Agriculture policy analysis project (APAP)

Evaluation covered 1983-87 and was based on document review and interviews with A.I.D. staff who used project services. In general, the project has succeeded in reaching its goals. The project has been responsive to the Agency"s new mandate for agriculture, and it has operated effectively as a quick response mechanism for support of Mission-level project design, implementation, and evaluation. The selection of five thematic areas for policy study lent focus to field activities and dissemination efforts, while project seminars, task forces, and workshops have proven effective in building PA capacity and disseminating PA results. Much work still needs to be done, however; the Agency has a wealth of experience in institutionalizing PA capabilities, and additional efforts are needed to synthesize and disseminate this information. The project needs to conduct more research into the process of privatization, the dynamics of decisionmaking, and the domestic impact of international trade policy. These project shortcomings stem from a tendency for project leaders to become overburdened with administrative and programmatic duties. Recommendations for Phase II include to: examine A.I.D."s experience with PA projects during the 1980"s; provide funding to synthesize project "lessons learned" and analytical results for dissemination; and perform more collaborative research with Mission and host country personnel on international trade PA, policy decisionmaking, and the effects of economic adjustment programs. Other recommendations are to encourage broader participation in the project by U.S. universities, make better use of PPC/CDIE"s Economic and Social Data Service to develop specialized agriculture policy databases, and encourage the project to be used as a clearinghouse for Agency and other economists interested in agricultural policy issues. The project teaches that (1) there are many ways to institutionalize PA capabilities and that a major focus of any PA project design should be to identify which way is most appropriate to the particular project setting; (2) PA is most effective when it produces quick results of immediate use to decisionmakers; (3) modern information management systems are essential for PA and should be included in projects to institutionalize PA; (4) certain key methodological and conceptual issues remain in PA that must be addressed; and (4) collaborative research, even on highly sensitive issues, can be effective given the use of objective methods of data collection and analysis.