Course syllabus
Kapacitetsutveckling
Capacity Development
VBRN35, 7,5 credits, A (Second Cycle)
Valid for: 2020/21
Decided by: PLED BI/RH
Date of Decision: 2020-03-16
General Information
Main field: Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation.
Compulsory for: MKAT1
Elective for: RH4
Language of instruction: The course will be given in English
Aim
- Enable the students to acquire the knowledge and skills to
analyse, design and review projects for the development of capacity
at individual, organisational and institutional level for disaster
risk management and climate change adaptation.
- Provide a foundation for students interested in the links
between research in capacity development and disaster risk
management and climate change adaptation.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concept of
capacity development and what constitutes capacity development,
with reference to different levels and types of capacity.
- demonstrate understanding of key elements for capacity
development to promote societal and community resilience.
Competences and skills
For a passing grade the student must
- demonstrate the ability to assess capacity development needs
with the support of capacity development guidance, recommendations
and good practise.
- demonstrate the ability to analyse, design and review capacity
development projects, with considerations to human conditions and
needs and to societal goals for economic, social and ecological
sustainable development.
- demonstrate the ability to integrate theory and knowledge about
capacity development and change processes critically and
systematically into project management, even with limited
information.
- demonstrate the ability to present and discuss his or her
conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based
in speech and writing tailored to different audiences in both
national and international contexts.
- demonstrate the ability to work constructively in a team and
communicate effectively with people from various disciplines.
Judgement and approach
For a passing grade the student must
- demonstrate the ability to reflect upon ones approach to and
role in capacity development as well as insight into the
possibilities and limitations of capacity development, as well as
of project management, involved methods and tools and the
responsibility of the individual for how it is used.
- demonstrate the ability to reflect on societal and ethical
issues concerning capacity development.
Contents
Capacity development has been identified as the tool and process
to substantially reduce disaster losses and creating sustainable
development. Capacity development is here defined as a locally
driven change process through which individuals, organisations and
institutions obtain, strengthen, maintain and adapt their
capacities to set and achieve their own development objectives over
time and learn from their efforts.
Through lectures, literature seminars and exercises the course
discusses theoretical approaches and challenges to capacity
development, change processes and project management. The course
also discusses different models how to analyse and assess capacity
at various levels, and how to analyse, design and review capacity
development projects i.e. project management. The course is to a
large extent based on different case studies and real capacity
development projects for disaster risk reduction from an
international context, undertaken by governmental organisations,
international Non-Governmental Organizations and the United
Nations.
Examination details
Grading scale: TH - (U,3,4,5) - (Fail, Three, Four, Five)
Assessment: Written individual course assignments and approved group project, reflection tasks to mandatory seminars and exercise. The group project shall be reported both orally and in writing.
The examiner, in consultation with Disability Support Services, may deviate from the regular form of examination in order to provide a permanently disabled student with a form of examination equivalent to that of a student without a disability.
Parts
Code: 0113. Name: Capacity Development.
Credits: 7,5. Grading scale: TH. Assessment: Individual Paper
Code: 0213. Name: Group Assignment.
Credits: 0. Grading scale: UG. Assessment: Approved written assignment and oral presentation.
Admission
Admission requirements:
- Admitted to the Master's Programme in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation or to the Programme Risk Management and Safety Engineering or have a minimum of 150 hp from a five-year engineering programme or from the Fire Safety Engineering Programme at LTH.
Assumed prior knowledge: Societal Resilience VRSN01
The number of participants is limited to: 32
Selection: Completed university credits within the program. Within programs where the course is given as a compulsory course students are guaranteed admission.
Thereafter priority is given to students enrolled in programs that include the course in the curriculum.
Reading list
- Becker, P.: Sustainability Science: Analyzing and Managing Risk and Resilience for Sustainable Development. Amsterdam and Oxford: Elsevier., 2014.
- Becker, P. & Abrahamsson, M.: Designing capacity development for disaster risk management: A logical framework approach. Karlstad and Stockholm: MSB., 2012.
- Bolger, J.: Why what and how of capacity development. CIDA, 2000.
- CADRI: Basics of capacity development for disaster risk reduction. Geneva: Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative., 2011.
- OECD: Paris declaration on aid effectiveness: Ownership, harmonisation, alignment, results and mutual accountability. Paris: OECD, 2005.
- Schulz, K., Gustafsson, I., & Illes, E.: Manual for capacity development. Stockholm: Sida., 2005.
- Bakewell, O. & Garbutt, A.: The use and abuse of the logical framework approach. Stockholm: Sida, 2005.
- Davies, R: Scale, complexity and the representation of theories of change. SAGE, 2004.
- DFID: How to note on capacity building in research. London: DFID, 2010.
- Eyben, R., Kidder, T., Rowlands, J. & Bronstein, A: Thinking about change for development practice: A case study from Oxfam GB. Oxford: Routledge, 2008.
- Gasper, D: Evaluating the logical framework approach - towards learing - oriented development evaluation. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2000.
- Green, D: What does a theory of change look like?. Oxford: Oxfarm, 2011.
- UNISDR: Hyogo framework for action 2005-2015: Building the sesilience of nations and communities to disasters. Geneva: United Nations, 2005.
- Watson, D: Combining the best of two worlds in monitoring and evaluation of capacity development. London, Washington, DC: Earthscan, 2010.
- UNISDR: Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-2030. Geneva: United Nations, 2015.
- Hagelsteen, M. Becker, P. : Challenging disparities in capacity development for disaster risk reduction. Elsevier, 2013.
- Valters, C. : Theories of change: Time for radical approach to learning in development. London: Overseas Development Institute , 2015.
- Scott, Z., Few, R., Leavy, J., Tarazona, M. & Wooster, K.: Strategic research into national and local capacity building for disaster risk management. Oxford: Oxford Policy Management, 2014.
- Snowden, D. J. & Boone, M. E.: A leader's framework for decision making. Harvard Business School Corporation, 2007.
- Ubels, J., Acquaye-Baddoo, N.-A. & Fowler, A.: Capacity development in practice. London, Washinton, DC: Earthscan, 2010.
- UNDP: Capacity development: A UNDP primer. New York: UNDP, 2009.
- Hagelsteen, M. Becker, P.: A great Babylonian confusion: Terminological Ambiguity in Capacity Development for Disaster Risk Reduction in the International Community. Davos: Global Risk Forum, 2014.
- Hagelsteen, M., & Burke, J.: Practical aspects of capacity development in the context of disaster risk reduction. Elsevier, 2016.
- IDNDR: Yokohama strategy and plan of action for a safer world, guidelines for natural disaster prevention, preparedness and mitigation. United Nations, 1994.
- IFRC: What works and what doesn’t: Capacity development for better disaster risk management. Geneva: IFRC, 2015.
- OECD: Accra agenda for action - 3rd high level forum on aid effectiveness. Accra: OECD, 2008.
- OECD: Busan partnership for effective development cooperation - 4th high level forum on aid effectiveness. Busan: OECD, 2011.
- Reeler, D.: A three-fold theory of social change - and implications for practice, planning, monitoring and evaluation. CDRA, 2007.
- Scott, Z., Few, R., Leavy, J., Tarazona, M. & Wooster, K.: Strategic research into national and local capacity building for disaster risk management. Elsevier, 2011.
- Simister, N., & Smith, R.: Monitoring and evaluating capacity building: It is really that difficult?. INTRAC, 2010.
- United Nations: Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. United Nations, 2015.
- UNDP: Capacity assessment - practice note. UNDP, 2008.
- UNDP: Defining and Measuring Capacity Development Results. UNDP, 2010.
Contact and other information
Course coordinator: Magnus Hagelsten, magnus.hagelsteen@risk.lth.se
Further information: Active participation in group work is mandatory. Each group member must be able to present and answer for the contents of the joint report. Members who do not meet the demands of active participation by the others, or disregard their obligations, can be replaced or failed by the examiner.