Resource information
Since the 1980s and early 1990s, the
World Bank has been supporting projects that involve
communities own development. This has been largely
manifested in the design and implementation of
community-based development (CBD) and community-driven
development (CDD) initiatives, with the latter gaining
increasing momentum in recent years. The purpose of this
study was to assess the development effectiveness of the
Brazil portfolio of CBD and CDD interventions as an input to
the Bank-wide independent evaluation group (IEG) evaluation
of CBD and CDD initiatives. This portfolio includes thirty
projects (which are either CBD or CDD or include a CBD and
CDD component) approved between FY1989 and FY2003. The
evaluation framework for this study is based on operations
evaluation department's (OED's) objective-based
approach. It addresses issues related to the outcomes of CBD
and CDD projects - including relevance, efficacy, and
efficiency - their institutional development impact and
sustainability. For the assessment of virtually all CBD and
CDD projects in the Brazil portfolio, this study draws on a
desk review of available project documents and
self-evaluation reports. This study is structured around
IEG's evaluation framework. Chapter one gives scope and
methodology of the study. Chapter two sets the context, by
providing background information on issues relevant to CBD
and CDD interventions in Brazil. Chapter three presents a
description of the portfolio being assessed. Chapter four
assesses the outcomes of CBD and CDD projects, including
their relevance to the country situation and the Bank's
assistance strategy, their efficacy and to the extent
possible, their efficiency. Chapter five addresses issues of
institutional development, by exploring capacity enhancement
at three levels - borrower, communities, and project
municipal councils as well as the role played by
non-government organizations (NGOs) in CBD and CDD projects.
Chapter six examines the extent to which CBD and CDD
projects are likely to be sustainable in the long run.
Chapter seven concludes with lessons learned and possible
implications for future support to CBD and CDD initiatives
in Brazil. The annexes present in more details the evidence
on which the arguments advanced in this study are based.
