Design, appraisal and management of sustainable development projects

‘Design, appraisal, and management of sustainable development projects’ by Nihal Amerasinghe – Review by Rajat M. Nag, Distinguished Fellow, National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi, India. Formerly Managing Director General, Asian Development Bank.

The tone of this tome is set right from the first sentence of the author’s words in the Preface, not Chapter 1. Projects matter and therefore their design, appraisal and management matter greatly. 

Having spent a lifetime on development projects in a long, illustrious career, Dr. Amerasinghe knows first-hand the importance of well-designed and managed projects across Asia and equally, if not more importantly, the huge costs a society pays when they are not.

And, thus, here is a book written by one of Asia’s great practitioners combined with the wisdom and patience of an academic. In other words, this is simultaneously a theoretically robust and a practically relevant book written by a practitioner/academic combining the best traditions of both. 

Split into five very eminently readable parts, the book covers the entire project cycle comprehensively and succinctly. Starting with an excellent helicopter view of the importance of development projects in the economic and social development of a country, Prof. Amerasinghe sets the stage for the importance of projects in the development journey of a nation. 

He wisely notes the importance of the macro and social context within which a Project (be they large or small; roads, or education or health; hardware or software; rural or urban) must operate. Thus, projects cannot be simply transplanted from one setting to another: one size does not fit all. 

History can be an important lesson for the present and in a most succinct way, Prof. Amerasinghe outlines the history of development concerns: from the conspicuous fifties to the conundrum of the noughts. More than just the history, which is very illuminating in its own right, the book (through some very well presented diagrams) shows how demanding and complex project design, appraisal and management have become over the past several decades. One just has to compare Figures 3-3 and 3-9 to get the point. 

And, in a sense, that is where, I believe, lies the most important contribution of this book. It breaks down the many complex attributes of a well designed and implemented project into its components and deals with each in a logical and comprehensive manner. 

Be it the importance of the technical dimensions of a project, its social and environmental aspects, the issues of gender inequities, rights of the indigenous people, the interactions of the various stakeholders, and their often divergent interests (in say, resettlement aspects of a large hydropower project) which have to be reconciled in a fair and transparent manner, or the financial and economic viability considerations: they are all covered lucidly and logically in this book. 

And, yet the book is not dogmatic. It does not offer preachy or pithy advice on how development must be pursued. It wisely recognises the complexity of developing public sector projects; it recognises the risks and uncertainties, and offers practical suggestions to deal with them with a clear objective: achieving better development results. And, it discusses the importance of assessing the outcomes and impacts of completed projects and the great relevance of learning lessons from their successes and failures.

Prof. Amerasnghe has been too long in the practical world to ever assert that projects will succeed just on good intentions or good design or good management. And, he does not. There are far too many uncertainties in the real world for that to happen. 

But, the main message that he keeps emphasising is that well designed, well appraised and well-managed projects increase the probability of success and that is what development practitioners must always hope for and work to. Wise advice indeed!

While the contents of the book are encyclopaedic in their detail, they are presented in a most suitable and easy to follow pedagogical manner. Key points are summarised and references and notes are given at the end of each chapter which make them self-contained. 

Relevant exercises and caselets are provided to illustrate the points which make learning easier, particularly since the suggested solutions also follow. It is indeed clear throughout that Prof. Amerasinghe has written this book solely to make it easier for the reader, the student to better understand and learn.

And, that is the note that I would like to end on. I envy the next generation of development students and practitioners who will now have the benefit of Professor Amerasinghe’s sterling book which we did not. But, I am also happy for them and wish them well as they embark or continue on their journey of contributing to bettering the life of the girl child wherever she might be. 

The book could be purchased from the Asian Institute of Management Webstore: http://www.aim.edu/books-development. Hardbound: USD 50; Paperback $ 40.