Another twelve Insights into Change

After 1990, work in ex-communist countries required an extension of my reading into such fields as transitology, change management, european systems of government and lessons from "developing countries". Nobody, after all, has been expecting communist regimes to collapse in eastern Europe. And too many of the consultants let loose on the governments of eastern Europe (and Central Asia) knew only one system of one country and were insensitive to the local context.

The titles in the tables of the current series are therefore perhaps a bit unusual for a reading list on change - but all the better for that. Those who could be helped by the texts include change agents and activists in all sectors not least environmentalists and trade unionists; consultants and, of course, academics.

The list includes both reports and books.

 

Key Texts about change – in ascending order. A lot of the titles can be read in full.

Title	Focus and readership	Notes
Blessed Unrest – how the largest movement in the world came into being and why no one saw it coming; Paul Hawken (2007)	Environment General readers and activists	reviewed here. This is the field which has probably seen the most action – but the least results!
How change happens – interdisciplinary perspectives for human development; Roman Krznaric (Oxfam 2007)	Academic	Quite brilliant analysis of the very different approaches the various academic disciplines use to think about this issue. No wonder we’re confused!
Live Working, Die Fighting – how the working class went global; Paul Mason (2007)	trade unionists	A story that needed telling in a media and political world which is now so hostile to working people organising to improve their lot
Governance Reform under Real-World Conditions – citizens, stakeholders and Voice (World Bank 2008)	Public sector reform	More than a decade on, it still offers one of the clearest frameworks for making government systems work for people
Wicked Problems and clumsy solutions – the role of leadership; Keith Grint (2008)	academic Leaders	A must-read short article which introduced many people to frame analysis - helps us adopt a more holistic approach
Power and Love – a theory and practice of social change Adam Kahane (2010)	reconciliation agents	Some useful case studies of political reconciliation
Indignez-vous; Stephane Hessel (2010)	Social justice campaigners	Inspiring pamphlet from the Frenchman whose whole life was an inspiration to us all
Common Case – the case for working with our cultural values (2010)	Activists for global concerns	One of the most important 100 pages any social activist could read….Campaigners tend to be self-indulgent
Power in movement – social movement and contentious politics; Sydney Tarrow (2011 edition)	Academics	One of the classics
People, Politics and Change - building communications strategy for governance reform (World Bank 2011)	Public sector reform	One of the best – straddling the various worlds of action, academia and officialdom – with the focus on fashioning an appropriate message and constituency for change
Finding Frames – new ways to engage the UK public in global poverty (2011)	Charities	A great example of frame analysis – showing the importance of trying to identify the link between social values and politics
The next American Revolution; sustainable activism for the 21st Century (2011) Grace Lee-Boggs	Activists	a fascinating interview with this Chinese-American philosopher who mobilized alongside various freedom struggles from civil rights to climate change campaigns

A Commentary - and annotated bibliography - about Change (2022) a 50 page guide