Optimizing the global economic/development system

[Steve Brant <trimtab@sprynet.com>]

Dear Friends,

I have discovered what, IMHO, is a fascinating opportunity for us to 
contribute what we know to an international audience that I believe is 
desperate to know what we know...and "doesn't know they don't know what 
we know" -- which is why they haven't approached us to teach it to them.  
This opportunity is free and will take place over the Internet from May 
10th until the end of June.

Please permit me to introduce this opportunity to extend the use of Dr. 
Deming's philosophy" with a few, brief paragraphs:

Those of you who were in Tacoma for the last day of the Deming 
Institute's conference may have heard me mention (in the closing session 
moderated by Joyce Orsini) the opportunity that exists to bring systems 
thinking to the world of international finance and development.  

The point I made was that the business community is studying how to 
"redesign the international financial architecture" -- to use the words 
of US Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin -- without knowing the theory of 
systems thinking (and the rest of the system of profound knowledge for 
that matter).  The main place that this redesign effort is taking place 
is at meetings such as the World Economic Forum, held in Davos, 
Switzerland each February (a meeting attended by international finace 
people at global business leaders such as Bill Gates).  The effort also 
takes place behind the doors of the World Bank and at meetings of the 
"G7" economic nations, et al.

I suggested in Tacoma that the business community's desire to create a 
world essentially of "all winners and no losers" -- so that everyone on 
Earth could be prosperous enough to become potential customers -- was a 
unique opportunity to "extend the reach" of Dr. Deming's philosophy.  
Joyce Orsini responded, in part, by mentioning that understanding 
financial systems is going to be one of the subjects covered at this 
Fall's OQPF conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Well, I have just been informed that an "open to all" Internet 
conversation on what is being called the "Comprehensive Development 
Framework" is going to be hosted by the World Bank.

>From the complete invitation (below) comes the following (please note the 
emphasis on cooperation):

>The Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF) suggests a holistic approach 
>to development that recognizes the importance of 
>macroeconomic fundamentals, but gives equal weight to the institutional, 
>structural and social underpinnings of a robust market economy. It 
>emphasizes 
>partnerships and coordination with civil society, the private sector and 
>other 
>development actors. Perhaps most importantly, the country is placed 
>centrally 
>in the driver's seat, both owning and directing the development agenda with 
>the support of all the other players.
>
>The CDF is essentially a process: it is not a blueprint to be applied to 
>all countries in a uniform manner. It is a work-in-progress; not yet another 
>initiative but a new way of doing business, a tool to achieve greater 
>development effectiveness in a world challenged by poverty and distress. The 
>central goal of the CDF is poverty reduction and reaching targets such as 
>the International Development Goals.
(snip)
>
>The CDF should open up new opportunities for cooperation. There were 
>numerous constructive comments following extensive consultation with 
>multilateral and bilateral agencies, with government ministers and senior 
>officials and with the private sector and civil society. Many partners have 
>offered to collaborate with the World Bank in implementing the CDF. This is 
>critical as the whole framework rests on the premise that the World Bank 
>need not lead - or even be involved - as long as the process produces the 
desired 
>results.

The bottom line...I propose that members of the DEN so inclined 
participate in this conversation, so as to build an awareness in this 
community of the power of systems thinking and the rest of the Deming 
philosophy to give people the tools they need to design a "Comprehensive 
Development Framework" that is *really* capable of supporting the 
"optimization of the system of the world."  As I suggested above, this is 
a real opportunity to expose some key global leaders to "what they don't 
know they don't know."

Looking forward to hearing people's responses.

Steve Brant
---------------------------------------------------------
Subject:     [GKD] Invitation to Comprehensive Development Framework 
discussion
Sent:        4/28/19  7:33 PM
Received:    05/01  11:56 AM
From:        Kerry McNamara, Kmcnamara1@worldbank.org
Reply-To:    gkd@phoenix.edc.org
To:          gkd@phoenix.edc.org

The World Bank invites you to join an electronic discussion of the 
Comprehensive Development Framework. (For background information on the 
CDF, 
please see the section below. This also gives details of the website 
where you 
can read the proposal and how you can obtain a copy if you don't have 
access 
to the website.) The discussion will start on May 10 and finish at the 
end of 
June. The discussion will be hosted by the World Bank's "Development 
Forum" 
discussion site (http://www.worldbank.org/devforum).

The aim of the discussion is to foster a frank, focused and productive 
discussion on the CDF among members of the development community. We are 
especially keen to maximize participation among colleagues from 
developing 
countries. The discussion will be conducted by means of a moderated email 
list, with messages archived to a Web site. Full details will be sent to 
those 
who sign up to participate.

If you would like to participate, please send an email to the following 
address: 

majordomo@jazz.worldbank.org 

leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message, type the 
following: 

subscribe cdf

You will receive a welcome message confirming your subscription. If you 
do not 
subscribe, you will still be able to read the messages at the Development 
Forum web site (www.worldbank.org/devforum) but you will not be able to 
send 
messages without subscribing.

We hope you will be able to join us. Please feel free to distribute this 
announcement as widely as possible to friends and colleagues, 
particularly 
those in developing countries, who might be interested in participating. 
We 
particularly invite cross-posting of this message to other lists .


Background on the Comprehensive Development Framework

In his Annual Meetings speech in Hong Kong in the fall of 1997, the 
President of the World Bank, Mr. Wolfensohn, outlined a vision of the 
World 
Bank as an institution committed to forging closer partnerships with 
other 
actors to enhance development effectiveness. Last year at the Annual 
Meetings, he returned to this theme, suggesting the need for a more 
integrated 
approach to development based on a framework articulated and owned by the 
country itself.

The Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF) builds on these proposals: 
it 
suggests a holistic approach to development that recognizes the 
importance of 
macroeconomic fundamentals, but gives equal weight to the institutional, 
structural and social underpinnings of a robust market economy. It 
emphasizes 
partnerships and coordination with civil society, the private sector and 
other 
development actors. Perhaps most importantly, the country is placed 
centrally 
in the driver's seat, both owning and directing the development agenda 
with 
the support of all the other players.

The CDF is essentially a process: it is not a blueprint to be applied to 
all countries in a uniform manner. It is a work-in-progress; not yet 
another 
initiative but a new way of doing business, a tool to achieve greater 
development effectiveness in a world challenged by poverty and distress. 
The 
central goal of the CDF is poverty reduction and reaching targets such as 
the 
International Development Goals.

The World Bank is currently in active discussion in about a dozen 
countries, exploring ways in which the CDF might be put to the test. 
Flexibility has been the key in identifying pilot countries and there has 
been 
close consultation with the World Bank's partners and, obviously, with 
the 
countries themselves. The key requirement is that the country should be 
committed to trying what is being proposed. Building the kind of country 
ownership of the policy agenda that is envisaged takes time and requires 
changes in both recipient countries and among donors. Equally, capacity 
building in countries is almost certain to be required in some areas to 
realize the objectives of the CDF.

The CDF should open up new opportunities for cooperation. There were 
numerous constructive comments following extensive consultation with 
multilateral and bilateral agencies, with government ministers and senior 
officials and with the private sector and civil society. Many partners 
have 
offered to collaborate with the World Bank in implementing the CDF. This 
is 
critical as the whole framework rests on the premise that the World Bank 
need 
not lead - or even be involved - as long as the process produces the 
desired 
results.

The Comprehensive Development Framework paper and "Questions and Answers" 
can 
be found on the World Bank's website at
www.worldbank.org/cdf

If you are not able to access this website, you will be able to obtain an 
electronic copy of the CDF proposal and the "Questions and Answers" by 
email. 
By Wednesday, May 5 we will send a message to all those who have 
subscribed to 
the discussion list, with instructions on how to order email copies of 
the two 
documents.
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