New approaches to old problems: systemic change as a unifying objective

An examination of the systems of provision for health, education, water and financial services from a market systems perspective - tackling some important and perhaps contentious issues.

The contributions to this Springfield issue argue that the focus of development to date - on who should perform a function or enforce a rule rather than what that role should be and how it might perform better - is one of the primary reasons for the challenges to sustainability and scale of impact. 

Overall, the issue represents a significant contribution to the literature on new directions in development programming. It's broad scope allows for general reflection on the purpose of development aid and how it might be used to deliver more sustainable and larger-scale outcomes to improve the lives of poor people.