Final report on the interim evaluation of the International Center for Self-Governance (cooperative agreement no. PDC-0095-A-00-0061-00)

The ICSG promotes self-governance and the entrepreneurial way of life in developing countries. Interim evaluation covers the period 8/90-3/94. ICSG's goal, strategies, and objectives have evolved considerably from those envisioned in the Cooperative Agreement, particularly with respect to the development and dissemination of books, videos, workshops, and training materials. The content that ICSG seeks to communicate through these materials, which have been favorably evaluated by the target groups, is fundamentally sound and relevant to the problems of self-governance; there is also widespread interest among survey respondents and some USAID staff in the concepts of self-governance. Further, ICSG publications, especially Elinor Ostrom's work on self-governance of irrigation systems, have had appreciable impact on the intellectual debate concerning development and self-governance, although difficulties in translating theory into practical tools and the consequent small amount of completed training materials have resulted in minimal impact on "grass roots" self-governance. On the down side, ICSG has been slow to focus its program and to define a strategy appropriate for its resources. Elements of its existing strategy are debatable, including: over-reliance on advocacy NGOS; the belief that adequate translation (theoretical concepts to practical tools and into various languages) will lead to "stand alone" products; failure to anticipate and structure desirable roles for international donors and host country government agencies; failure to fully develop and explain how the contemplated Local Action Foundations will function; and excessive reliance on the "International Network" for feedback and learning by ICSG. Further, the Office of Small, Micro, and Informal Enterprises (SMIE) of the Global Bureau/Economic Growth Division and ICSG have fallen into an almost adversarial management style that adds difficulty for both. Given a certain lack of expertise and interest in self-governance and democracy, it is more difficult for SMIE to make a positive contribution to the resolution of difficult conceptual issues that ICSG faces. Other findings are as follows. (1) Both the content and strategy of ICSG's work are unique; no redundancy or overlap exists between ICSG's work and that of "similar" projects. (2) Internal management and planning of ICSG's program is not sufficiently institutionalized. To some degree, personal management occurs instead of rule-ordered relationships. (3) The demand for ICSG's services is difficult to determine. The principal evidence is provided by book sales. The number of workshops produced to date is small, but this is evidence not of a lack of demand, but rather of a hesitant marketing effort by ICSG and SMIE. Demand for future ICSG products is hard to determine given the rightsizing of USAID and the limited funds and crowded agendas of Mission offices. (Author abstract, modified)