Expanding a case – 125
each of these variables complex in themselves and become even more so
when combined, they also begin to alter in unpredictable ways as they
interact during the life of a development program. For example, there is
evidence that a clear correlation between education and economic growth
cannot be established and they are therefore difficult to integrate. The
benefits of education will depend upon many variables such as whether
the setting is urban or rural, whether the economic base is low, medium
or high, whether or not there are opportunities for technological
development, whether or not education programs are driven by narrow
political, religious or other agendas, and so on. Each of these variables
can change over time and produce contradictory outcomes (Leys 1996:
39–40; Lindauer and Pritchett 2002: 19–21). If this is the case with just
one factor – education – the difficulties compound greatly when we start
adding more.
Notice how these two paragraphs are constructed. The first takes up
the idea of variables and sub-divides them into two types, micro and
macro. Each of these terms is briefly clarified (or defined) in the
second sentence. Then, having told us that the immediate focus will
be on the first of these, the micro-variables of the physical, economic
and social circumstances of a development program, the rest of the
paragraph is taken up with a case study of IRD. This case study
substantiates the general point about the number of variables
that need to be controlled, which was made in the final sentence of
the paragraph about the link between successful irrigation programs
and land-tenure reform on p. 122 above. The case study does this by
spelling out even more specifically just how many different factors
there are.
Having told us that the success rate of IRD is very patchy (and
rejecting Harrison’s interpretation of the problem), the second
paragraph then takes up the general issue of complexity that had
been flagged earlier – how difficult it is to understand and control
the interactions between variables. Dichter’s abstract term ‘dilemma
of complexity’ is introduced and then immediately clarified. The
remainder of the paragraph is a concrete exemplification of the
complex nature of these interactions.
each of these variables complex in themselves and become even more so
when combined, they also begin to alter in unpredictable ways as they
interact during the life of a development program. For example, there is
evidence that a clear correlation between education and economic growth
cannot be established and they are therefore difficult to integrate. The
benefits of education will depend upon many variables such as whether
the setting is urban or rural, whether the economic base is low, medium
or high, whether or not there are opportunities for technological
development, whether or not education programs are driven by narrow
political, religious or other agendas, and so on. Each of these variables
can change over time and produce contradictory outcomes (Leys 1996:
39–40; Lindauer and Pritchett 2002: 19–21). If this is the case with just
one factor – education – the difficulties compound greatly when we start
adding more.
Notice how these two paragraphs are constructed. The first takes up
the idea of variables and sub-divides them into two types, micro and
macro. Each of these terms is briefly clarified (or defined) in the
second sentence. Then, having told us that the immediate focus will
be on the first of these, the micro-variables of the physical, economic
and social circumstances of a development program, the rest of the
paragraph is taken up with a case study of IRD. This case study
substantiates the general point about the number of variables
that need to be controlled, which was made in the final sentence of
the paragraph about the link between successful irrigation programs
and land-tenure reform on p. 122 above. The case study does this by
spelling out even more specifically just how many different factors
there are.
Having told us that the success rate of IRD is very patchy (and
rejecting Harrison’s interpretation of the problem), the second
paragraph then takes up the general issue of complexity that had
been flagged earlier – how difficult it is to understand and control
the interactions between variables. Dichter’s abstract term ‘dilemma
of complexity’ is introduced and then immediately clarified. The
remainder of the paragraph is a concrete exemplification of the
complex nature of these interactions.