Human and Institutional Capacity Building

Publication date: Sunday 27 February 2005

This 2004 survey is the second in a series published by the Rockefeller Foundation
" intended to stimulate thinking and reflection among funders, nongovernmental organizations, universities and other public-interest organizations on the future of human and institutional capacity building."
It can be downloaded from:
http://rockfound.org/Documents/707/hicb_whyte_donortrends.pdf

The past 20 years have given rise to one of the most massive accumulations of knowledge and information in human history. Digital information and communications technologies have revolutionized the ways in which knowledge and technical knowhow move around the world. Genetics and biotechnology are ushering in a new epoch of innovation in the fields of agriculture and human health. And the emergence of new finance and investment models, like social enterprise and venture capital, has helped turn knowledge
into unprecedented wealth. Yet this proliferation of knowledge and expertise threatens to widen the gap between rich and poor throughout the world. In 2004, the 10th anniversary of the Internet becoming widely available to the public, 75 percent of Americans had regular access to the Internet; in Africa, Internet market penetration was below 1.2 percent. Further, one wonders about the content of what is being transmitted. Without the ability to access, produce, transfer and disseminate information, universities, research centers, service organizations and small start-up private enterprises in the developing world are at a distinct disadvantage in a knowledge economy.
...
Recognizing that capacity building is central to achieving economic growth, reducing poverty and equalizing opportunity, foundations and bilateral and multilateral funding agencies have taken a newfound interest in this fundamental area. The timing seems right. Not only is the information revolution upon us, but trends towards democratization, government decentralization and economic
liberalization have profoundly reshaped how universities, nongovernmental organizations and other public-interest organizations do their work, presenting them with new challenges and opportunities.