Conference “Time Zones”

Pressure to Succeed = Pressed by Time

Participants of the working groups noticed that it was right and important that the evaluations time frame vis-à-vis the financiers – donors or tax payers – had to be accountable. The concrete set-up of this accountability and its results for the timeframe of measures were however heatedly debated. The participants envisioned problems amongst other

• in ever shorter reporting and evaluation timeframes that led to a an overemphasizing of short term measurable effects, while long term effects in this logic were overly neglected – even in projects designed for the long term. The questions of “what can we show for” and “what can we sell” have become too important.
  
  
• in an excessive expectation amongst the partners and the financiers, caused by a policy that promises quick results. If this illusionary promise of feasibility is not kept it can lead to a loss of credibility and thus harm the development cooperation. “For the failure to achieve will be interpreted as a failure of the development cooperation”, according to Prof. Dieter Biallas (IT).
  
  
• in a event oriented development cooperation, that from the outset prefers such incidents and areas of operation that lend themselves to a media friendly portrayal.

The question is whether the excessive increase of “short-termness” can be overcome without questioning the accountability of the development cooperation.

more …