Final evaluation of the Thailand integrated improvement for the urban poor project

Final evaluation covers the period 8/80-3/85 and is based on document review and interviews with A.I.D. and RTG personnel. On the positive side, IIPUP provided NHA with staff training, primarily the A.I.D. shelter workshops, and TA which positively influenced national housing policy (but see below). The project also helped NHA use improved procedures to acquire land needed for sites and services projects (although NHA acquired only about 50% of the land needed) and installed three microcomputers which, while not yet fully operational, have improved NHA"s program management. Other activities were less successful. Training at the University of California at Berkeley failed to address Thai institutions" operations and research needs, and research skills of returned trainees have been insufficiently utilized. Further, the project failed to improve the delivery of socioeconomic services to low-income families, a primary project purpose, mainly because this IIPUP objective was incompatible with RTG objectives to promote cost-recovery schemes and to make the NHA self-sufficient. Inadequacy in monitoring and in following-up on IIPUP activities were among the secondary causes of this failure. Finally, NHA continues to suffer from previously identified institutional problems such as poor coordination and cooperation with other agencies and within NHA itself, as evident in the Chiang Mai sites and services project. It is recommended that USAID/T: (1) improve monitoring and evaluation systems; (2) incorporate lessons learned in future project designs; (3) not provide TA to similar projects unless specifically needed to serve low income groups; (4) require Thai institutions to have accurate cost allocation systems for expenditures or provide the TA needed to establish such systems; and (5) improve counterpart training. Specific recommendations are given to help the NHA improve its microcomputer systems and sites and services management.