Background

Why we’re here: Development projects that deliver technical interventions may have limited effectiveness when participants have mismatched incentives. This workshop outlines a path to improvement: cataloging the mismatches, outlining best practices to align them, and piloting projects to demonstrate success.

We’re working toward:

• A “Field Guide” of best practices and warnings.
• Outlines of projects designed to account for and overcome natural mismatches.
• A cohort of people with mixed and relevant skills and a shared vision of success.

The organizers’ attitudes

• Our focus is on clean basic services at the household level, including distributed and community-based solutions. Those services include clean energy, clean water, and sanitation.
• Our commitment is to the bottom of the economic pyramid, where market-based solutions may not provide services for all who need them.
• Our belief is that households function as systems, and are managed as such. Delivery of interventions is more efficient in harmony with the system; conversely, failure to acknowledge the system’s connections causes ineffectiveness.
• Our emphasis is on demonstrating best practices to resolve mismatches and on how they can be embedded within programs, institutions and organizations, rather than evaluating or changing existing institutions.
• Our methods are evaluation tools rooted in the best practices of both physical and social science disciplines, objective analysis of the findings, and an iterative approach in which failure is a positive step toward systemic understanding.
• Although we acknowledge past failures, we are optimistic that they do not have to be repeated, and we are committed to demonstrating long-term improvement through research and implementation activities.

We acknowledge that this conversation is just beginning, and that the individuals who started it represent a limited range of backgrounds. We expect that the narrative and vocabulary will evolve as the discussion broadens, as more perspectives are integrated, and as understanding develops.

Agenda

Venue: ACES Library, Information, and Alumni Center (1101 S Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801)

Wednesday, September 28
6:30pm: Informal meet & greet at Desthil (301 N Neil St, Champaign — right across the street from Hyatt Place). Ask for the CACHE table/group.

Thursday, September 29
Morning: Story sharing on two topics; breakout sessions for mismatch definition

Topic 1: Matching Technical Quality with Willingness to Pay
Topic 2: Matching Program Effectiveness with Individual Motivations

Afternoon: Breakout sessions followed by plenary; begin identifying actions

Optional evening mixer: 6:30pm – Esquire Lounge, 106 N. Walnut St, Champaign

Friday, September 30
Morning: Story sharing on two topics; breakout sessions for mismatch definition

Topic 3: Matching Capacity with Need – Hierarchy of Skill
Topic 4: Matching Donor/Funding Returns vs Long-Term Persistent Success

Afternoon: Breakout sessions followed by plenary; begin identifying actions

Optional evening mixer: 7pm – Blind Pig Brewery, 120 N. Neil St, Champaign.

Saturday, October 1
Breakout sessions to synthesize and define action proposals
Closing plenary
Adjourn 1pm