Family planning operations research in Asia

Evaluation covered the period 1985 to 1990. URC and the preceding contractor (the Population Council) were generally successful in testing new FP service delivery mechanisms and in improving the delivery of existing services in Asia. However, the project produced mixed results in disseminating and utilizing OR findings. In many subprojects, OR findings were put to use within the service agency carrying out research, but broader dissemination and application to similar programs did not take place. Two important recommendations are made. (1) Institutionalization of OR skills within local institutions must be a primary objective of the follow-on project to ensure sustainability. (2) Country priorities must be established, based on FP program maturity and contraceptive prevalence, to improve planning and staff placement. Other major recommendations are to: place greater emphasis on management-based, process-oriented subprojects and TA; devote at least 25% of total resources to non-subproject TA and reduce the current emphasis on producing a certain number of subprojects accordingly; make block grants for small-scale subprojects available to the contractor; and ensure that contractor field straff and consultants have experience with A.I.D. procedures and FP programs in addition to OR skills.