EXPERIMENT IN VOLUNTARISM - THE CASE OF THE INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, INC. (NOV 1974-MARCH 1975).

EVAL COVERS FROM 1971 TO 1975 & IS BASED ON REVIEW OF OPERATNL FUNCTIONS OF 24 PROJECTS INCLUDING FIELD TRIPS TO PROJECT SITES & DISCUSSIONS WITH INTERESTED AMERICAN & CANADIAN BUSINESSMAN. THEEVAL IS IMPRESSIONISTIC & QUALITATIVE. IIDI HAS LIVED UP TO WORKING OBJECTIVES STIPULATED IN SECTION E OF AID PROJECT PAPER OF JULY 1972. SUCCESS IS DUE TO HIGH QUALITY & EXPERIENCE OF UNPAID, IN-COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES WHO ASSIST IIDI IN SELECTING PROJECTS & IN ENLISTING PROJECT PRINCIPALS. IIDI HAS DEVELOPED A 2-PHASE SCREENING PROCESS FOR ACTIVE & UNDERWAY PROJECTS WHICH HAS RESULTED IN 1 PROJECT IN 10 REACHING &MAINTAINING ACTIVE STATUS. SELECTN CRITERIA SHOULD BE TIGHTND IN THE FUTURE. THOUGH MOST PROJECTS HAVE NOT REACHD MATURITY. THE 24 THAT WERE CHECKD CONFORMD TO IIDI PROJECT DESCRIPTNS. PROJECT MGMT, THOUGH SUCCESSFULLY AUTONOMOUS, SHOULD BE MORE UNIFORM. WHEN FULLY MATURE, THE 24 PROJECTS SHOULD CREATE APPROX 1500 NEW JOBS. SINCE 5 PROJECTS ARE CONSIDERD UNLIKELY TO SUCCEED, THE TOTAL JOBS WOULD BE REDUCD TO 1170. AT TIME OF EVAL, ONLY 218 PERSONS WERE ACTUALLY WORKING. IIDI PROVIDES 13 BASIC FUNCTIONS TO PROJECTS, PRIMARILY RSRCH/EVAL; NEGOTIATN; MATERIALS & ADVICE; MAKING, FINAN, LEGAL & MGMT ASSIST. PROFIT SHARING IN PROJECTS IS SUBSTANTL BUT SHARE OWNERSHP APPLIES TO ONLY 50% OF THE PROJS. PROJ 'HISTORIES' PRESENTED IN IIDI'S ANNUAL RPRT & IN RPRTS TO AID ARE UNUNIFORM & GIVE AN INADEQUATE VIEW OF INDIVIDL PROJECTS. IIDI FILES, HOWEVER, ARE COMPREHENSIVE & PRESENT A UNIFORM INTERNL RECORD KEEPING SYSTM. STAFF IS QUALIFIED & AREA REPRESENTATN WELL DEFINED, BUT THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES SERVED BY THESE MEN IS TOO LARGE FOR FULL COVERAGE UNLESS IN-COUNTRY REPRESENTATN IS INCREASD. RECENT ECON CONDITIONS HAVE DETERRED PROGRESS BUT IIDI HAS TOO OFTEN SOLD A CONCEPT RATHER THAN TANGIBLE RESULTS. IT HAS NOT USED DIRECTORS & MGMT EFFICTIVELY TO SUPPORT FUND-RAISING. APPENDIXES DESCRIBE CRITERIA FOR POJECT SELECTION/EVAL AS WELL AS COMMENT ON SPECIFIC PROJECTS