oreign aid has become a polarizing subject. While proponents of the current system remain, critics have been a growing faction. As more and more reports are coming back with findings that reflect ineffective aid initiatives and projects, hope is being lost for the current models propping up the institution of foreign aid. There are those who appear ready to write off the concept of foreign aid all together, yet in his book Aid on the Edge of Chaos, Ben Ramalingam suggests that the broken foreign aid system has the potential to be fixed.
Ramalingam is both a writer and consultant involved in the world of international development and humanitarian issues, and has offered consultation to many prominent development organizations. He puts his experienced insight to work in Aid at the Edge of Chaos, where he breaks down where the aid system went wrong, where in science the global community can look for guidance, and examples of foreign aid in the real world that have gotten it right.
The title Aid at the Edge of Chaos alludes to the scientific concept of “the edge of chaos”, the area right in between order and chaos, where complexity is at its highest point. Complex adaptive systems research works to tackle issues of complexity. The system’s tactics focus on being adaptable, recognizing that simplification is not exceedingly effective when tackling multifaceted problems, and that self-organization and collective action are beneficial when problem-solving. Ramalingam points to the complex adaptive systems research as a source of new inspiration for the foreign aid system, which he explains tends to ignore the complexity in the world.
Current foreign aid systems often attempt to transfer models that have found success in one area to other areas around the world, but Ramalingam warns that this can be ill advised. He explains that there are often contextual aspects of different areas and situations that make projects work, which cannot be replicated in areas where those same qualities do not exist. When context is ignored, we see aid fail.
Aid on the Edge of Chaos is an effective piece of work, because not only does it explain aid’s failures, but also seeks to solve them. Ramalingam shows unique innovation with his application of complex adaptive systems research to foreign aid, as it is a field largely explored in the sciences. Throughout his explanations of complexity and the edge of chaos, Ramalingam draws from real scientific studies and experiments to show how this approach was developed and found success. Through his application of complex adaptive systems approach to foreign aid, a reader is descriptively shown how foreign aid might be saved, if this path is pursued.
Beyond his sheer ingenuity, Ramalingam’s use of expertly selected examples is where Aid on the Edge of Chaos really shines. Throughout the book detailed examples are used to add evidence to Ramalingam’s arguments. Each of the three parts of the book — “the way aid works”, “the way the world works”, and “the way aid could work” — are composed of numerous references to real world efforts. Instead of simply stating that the aid system is broken, Ramalingam takes the time to explain that foreign aid is rooted in primarily good intentions, but those intentions are foiled by misguided assumptions. By using examples like the attempt to find a “silver bullet” solution for malaria, Ramalingam adds a specificity and context, which helps the reader fully understand his arguments.
The examples drawn from science and applied to aid at times can see far-fetched, however Ramalingam manages to make it work and ends up showing the reader truly how interconnected the worlds of science and aid can be. At one point in the book, he launches into a comparison between slime moulds (an organism considered a cross between a plant, animal, and fungus) and the foreign aid system. While initially doubtful that these two seemingly different things could be related, Ramalingam accomplishes the feat, showing that this creature and foreign aid actually have similar movements and resource-gathering techniques.
Aid on the Edge of Chaos is special because of this melding of science and aid. So often critique of the aid system is offered, without a solution in hand. This book in particular avoids that trap and instead offers an intriguing new look at how repairs could be made to our broken aid system. While there is no guarantee that applying complex adaptive systems research would be successful if applied to the foreign aid system, Ramalingam certainly offers compelling and interesting evidence to support at least an attempt to use this research to prevent aid failure and promote aid success.
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Aid on the Edge of Chaos
November 28, 2015
F
oreign aid has become a polarizing subject. While proponents of the current system remain, critics have been a growing faction. As more and more reports are coming back with findings that reflect ineffective aid initiatives and projects, hope is being lost for the current models propping up the institution of foreign aid. There are those who appear ready to write off the concept of foreign aid all together, yet in his book Aid on the Edge of Chaos, Ben Ramalingam suggests that the broken foreign aid system has the potential to be fixed.
Ramalingam is both a writer and consultant involved in the world of international development and humanitarian issues, and has offered consultation to many prominent development organizations. He puts his experienced insight to work in Aid at the Edge of Chaos, where he breaks down where the aid system went wrong, where in science the global community can look for guidance, and examples of foreign aid in the real world that have gotten it right.
The title Aid at the Edge of Chaos alludes to the scientific concept of “the edge of chaos”, the area right in between order and chaos, where complexity is at its highest point. Complex adaptive systems research works to tackle issues of complexity. The system’s tactics focus on being adaptable, recognizing that simplification is not exceedingly effective when tackling multifaceted problems, and that self-organization and collective action are beneficial when problem-solving. Ramalingam points to the complex adaptive systems research as a source of new inspiration for the foreign aid system, which he explains tends to ignore the complexity in the world.
Current foreign aid systems often attempt to transfer models that have found success in one area to other areas around the world, but Ramalingam warns that this can be ill advised. He explains that there are often contextual aspects of different areas and situations that make projects work, which cannot be replicated in areas where those same qualities do not exist. When context is ignored, we see aid fail.
Aid on the Edge of Chaos is an effective piece of work, because not only does it explain aid’s failures, but also seeks to solve them. Ramalingam shows unique innovation with his application of complex adaptive systems research to foreign aid, as it is a field largely explored in the sciences. Throughout his explanations of complexity and the edge of chaos, Ramalingam draws from real scientific studies and experiments to show how this approach was developed and found success. Through his application of complex adaptive systems approach to foreign aid, a reader is descriptively shown how foreign aid might be saved, if this path is pursued.
Beyond his sheer ingenuity, Ramalingam’s use of expertly selected examples is where Aid on the Edge of Chaos really shines. Throughout the book detailed examples are used to add evidence to Ramalingam’s arguments. Each of the three parts of the book — “the way aid works”, “the way the world works”, and “the way aid could work” — are composed of numerous references to real world efforts. Instead of simply stating that the aid system is broken, Ramalingam takes the time to explain that foreign aid is rooted in primarily good intentions, but those intentions are foiled by misguided assumptions. By using examples like the attempt to find a “silver bullet” solution for malaria, Ramalingam adds a specificity and context, which helps the reader fully understand his arguments.
The examples drawn from science and applied to aid at times can see far-fetched, however Ramalingam manages to make it work and ends up showing the reader truly how interconnected the worlds of science and aid can be. At one point in the book, he launches into a comparison between slime moulds (an organism considered a cross between a plant, animal, and fungus) and the foreign aid system. While initially doubtful that these two seemingly different things could be related, Ramalingam accomplishes the feat, showing that this creature and foreign aid actually have similar movements and resource-gathering techniques.
Aid on the Edge of Chaos is special because of this melding of science and aid. So often critique of the aid system is offered, without a solution in hand. This book in particular avoids that trap and instead offers an intriguing new look at how repairs could be made to our broken aid system. While there is no guarantee that applying complex adaptive systems research would be successful if applied to the foreign aid system, Ramalingam certainly offers compelling and interesting evidence to support at least an attempt to use this research to prevent aid failure and promote aid success.
