Top-Down & Bottom-Up Development
Geography: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 3.3.8
Bottom-Up vs Top-Down Strategies
Bottom-up strategies usually give small amounts of funding to individuals or communities. Top-down strategies usually involve governments or NGOs (like the IMF or World Bank) doing large-scale projects.
Top-down strategies
- Advantages:
- Governments have lots of money to invest in big infrastructure projects.
- Governments can play for long time periods and know they have enough money.
- Governments don't have to invest purely focused on profit.
- Disadvantages:
- If public officials are corrupt, the money may not be spent on the project.
- Government organisations are famously bureaucratic and slow. They do not have incentives to deliver cost-efficient projects quickly.
Bottom-up strategies
- Advantages:
- It uses the wisdom of the crowds and anyone with an idea can pursue it.
- Local communities and individuals find it easier to build up a lot of support.
- New platforms like JIBU, SEAP, and KIVA support people getting funding.
- Disadvantages:
- Poor people who have ideas and need help are least likely to be able to get funding.
- Cannot plan a project with insecure funding for a long time period.
- It is hard to co-ordinate lots of different individuals and NGOs.
Test yourself on Top-Down & Bottom-Up Development
What are the advantages of top-down sustainability strategies?
What are the disadvantages of top-down strategies?
What are the advantages of bottom-up strategies?
Which of the following are advantages of bottom-up strategies?
Which type of strategy can make large improvements that benefit the whole city?