Research Report Summary and Evaluation of the USAID Program

Research Report Summary and Evaluation
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Research Report Summary and Evaluation
In the early 2000s, the United States, through USAID, sought to promote Serbia's economy and promote participatory democracy. The decision came after prolonged war, international isolation, and internal economic hardship. Central to this effort were three programs: Community Revitalization Through Democratic Action Program (CRDA), Serbia Local Government Reform Program (SLGRP), and Serbian Enterprise Development Project (SEDP). Eight years later, The Mitchell Group (2008) prepared a report on the program's impact to ascertain the extent to which objectives were met. Based on the report submitted to USAID, the current paper summarises and evaluates the report's core aspects.
Report Summary
A mixed approach consisting of qualitative and quantitative data collection underpinned the research that informed the report. On the one hand, face-to-face interviews were necessary to establish the impact of programs from the perspective of Serbian citizens and local government officials. Across four weeks, the research team visited 39 municipalities in the Central, West, North, South, and Southeast regions of the country over a month's period, where over 175 interviews involving 500 individuals took place. Local government officials interviewed include mayors, heads of strategic planning departments, and finance directors. Open-ended interviews were necessary to provide in-depth information on the impact of the three programs. The resulting findings were qualitative, involving experience, opinions, and insights from interviewees. On the other hand, the qualitative findings were supplemented by quantitative data collected through a 16-part questionnaire.
According to the researchers, the relationship between communities and the project existed in the context of America Cares. In other words, findings on how the Serbian public perceived the United States were also part of the expected outcomes. From this point of view, key political issues confronting the research emerged. Since the programs came after a prolonged war in which public perception of the United States might have varied, it was a critical political issue since not everyone perceived America as an ally in the country's political, social, and economic strife. This point of view also informed the critical ethical issue in which people who might have benefited from the program still held negative perceptions against America. For example, people holding political positions, such as mayors, had their jurisdictions benefit from the program while, at the same time, because of their political affiliations, might not have been positively receptive to the American programs. These political and ethical issues might have impacted responses during interviews.
The USAID's programs had two core aims: spur economic growth and promote participatory democracy. In the former, target issues include the development of SMEs, empowering Serbians to take up entrepreneurial roles, and increase in employment opportunities. In the latter, the critical areas targeted included the ext...