This article was originally published on the Good Feed on July 9, 2024.
Siddhant Gokhale and Jossie Fahsbender, co-authors of Scaling Up Development Impact, talk about their new book, the challenges local organisations face when trying to scale up successful interventions, and how organisations like BRAC offer insights for scaling that can benefit the world.
The Good Feed: Firstly, what prompted you to write a book on scaling up?
Siddhant and Jossie: It started with Isabel Guerrero, the primary author of the book, who worked extensively at The World Bank and engaged with grassroots issues through the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). Throughout her career she observed that top-down organisations often struggled to reach the communities in most need, particularly in frontline service delivery. On the other hand, NGOs working closely with affected communities had innovative solutions but found it challenging to scale them up. This book attempts to help bridge that gap, by sharing understanding from around the world on how to scale up effectively.
Scaling is crucial to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This book draws from a decade of experience in supporting grassroots organisations to scale impact at Imago Global Grassroots, and a course at the Harvard Kennedy School that Isabel has been teaching to share knowledge on scaling for achieving the SDGs. It’s designed to cater to a broad audience, including her students, serving as a textbook, while also aiming to shift perspectives on development. We’re hoping to reach a broad audience – multilaterals, the private sector, government, and social enterprises – to generate discussions that will contribute to solving development challenges.
