Open Space

Very relevant discussion, thanks 838 and 64. Another point I'd like to add is that the "good" or "best" practice approach steered by international organisations might deviate the attention from the work people and institutions are doing to create the practice that really works in their own context.

The identification of good practices remains useful for mutual learning, provided the caveat in Ivan’s article. However, are we sure that it is effective in generating change?

Dear Siria, Very good point indeed. Actually, the best practices approach (or the development of "house" methodologies) often leads to standard practices implemented in similar way everywhere...to the detriment of a full consideration of local cultural, institutional and social contexts. Of course, from an administrative/efficiency point of view, and from a "corporate culture" point of view, they make full sense, but this is not always the case from a performance/impact point of view.
But I fully agree, cross-country learning and even cross-sector learning is useful and indeed necessary, and the best practices approach is one of the ways to promote it, but as you rightly say it is an approach that may also risk to petrify institutonal practices and to prevent change and adaptation to changing contexts. The point is just not to sanctify or trivialize the best practices approach.