Progress and Challenges in Knowledge and Capacity Development

Abstract

Knowledge and capacity development (KCD) involves something more than the strengthening of individual skills and abilities. Trained individuals need an appropriate environment, and the proper mix of opportunities and incentives to use their acquired knowledge. The article therefore discusses KCD for the water sector at three different levels, from individual to organizational to the institutional level and enabling environment. Secondly, the article describes the current conceptual approaches to KCD. They come from a wide variety of fields of social sciences, as well as from field practice and case studies, and are sometimes contradicting. Ideas about capacity originate from fields including organizational development, political economy, public administration, pedagogy, institutional economics and sociology. The most important views and fields, including some examples from the field that influence our thinking on KCD, are described and discussed. The article will discuss the link between knowledge and capacities, clarify that one of the basic capacities is to learn, and highlight the importance to create, share and manage the knowledge that results from learning, at the three levels. Extensive reference will be provided to the respective other chapters in the volume where more detail and case studies are provided, as well as examples of other approaches.

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