ABSTRACT
The overvaluation of centralized, expert knowledge is critiqued while the practical value of individual knowledge, even tacit or common-sense knowledge unique to particular places, is demonstrated. The role of individual knowledge is illustrated in the context of the democratic, iterative processes of institutional change via idiosyncratic and historical norms including regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive. An approach to institutional change that values local knowledge and accounts for initial conditions inclusive of all types of norms is advocated. Narrative examples are provided from diverse places throughout the world to demonstrate the facility, in context, of unique local knowledge in advancing enduring development.
