Using Knowledge Exchange for Capacity Development:What Works in Global Practice?

Wonhyuk Lim

Prepared for the HLF4 Thematic Session onCapacity Development and Knowledge ExchangeBusan, November 29, 2011

KDI-WBI Joint Study

Knowledge Sharing in Action

ExpertsGovernment Officials

Practitioners

ExpertsGovernment Officials

Practitioners

Coalition B

uildingK

nowledge C

on-version

Peer-to-PeerTacit Knowledge

Exchange Empathy / Inspiration

Interviews and Meetings

Joint Re-search

Study Tours SeminarsActivities

Output

Intermediate Outcome

Ultimate Outcome

Development Goal

Capacity Development and Institution Building

Consultation Report

Country Ownership, Cross-Country and Within-Country Interaction, and Pragmatic Recommendations

Lessons and Implications

• Country Ownership

− A partner country should think for itself and make its own decisions even if it must engage with the outside world to narrow the knowledge and finance gap.

− Identify local demand and link the program to specific institution building needs.

− Identify key “change agents” who are in position to apply the gained knowledge into actual practice.

− Design the program to promote capacity development and sustain momentum for change—and leave the fi-nal decision to the partner country.

Lessons and Implications

• Cross-Country and Within-Country Interactions− Facilitate tacit knowledge exchange and local institution

building by promoting peer-to-peer interactions be-tween knowledge partners from two countries.

− Build effective reform partnership by promoting interac-tions among high-, mid-, and working-level agents and between public and private sectors within a country.

• Pragmatic Recommendations− Draw from actual experience, as well as theory and

comparative perspectives, and incorporate the local context.