National Academies Press: OpenBook

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research (2008)

Chapter: Appendix F: Voices from the Field: Model Questionnaire

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Voices from the Field: Model Questionnaire." National Research Council. 2008. Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12164.
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Page 315
Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Voices from the Field: Model Questionnaire." National Research Council. 2008. Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12164.
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Page 316
Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Voices from the Field: Model Questionnaire." National Research Council. 2008. Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12164.
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Page 317
Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Voices from the Field: Model Questionnaire." National Research Council. 2008. Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12164.
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Page 318
Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Voices from the Field: Model Questionnaire." National Research Council. 2008. Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12164.
×
Page 319
Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Voices from the Field: Model Questionnaire." National Research Council. 2008. Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12164.
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Page 320

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F Voices from the Field: Model Questionnaire Introductory Dialogue: Good day. As you know, my name is _______. As part of ongoing attempts on the part of DCHA [the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitar- ian Assistance] to better understand the effect of our democracy promo- tion activities in countries around the world, we are conducting a series of surveys with DG advisors and activity managers. You have been selected to participate in this survey because of your extensive knowledge and experience. We will spend approximately 90 minutes with you asking a series of questions about your experiences. I will take handwritten notes of your responses. Please feel free to ask me clarifying questions as we progress. At the end of the interview, there will be an opportunity for you to address any subjects or issues that we may have missed or given less emphasis than they deserve. Please be assured that you can talk with candor; your responses will remain anonymous. We do intend to aggre- gate the responses of all our interlocutors for the purposes of reporting and improving DCHA recommended approaches in the future and we may use quotes from our interviews, stripped of identifying information. However, any specific references to what you tell us will only be used with your consent. Do you have any questions before we begin? 315

316 APPENDIX F Let’s begin by talking about your work with USAID 1. In total, how long have you worked for USAID? 2. How much of your time with USAID has been spent working in the Democracy and Governance Sector? 3.  how many countries and for how long have you worked in the DG In Sector with USAID? Please list for me the name of the country and how long you have worked in each country. 4. Which DG subsectors have you worked in for USAID? Please list the name of the country and the subsector(s) in which you worked in that country. [Interviewer: Write the name of the country and place an X in the box below the subsector(s) for that country. (Subsectors: Civil Society, Rule of Law, Legislative Strengthening, Electoral Processes, Anti-Corruption, Media, Human Rights, Other)] Now let’s talk about some of the specific USAID DG programs that you have worked on. First, we are interested in how you think about program success. 1. Considering all of the DG programs that you have worked on, super- vised, or directly observed, can you tell me which one or two you think were the most successful? 2. [Interviewer: If one program was identified above, skip this question and go directly to question, #7. If two programs are identified above, ask:] In your view, which of these two was the most successful? 3. Let’s get a little more information about this program. In which coun- try was it carried out? 4. During which years did the program operate? 5. During this time, when were you involved with the program? 6. What was the approximate funding level? Please indicate the life of project funding and the annual funding. 7. What were the objectives of the program? 8. Can you please describe the basic operation of the program? How did it work? 9. And why do you say that this program was the most successful? What did it accomplish? 10.  Can you give me a few examples of success? 11.  Can you identify the particular factors that seem to have led to the success of this program and why each factor that you identify was important? [Interviewer: Be sure to prompt informant to answer why each factor is important.] Factor 1 & why important? Factor 2 & why important?

APPENDIX F 317 Factor 3 & why important? Factor 4 & why important? Factor 5 & why important? 12.  Considering all of the factors that you have just told me about, can you identify which one or two are the most important contributors to the program’s success? Most important factor 2nd most important factor We have developed a list of factors that have often been associated with program success and failure. Some of them are mirrored in the factors you have identified; a few others have not yet been mentioned. We would like you to describe for us how, if at all, these particular variables seem to be related to the success of the program. 13.  Sometimes, program success can be influenced by country-specific enabling factors, things like the general level of economic develop- ment, cultural and social conditions, or historic precedent. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing the highest level of importance, how would you rank the importance of these factors in determining the success of the program? [Interviewer: Circle a single number] 14.  Were any attributes in this cluster of factors particularly important, and if so, why? Attribute 1 & why important? Attribute 2 & why important? 15.  Now let’s look at the country more specifically in terms of democratic development. Sometimes political factors like level of commitment to reform, institutional capacity, level of corruption, level of press freedom, degree of political competition, capacity and activity of civil society, and other factors can influence the success of DG pro- grams. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing the highest level of importance, how would you rank the importance of these factors in determining the success of the program? [Interviewer: Circle a single number] 16.  Were any attributes in this cluster of factors particularly important, and if so, why? Attribute 1 & why important? Attribute 2 & why important? 17.  Foreign policy priorities of the USG can sometimes have an impor- tant influence on program success. U.S. priorities in the country, the role of the Embassy, and other USG actors (DEA, DOD, CDC, MCC etc.) can affect the success of DG programs. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing the highest level of importance, how would you rank

318 APPENDIX F the importance of these factors in determining the success of the pro- gram? [Interviewer: Circle a single number] 18.  Were any attributes in this cluster of factors particularly important, and if so, why? Attribute 1 & why important? Attribute 2 & why important? 19.  International factors often play a role in determining program suc- cess. The political conditions in the region, international political orientation and diplomatic considerations of the country, and the interests and activities of other donors might play varying roles. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing the highest level of importance, how would you rank the importance of these factors in determining the success of the program? [Interviewer: Circle a single number] 20.  Were any attributes in this cluster of factors particularly important, and if so why? Attribute 1 & why important? Attribute 2 & why important? 21.  Program-specific factors are also often important in determining success. Things like levels of funding for the program, length or sequencing of the program, implementation mechanism, quality of project design, quality or experience of the implementing partners’ (contractors/grantees) staff or home office support; quality of the implementing partners’ program management; quality of host coun- try partners, willingness to take risks, etc., can all influence success. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing the highest level of importance, how would you rank the importance of these factors in determining the success of the program? [Interviewer: Circle a single number] 22.  Were any attributes in this cluster of factors particularly important, and if so, why? Attribute 1 & why important? Attribute 2 & why important? 23.  The USAID mission itself is often a factor associated with program success. For example, the priority given the DG sector, experience and staffing level of DG staff, programmatic relationships between DG and other mission sectors, the quality of mission management and leadership, and the impact of previous USAID activities can all be important. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing the highest level of importance, how would you rank the importance of these factors in determining the success of the program? [Interviewer: Circle a single number] Attribute 1 & why important? Attribute 2 & why important?

APPENDIX F 319 24.  Now, let’s look back briefly at the question where you identified a number of factors that you thought were determinants of the program’s success. You mentioned [Interviewer: Turn back to Question 15 and read a summary of each of the factors identified by respondent]. Considering the factors that you mentioned and the factors that we have just discussed, would you like to make any additions or changes in the level of impor- tance? Recall that the factors we have just discussed are: (1) Country- specific enabling environment, (2) Democratic/political, (3) Foreign policy/other donors, (4) International, (5) Program-specific, (6) USAID mission. Most important factor 2nd most important factor 3rd most important factor 4th most important factor 5th most important factor [Interviewer: If a second program was identified as successful, repeat the sequence of questions. If only one program was identified, go directly to the next series of questions.] 25.  We have talked quite a bit about successful DG programs and it is nice to find out what works. Let’s take a few minutes to consider the other side of the coin. Can you tell me about one or two of the big- gest “turkeys”? As you reflect on your experience, what is the worst program that you ever worked with? 26.  During which years did this program operate? 27.  During this time, when were you involved with the program? 28.  What was the approximate funding level? Please indicate the life of project funding and the annual funding. 29.  What were the objectives of the program? 30.  Can you please describe the basic operation of the program? How did it work? 31.  And why do you say that this program not successful? Why was it a “turkey”? 32.  we think about the universe of factors we have discussed, can If you identify which if any of the following factors contributed to the poor outcomes in this case and why? Recall that the factors we have discussed are: (1) Country-specific enabling environment, (2) Democratic/political, (3) Foreign policy/other donors, (4) Interna- tional, (5) Program-specific, (6) USAID mission Factor 1 & why important? Factor 2 & why important?

320 APPENDIX F Factor 3 & why important? Factor 4 & why important? Factor 5 & why important? We are nearly done here! Thinking about program success and failure, everything else being equal, are there any type of programs or DG activities (rule of law, civil society, elections, parties and legislatures, anticorruption, decentralization, etc.) that you think are more likely or less likely to succeed than others? If so, which ones and why? Sector 1 & why more or less likely successful? Sector 2 & why more or less likely successful? We would like to ask you to give us a few general observations and recommendations on the basis of your overall experience. First, what guidance would you give to a DG officer thinking about issues related to program sequencing and an appropriate or rational mix of programs in a DG portfolio? 1.  you have any observations about the general characteristics of Do successful DG programs? 2. Do you have any additional comments or final observations? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOUR ANSWERS HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL.

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Over the past 25 years, the United States has made support for the spread of democracy to other nations an increasingly important element of its national security policy. These efforts have created a growing demand to find the most effective means to assist in building and strengthening democratic governance under varied conditions.

Since 1990, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has supported democracy and governance (DG) programs in approximately 120 countries and territories, spending an estimated total of $8.47 billion (in constant 2000 U.S. dollars) between 1990 and 2005. Despite these substantial expenditures, our understanding of the actual impacts of USAID DG assistance on progress toward democracy remains limited—and is the subject of much current debate in the policy and scholarly communities.

This book, by the National Research Council, provides a roadmap to enable USAID and its partners to assess what works and what does not, both retrospectively and in the future through improved monitoring and evaluation methods and rebuilding USAID's internal capacity to build, absorb, and act on improved knowledge.

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