Planners vs Seekers

I started this post long before it was ultimately posted. I had just started reading William Easterly's book The White Man's Burden which was recommended by Nidhi Tandon, a colleague from the board at Ontario Nature.

I haven't finished the book yet, but I decided it was time to post this and get a full summary out later. The book begins by presenting two different styles used in what might be called international development. The planners have been those promoting the idea that "we" in the developed world know what is wrong with the less developed countries and can tell them how to fix things using various forms of carrots and sticks. Essentially a top-down design strategy. The seekers fall at the other end, essentially a bottom-up method.

I suspect both are needed for genuine progressive results.