International Requirements for Project Preparation: Aids or Obstacles to Development Planning?

Abstract

Identification and preparation of economic and social development projects has been, over the past quarter of a century, a critical problem for developing countries. Problems of disaggregating national plans into well-prepared investment proposals continue to obstruct the progress of development in the Third World. International assistance agencies, attempting to overcome deficiencies in planning and administrative capacity in less developed nations, have taken an expanded and more direct role in project preparation and analysis and have formulated a complex set of procedures and requirements for project planning, preparation and feasibility analysis. The analytical requirements have become so complex, however, that application is beyond the administrative capabilities of most developing nations, thus intensifying their dependence on foreign experts and consultants for project planning. Foreign standards and procedures are imposed on governments, often without sensitivity to local needs and constraints. This study, drawing on internal evaluation reports of three major international assistance agencies, reviews the requirements and procedures of project preparation, examines difficulties in their application, and recommends the evaluation of alternative and more simplified procedures for preparing development projects.