Selected case studies of private sector projects in Asia and Near East

in Asia and the Near East (ANE). The projects included were active and/or initiated in 1984 or thereafter. The criteria for classifying a project as within the realm of the private sector were developed in conjunction with officers of the ANE Bureau and include the following: (1) projects which directly assist private sector institutions or make significant use of private sector entities or delivery mechanisms in pursuit of project objectives; (2) projects which aim to improve the economic environment for growth of private sector firms; (3) training projects with a significant private sector component; (4) research projects designed explicitly to examine issues or problems that affect private enterprise development; (5) infrastructure projects designed explicitly to facilitate growth and expansion of private business; and (6) projects with components that meet any of the above criteria. As established in the scope of work, the case studies are based strictly on project evaluations and project papers; no field work or interviews were undertaken. As a result, the descriptions and conclusions are only as accurate as the evaluations that they were based on. Moreover, the selection of projects for case study was of necessity based on the availability of an evaluation report. Cases were developed for each of the following categories: (1) small and micro-enterprise development; (2) policy reform; (3) trade and investment promotion; (4) financial market development/capital mobilization; (5) training/human resources development; (6) infrastructure development; (7) health care; and (8) technology transfer. The case studies are primarily descriptive and do not purport to draw any conclusions as to the applicability of the lessons of each project to different countries or contexts. Because the success of a project is frequently dependent on specific country conditions, as well as on the particular individuals who were involved in its implementation, no conjecture on the replicability of a "successful" or "unsuccessful" project is made or intended. (Author abstract)