Local organization, participation and development in the Yemen Arab Republic : final report -- Yemen research program

Cornell"s role was to study the processes of rural development and the roles of LDA"s therein. The Cornell research program, although it fell short of expectations, has provided for the first time an adequate portrait of rural Yemen. A tiered approach, consisting of baseline surveys, followed by cross-sectional surveys, and then by detailed community studies, was undertaken, and proved well-suited to obtaining increasing detailed information on rural regions. In addition, Cornell consolidated all known published and unpublished materials on rural Yemen into one of the most complete bibliographies available on development there, published 3 other major reports and 15 working papers, organized USAID/Y"s archives on rural development, and provided information services to A.I.D. offices and other donors. With hindsight, however, it is apparent the research design was overambitious. Cornell did not initially appreciate the difficulties of field research in Yemen or the likelihood of host government and AID-generated delays. Nor did it realize that the LDA"s and other Yemenis would not participate in research that was unconnected to concrete activities, or how out of phase with the project activity contractor (Chemonics) its field work would be. In addition, the cross-sectional surveys had to be curtailed, while inability to recruit an Arab-speaking agricultural economist meant that certain kinds of data were not obtained. As a result the overall research product lacks a strong empirical or statistical base; nearly all the findings are qualitative anthropological data. Neither research co-director was resident in Yemen; their involvement in the field research might have helped break the procedural and security blocks that hindered Cornell throughout. Finally, the research product could have been much improved had suggestions and helpful criticisms been offered by the USAID/Y.