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II. EVALUATION PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN IN FY2005–06
This chapter summarizes the main findings and recommendations of the five most recently
completed evaluation reports along with the conclusions reached in the respective Executive
Board discussions.
A. IMF Technical Assistance
This evaluation examines the technical assistance (TA) provided by the IMF to its member
countries. It is based on desk reviews of a sample of countries, cross-country data on TA, six
in-depth country case studies12 (including field visits and interviews with public officials and
donors, reviews of past evaluations, and interviews with IMF staff and other stakeholders).
To derive operational lessons, the evaluation unbundles TA into the following three stages:
•
Prioritization: How are countries’ TA needs identified? What can be done to make
the process more strategic so as to increase the relevance of IMF TA activities?
•
The delivery process: What factors influence the effectiveness of the various
modalities for TA delivery?
•
Monitoring progress and evaluating impact: How is progress tracked and what
factors contribute to the impact of TA?
Main findings
How are TA priorities set?
•
The IMF provides annually about 300 person-years of direct TA, amounting to about
10 percent of the gross administrative budget of the institution. Seventy percent of TA
is directed to countries with per capita income below $1,000, thus IMF TA is well
targeted to low-income countries. The volume of TA provided to countries is also
positively associated with having a PRGF- or EFF-supported program, the amount of
external financing available, and whether the country is emerging from conflict.
•
There is a weak link between TA priorities and PRSPs or with key policy issues
identified in Article IV consultations. In most cases, the PRS process has not yet been
able to clearly identify major capacity-building needs to be taken up by TA. This is a
major shortcoming because the PRSP was expected to provide guidance on broad
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