Want to document and predict the unintended consequences of govt. and non-govt interventions in any facets of human activities using their powers – legal, financial political, etc.
We always maintain that these interventions are well-intended. This premise is critical since this will allow us to go beyond debates about intentions – always a tricky area.
Unfortunately, the way solutions are developed (with partial understanding of the problems), leads, not very surprisingly, to serious unintended consequences. Unintended consequences are different than risk analysis, a formal part of good project management.
Due to the complex nature of problems that lead to interventions by govt. and non-govt. entities, formal analysis of unintended consequences should be part of any major initiative, policy or project. All unintended consequences are not bad, though most are. A better understanding of these possible unintended consequences at time of planning the intervention could help manage the unintended consequence and improve the quality of intervention.