Strategic change through sensible projects

While economists in donor agencies and within developing countries often define the strategic agenda, when getting results on the ground matters and implementation is valued, professional development managers are needed. Institutional analysis should be done during project or program preparation with attention to what is needed for implementation - this results in a more sensible design. Using land reform in Northeast Brazil - a strategic issue - this article looks at the institutional requisites for market-based approaches to land reform to illustrate the importance of the role of the development manager/institutional specialist. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd