06/51 Comparative Evaluation of the Personnel Management Project at Central Level and the Pilot PAR Project in Quang Tri Province

Description:
The Quang Tri project started in 1999 and ended in 2004 whilst the MOHA projected started in 1997 and ended in 2003. The purpose of this end of project evaluation is to find out the most important factors that determined the results (failure or success) of the two projects as well as assess the impact on PAR, poverty reduction, gender equality, the democratic process, transparency and accountability in the public administration system. The evaluation methodology includes document research, a questionnaire survey involving 33 top managers and 100 staffs in more than 20 provinces and a number of round table discussions and in-depth interviews. The two projects supported by SIDA has very different design and implementation modalities. They each had their successes and weaknesses and each project has provided some lessons, which could inform SIDA and the Government of Vietnam, who are currently considering another PAR project. One important lesson is that the two approaches, that is, blueprint and process-led, are not two opposing forces and that a new project has to be based on one or the other. Another critical lesson is that whatever the project goal and expected outputs are, sustainable impact can only be achieved if there are follow up or reinforcing activities. In other words, the various project components need to underpin each other and, very importantly, also to complement the needs or priorities faced by the beneficiaries.