6. Andrews, Matt & Pritchett, Lant & Woolcock, Michael, 2013. "Escaping Capability Traps Through Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA)," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 234-244.
    7. Batley, Richard & Mcloughlin, Claire, 2015. "The Politics of Public Services: A Service Characteristics Approach," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 275-285.
    8. Goldthorpe, C.C., 2015. "Rubber Manufacturing in Malaysia," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9789971698362, September.
    9. Wade, Robert, 1987. "The Management of Common Property Resources: Collective Action as an Alternative to Privatisation or State Regulation," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(2), pages 95-106, June.
    10. Lant Pritchett & Michael Woolcock & Matt Andrews, 2013. "Looking Like a State: Techniques of Persistent Failure in State Capability for Implementation," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(1), pages 1-18, January.
    11. Lam, Wai Fung, 1996. "Institutional design of public agencies and coproduction: A study of irrigation associations in Taiwan," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 1039-1054, June.
    12. Doner,Richard F., 2009. "The Politics of Uneven Development," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521516129.
    13. Haggard,Stephan, 2018. "Developmental States," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108449496.
    14. Bruns, Barbara & Macdonald, Isabel Harbaugh & Schneider, Ben Ross, 2019. "The politics of quality reforms and the challenges for SDGs in education," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 27-38.
    15. Paul M. Romer, 1994. "The Origins of Endogenous Growth," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 3-22, Winter.
    16. Moore, Mick, 1989. "The fruits and fallacies of neoliberalism: The case of irrigation policy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 17(11), pages 1733-1750, November.
    17. Grindle, M.S., 2000. "In Quest of Political: The Political Economy of Development Policy Making," Papers 17, Chicago - Graduate School of Business.
    18. Ricks, Jacob I., 2016. "Building Participatory Organizations for Common Pool Resource Management: Water User Group Promotion in Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 34-47.
    19. Homi Kharas & Harinder Kohli, 2011. "What Is the Middle Income Trap, Why do Countries Fall into It, and How Can It Be Avoided?," Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, Emerging Markets Forum, vol. 3(3), pages 281-289, September.
    20. Doner,Richard F., 2009. "The Politics of Uneven Development," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521736114.
    21. Lam, Wai Fung, 2006. "Foundations of a robust social-ecological system: irrigation institutions in Taiwan," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 2(2), pages 203-226, August.
    22. Hajime Yamamoto, 2016. "Research for Consideration of a Policy Proposal to Reform the Natural Rubber Industry's Structure and Stabilise Farmers' Dealing Conditions in Thailand," Books, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), number 2015-rpr-12 edited by Hajime Yamamoto, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Shair-Rosenfield, 2022. "Decentralization, intergovernmental coordination, and emergency response in East and Southeast Asia: lessons from combatting the COVID-19 pandemic," Working Papers. Collection A: Public economics, governance and decentralization 2209, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    2. Frank Siedlok & Natasha Hamilton‐Hart & Hsiao‐Chen Shen, 2022. "Taiwan's COVID‐19 Response: The Interdependence of State and Private Sector Institutions," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 53(1), pages 190-216, January.
    3. David Guerrero & Hidekazu Itoh & Guanie Lim & Petronille Harnay & Guillaume Corre, 2023. "Supplier networks at the integrated peripheries of the automobile industry: the case of keiretsu suppliers in Thailand," Post-Print hal-04166229, HAL.
    4. Kablan P. Kacou & Lavagnon A. Ika & Lauchlan T. Munro, 2022. "Fifty years of capacity building: Taking stock and moving research forward," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(4), pages 215-232, October.
    5. Siwach, Garima & Paul, Sohini & de Hoop, Thomas, 2022. "Economies of scale of large-scale international development interventions: Evidence from self-help groups in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kyle, Jordan, 2017. "Perspectives on the role of the state in economic development: Taking stock of the “Developmental State†after 35 years," IFPRI discussion papers 1597, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Andrews, Matt & Pritchett, Lant & Woolcock, Michael, 2017. "Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198747482, Decembrie.
    3. Matt Andrews, 2014. "An Ends-Means Approach to Looking at Governance," CID Working Papers 281, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    4. Andrews, Matt, 2014. "An Ends-Means Approach to Looking at Governance," Working Paper Series rwp14-022, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    5. Matt Andrews & Lant Pritchett & Michael Woolcock, 2016. "Doing Iterative and Adaptive Work," CID Working Papers 313, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    6. Lawson, Andrew & Harris, Jamelia, 2023. "Is the problem driven iterative adaptation approach (PDIA) a panacea for public financial management reform? Evidence from six African countries," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 31(C).
    7. Ricks, Jacob I., 2016. "Building Participatory Organizations for Common Pool Resource Management: Water User Group Promotion in Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 34-47.
    8. Andrews, Matt & Pritchett, Lant & Woolcock, Michael, 2013. "Escaping Capability Traps Through Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA)," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 234-244.
    9. Matt Andrews, 2014. "Can One Retell a Mozambican Reform Story Through Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-094, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    10. Matt Andrews, 2013. "Who Really Leads Development?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2013-092, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Matt Andrews & Tim McNaught & Salimah Samji, 2018. "Opening Adaptation Windows onto Public Financial Management Reform Gaps in Mozambique," CID Working Papers 341, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    12. Matt Andrews, 2013. "Explaining Positive Deviance in Public Sector Reforms in Development," CID Working Papers 267, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    13. Woolcock, Michael, 2014. "Engaging with Fragile and Conflict-Affected States," Working Paper Series rwp14-038, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    14. Lodewijk Smets & Stephen Knack, 2018. "World Bank Policy Lending and the Quality of Public-Sector Governance," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 67(1), pages 29-54.
    15. Andrews, Matt, 2013. "Explaining Positive Deviance in Public Sector Reforms in Development," WIDER Working Paper Series 117, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    16. Adam S. Harris & Brigitte Seim & Rachel Sigman, 2020. "Information, accountability and perceptions of public sector programme success: A conjoint experiment among bureaucrats in Africa," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 38(5), pages 594-612, September.
    17. Michael Woolcock, 2014. "Engaging with Fragile and Conflict-Affected States: An Alternative Approach to Theory, Measurement and Practice," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-097, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    18. Roll, Michael, 2021. "Institutional change through development assistance: The comparative advantages of political and adaptive approaches," IDOS Discussion Papers 28/2021, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    19. Andrews, Matt, 2013. "Who Really Leads Development?," WIDER Working Paper Series 092, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    20. Andrews, Matt, 2013. "Explaining Positive Deviance in Public Sector Reforms in Development," Working Paper Series rwp13-040, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:139:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x20304617. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.