Johns Hopkins SAIS to host “Navigation by Judgment: Why and When Top Down Management of Foreign Aid Doesn’t Work,” a discussion with Dr. Daniel Honig, on Monday, April 9, 2018
MEDIA ADVISORY
“Navigation by Judgment: Why and When Top Down Management of Foreign Aid Doesn’t Work,” a discussion with Dr. Daniel Honig, will be hosted at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
In the new book, “Navigation by Judgment” (Oxford University Press), Dr. Honig argues that high-quality implementation of foreign aid programs often requires contextual information that cannot be seen by those in distant headquarters. Tight controls and a focus on reaching pre-set measurable targets often prevent front-line workers from using skill, local knowledge, and creativity to solve problems in ways that maximize the impact of foreign aid.
Drawing on a novel database of over 14,000 discrete development projects across nine aid agencies and eight paired case studies of development projects, Dr. Honig concludes that aid agencies will often benefit from giving field agents the authority to use their own judgments to guide aid delivery. He says this “navigation by judgment” is particularly valuable when environments are unpredictable, and when accomplishing an aid program’s goals are hard to accurately measure.
Speaker
Dr. Daniel Honig
Assistant Professor of International Development at Johns Hopkins SAIS
Introductory Remarks
Deborah Bräutigam
Director of International Development and Director of the China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins SAIS
Time and Date
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Monday, April 9, 2018
Location
Johns Hopkins SAIS
Rome Auditorium
1619 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Registration
The event is open to the public and media, with registration. Members of the working press can request to cover the event by completing the online registration form. Final media access will be confirmed at least one day prior to the event. Pre-authorized camera setup will only be permitted from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Media Contacts
Ada Ho
Academic Program Coordinator
International Development Program (IDEV)
202.663.5943
tho15@jhu.edu
Stacy A. Anderson
Communications Manager
Johns Hopkins SAIS
202.663.5620 office
202.853.7983 mobile
sande100@jhu.edu
About the Speaker
Dr. Daniel Honig is an Assistant Professor of International Development at Johns Hopkins SAIS. His research focuses on the relationship between organizational structure, management practice, and performance in developing country governments and organizations that provide foreign aid. Dr. Honig has also held positions as a special assistant and then advisor to successive Ministers of Finance (Liberia), and ran a local nonprofit that focused on helping post-conflict youth realize the power of their own ideas to better their lives and communities through agricultural entrepreneurship (East Timor). He has worked for international NGOs, local NGOs, aid agencies, and developing country governments in various countries including India, Israel, Thailand, Somalia, and South Sudan. A native of Detroit, Dr. Honig holds a BA from the University of Michigan and a PhD from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
About Johns Hopkins SAIS
A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today's critical issues. For nearly 75 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. Johns Hopkins SAIS offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, D.C. The school’s interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today.
For more information, visit sais-jhu.edu or @SAISHopkins
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