Advanced training in economics (ATIE) : project evaluation

level at Latin American universities and the Ph.D. level at U.S. universities. The evaluation covers the period 1/89-11/90. The project is proceeding in a timely manner. The four participating Latin American universities -- the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico, the Argentine Center for Macroeconomic Studies, the Pontifical Catholic University, and the University of Tucuman (Argentina) -- are providing rigorous academic training, and have been useful in screening candidates for U.S. graduate programs. This is evident in that, while the students chosen for the pre-Ph.D. training were among the best in their respective universities, many find the scholarship program far more rigorous than their previous training, and may not be prepared for U.S. Ph.D. programs. Project success is largely attributable to the academic director, whose extensive network of professional contacts has facilitated the recruitment process and ensured academic excellence. However, monitoring of the academic aspects of the project needs to be better documented. This includes documentation on such activities as final approval of participants, students' academic progress, and site visits to participating institutions. Furthermore, more effort should be made to recruit from a broader number of countries, including Panama and Nicaragua. Currently, almost all participants come from only four countries: Costa Rica, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. While it is possible that these countries have a larger number of qualified candidates, they are also the target of the strongest recruitment efforts. A.I.D.'s participation in the program is not sufficiently publicized, with only two limited references in the implementing agency's annual report and one indirect reference in the materials provided to the participants. However, it is unclear what target audience A.I.D. wants to reach with this publicity.