Abstract

This article connects human development thinking to the operational realities of project design and management. It explores how externally supported projects influence the local participants' autonomy, considering that enhanced autonomy promotes long-run development effectiveness. Evidence from four projects in Central America indicates that managers need to understand project logic well beyond a “logframe.” Project practices reveal the implicit real assumptions and affect the participants' autonomy and the projects' effectiveness and sustainability. The article examines the projects' “full autonomy logic” and explores the stakeholders' assumptions and values. It looks not only at the expected changes but also at the actual felt changes in participants' lives, based on organizational practices. When practices constrain the opportunities and felt competence of individuals to help themselves, the “development” that is promoted is not sustainable. In contrast, project planners and managers should consciously select autonomy-supportive practices to further sustainable human development.