Answering the critics: the potential and limitations of the knowledge agenda as a practical response to post-development critiques

Post-development critiques and subsequent debates have sparked revision in the development sector, influencing recent approaches to knowledge in development. This article examines the extent to which the 'knowledge strategies' applied to development agencies are compatible with the normative characteristics of 'reflexive development'. It argues that although development agencies are seemingly in a process of transforming thinking and practice, reflexivity has not gone far enough in the evaluation of development strategies. This has resulted in several deficiencies in the knowledge agenda: a concentration on organizations rather than the development sector; an emphasis on larger organizations while ignoring smaller development actors; and inadequate conceptualizations of 'learning'.