11.235 Analyzing Projects and Organizations: How Organizations Behave, Fall 2006

Abstract

Seminar builds analytic skills for evaluating programs and projects, organizations, and environments. Subject covers: using proxy indicators with poor data and limited time; preparing for, conducting, and interpreting interviews; conducting cross-project and cross-organization comparisons; and finding rationality in seemingly chaotic organizational and project environments. From the course home page: Course Description This class analyzes how organizations behave, both government and nongovernment, drawing on the literature of the sociology of organizations, political science, and public administration. The class seeks to demonstrate rationality in otherwise seemingly chaotic organizational environments and implementation experiences. It builds analytical skills for evaluating programs and projects, organizations, and environments, and draws equally on developing-country and developed-country literature.