Re: Appropriate Software Proposal

Tom Hodges (mailto:thodges@TRICITY.WSU.EDU)
Sat, 6 Apr 1996 07:21:01 -0800

Message-ID:  <Pine.OSF.3.92.960406071129.9488B-100000@beta.tricity.wsu.edu>
Date:         Sat, 6 Apr 1996 07:21:01 -0800
From: Tom Hodges <mailto:thodges@TRICITY.WSU.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Appropriate Software Proposal
To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>

Seems like grassroots based projects have the best chance of making a
longterm difference, local people know what they need and have the
best grasp of what they can maintain in the short term.  As local
capacities and resources develop, they are the ones to judge when
more ambitious steps can be taken.

Perhaps the problem with bottom-up projects that they need to start out small and don't have positions for highly prestigious outside administrators? :-) They also have the real possibility of empowering local people and running afoul of established power structures.

Cheers, Tom mailto:thodges@tricity.wsu.edu

On Sat, 6 Apr 1996, Dr Eberhard W Lisse wrote:

> At 4:10 AM 6/4/96, Abubakr Alkhalifa wrote:
> >On Thu, 4 Apr 1996, John S. Quarterman wrote:
> [...]
> >> Sure sounds like OSI to me. Centralized top-down design for all relevant
> >> countries, later national customization, etc.
> >
> >If some info. systems need to be developed from scratch for each country,
> >then let's go ahead and do that. What I want to arrive at is that we need
>
> Have you *ANY* idea about the infrastructure in these countries?
>
> [...]
>
> >> It may become clearer to you if you read the references I cited.
> >
> >Could you please give me more info about the book? My goal here is to
> >introduce the concept and get professionals interested in it so it may
> >succeed.
>
> It will never succeed. Isn't maybe the goal to carve an oecological niche?
>
>
> Even UNDP is now going away from the top down concept...
>
>
> el
>
>
> --
> Dr. Eberhard W. Lisse \ / Swakopmund State Hospital
> <mailto:el@lisse.NA> * | Resident Medical Officer
> Private Bag 5004 \ / +264 64 461503 (pager) 461005 (home) 461004 (fax)
> Swakopmund, Namibia ;____/ Zone/Domain Contact for the NA-DOM
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>