Love this, David! It really resonates with an article I read recently (different context, same principle -- (https://www.ft.com/content/f01c0d6d-9546-4c3d-b1f0-18adc301ce11)): the brightest minds often start out highly ambitious and mission-driven, convinced they’ll change the world. But over time they become locked in by the “golden handcuffs.” It’s partly the money (salaries, allowances, school fees), but also the prestige and proximity to global power circles i.e. flying to international conferences, the perceived legitimacy and intelligence of colleagues from the US/Europe, and the social capital that comes with these roles.
Having smart people in the development/NGO sector isn’t the issue, in fact, it’s essential, as long as they are able to work effectively and drive real outcomes. The problem is that much of the development world has fallen into the very traps it criticizes governments for: bureaucracy, slow decision-making, inconsistent strategic direction, and limited transparency on use of funds and results. That’s when the sector risks becoming a place of misallocated talent/“brain waste”, despite the good intentions.
Love this, David! It really resonates with an article I read recently (different context, same principle -- (https://www.ft.com/content/f01c0d6d-9546-4c3d-b1f0-18adc301ce11)): the brightest minds often start out highly ambitious and mission-driven, convinced they’ll change the world. But over time they become locked in by the “golden handcuffs.” It’s partly the money (salaries, allowances, school fees), but also the prestige and proximity to global power circles i.e. flying to international conferences, the perceived legitimacy and intelligence of colleagues from the US/Europe, and the social capital that comes with these roles.
Having smart people in the development/NGO sector isn’t the issue, in fact, it’s essential, as long as they are able to work effectively and drive real outcomes. The problem is that much of the development world has fallen into the very traps it criticizes governments for: bureaucracy, slow decision-making, inconsistent strategic direction, and limited transparency on use of funds and results. That’s when the sector risks becoming a place of misallocated talent/“brain waste”, despite the good intentions.