Course syllabus
Capacity Development
Kapacitetsutveckling
VBRN35, 7.5 credits, A (Second Cycle)
Valid for: 2024/25
Faculty: Faculty of Engineering LTH
Decided by: PLED BI/RH
Date of Decision: 2024-04-04
Effective: 2024-05-08
General Information
Main field: Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation
Depth of study relative to the degree requirements: Second cycle, in-depth level of the course cannot be classified
Mandatory for: MKAT1
Elective for: R4, 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 design, even with limited information.
- demonstrate the ability to present and discuss in English 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 complex, societal and ethical issues concerning capacity development.
- demonstrate ability to identify own needs of further knowledge and skills in 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.
Modules
Code: 0124. Name: Group Assignment.
Credits: 1.5. Grading scale: UG - (U, G).
Assessment: Approved written assignment and oral presentation.
Code: 0224. Name: Capacity Development.
Credits: 6.0. Grading scale: TH - (U, 3, 4, 5).
Assessment: Individual Paper
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: 36
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
- CADRI: Basics of capacity development for disaster risk reduction. Geneva: Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative, 2011.
- 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.
- Watson, D: Measuring capacity development: Combining the ‘Best of two worlds’ in monitoring and evaluation of capacity development. In: Ubels et al: (2010) Capacity Development in Practice, Earthscan, London (pp. 239-249), 2010.
- 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.
- Ubels, J., Acquaye-Baddoo, N.-A. & Fowler, A: Capacity development in practice. London, Washinton, DC: Earthscan, 2010.
- Hagelsteen, M., & Burke, J: Practical aspects of capacity development in the context of disaster risk reduction. Elsevier, 2016.
- IFRC: What works and what doesn’t: Capacity development for better disaster risk management. Geneva: IFRC, 2015.
- United Nations: Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. United Nations, 2015.
- Anderson, M., Brown, D., & Jean, I: Time to listen - Hearing people on the receiving end of international aid. CDA Collaborative Learning Projects. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2012.
- Champion, D., Kiel, D., McLendon, J: Advisers’ Roles. Choosing a Consulting Role: Principles and Dynamics of Matching Role to Situation. In: Ubels et al: (2010) Capacity Development in Practice, Earthscan, London, 2010.
- Hagelsteen, M., Becker, P: Systemic problems of capacity development for disaster risk reduction in a complex, uncertain, dynamic, and ambiguous world. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 36, 1-10, 2019.
- Hivos: Theory of change thinking in practice, a stepwise approach. Hague: Hivos, 2015.
- McEvoy, P., Brady, M., & Munck, R: Capacity development through international projects: a complex adaptive systems perspective. International Journal of Managing, 9(3), 528-545, 2016.
- MSB: Capacity development guide. Karlstad: Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), 2018.
- OECD/DAC: Evaluation Criteria. 2020.
- Ramalingan, B., Wild L. & Buffardi, A.L: Making adaptive rigour work: Principles and practices for strengthening monitoring, evaluation and learning for adaptive management. ODI, 2019.
- UNDRR: Strategic Approach to Capacity Development for Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: A Vision of Risk-Informed Sustainable Development by 2030. Concise Guide. Geneva: UNDRR, 2019.
- UNISDR: Overview chart Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-2030. 2015.
- Örtengren, K: A guide to Results-Based Management (RBM), efficient project planning with the aid of the Logical Framework Approach (LFA). Stockholm: Sida, 2016.
- Hagelsteen, M., Becker, P., & Abrahamsson, M: Troubling partnerships: Perspectives from the receiving end of capacity development. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 59, 102231. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102231, 2021.
- Becker, P: Sustainability Science: Managing Risk and Resilience for Sustainable Development. 2 ed. Amsterdam and Oxford: Elsevier, 2023.
Contact
Course coordinator: Magnus Hagelsten,
magnus.hagelsteen@risk.lth.se
Course administrator: Linnéa Ekman,
linnea.ekman@ebd.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. A student who does not meet the demands of active participation, or disregard their obligations, can be replaced to another group or failed by the examiner.