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April 1998 In the quantitative-qualitative debate, analysts often fail to make a clear distinction between methods of data collection used and types of data generated. Using characteristic information needs for health planning derived from data on the use of health services, this paper shows that each combination of method (contextual or noncontextual) and data (quantitative or qualitative) is a unique primary source of information. Hentschel examines the role of different data collection methods-including the types of data they produce-in the analysis of social phenomena in developing countries. He points out that one confusing factor in the quantitative-qualitative debate is that a distinction is not clearly made between methods of data collection used and types of data generated. He maintains the divide between quantitative and qualitative types of data but analyzes methods according to their contextuality: the degree to which they try to understand human behavior in the social, cultural, economic, and political environment of a given place. He emphasizes that it is most fruitful to think of both methods and data as lying on a continuum stretching from more to less contextual methodology and from more to less qualitative data output. Using characteristic information needs for health planning derived from data on the use of health services, he shows that each combination of method (more or less contextual) and data (more or less qualitative) is a unique primary source that can fulfill different information requirements. He concludes that: * Certain information about health utilization can be obtained only through contextual methods-in which case strict statistical representability must give way to inductive conclusions, assessments of internal validity, and replicability of results. * Often contextual methods are needed to design appropriate noncontextual data collection tools. * Even where noncontextual data collection methods are needed, contextual methods can play an important role in assessing the validity of the results at the local level. * In cases where different data collection methods can be used to probe general results, the methods can-and need to be-formally linked. This paper-a product of the Poverty Group, Poverty Reducation and Economic Management Network-is part of a larger effort in the network to combine research methods from different disciplines in the design of poverty reduction strategies. The author may be contacted at [email protected].
Practitioners give insights on building and satisfying demand for evaluation in developing countries and on the use of evaluation findings to improve decision making on development policies and programs." "This volume offers useful insights into methods for evaluating the effectiveness of development and assessing the performance of development aid and aid agencies."--BOOK JACKET.
Managing Projects offers a hands-on resource for buildingpractical competencies for anyone who must manage one or moresmall- to mid-size projects. The book is filled with targetedprocesses, tools, techniques, and influencing skills that addressthe more difficult "people" side of project management. The authorshows how to: influence stakeholders 360 degrees around you;encourage accountability from others who do not work for you andhave plenty of projects to juggle without adding your priority;negotiate time, cost, quality, and scope with executives; andcourageously tell the truth and get the help you need earlyenough. Praise for Managing Projects "No one knows more about project management than Lou Russell.Her easy coaching style paired with specific methods makes thisbook a real winner. This is one book all leaders, managers,supervisors, and project leads will use as their essential 'go to'resource."—Elaine Biech, ebb associates inc.; bestsellingauthor, The Business of Consulting "Lou Russell has done it again! Managing Projects iscomprehensive, practical, and easy to understand and apply to yourprojects, big or small. The book gives helpful tips and definitionsthat will enable the reader to move through the project managementprocess with ease. Thanks, Lou, for creating such a greatresource." —Amy L. Dinning, manager of Leadership and TalentDevelopment, Saint-Gobain North America "Managing Projects is more than a book. It is a workshop betweenthe covers, with one of the finest learning facilitators as yourguide. If you find yourself dealing with projects in your work (andwhether you know it or not, this is you), using the techniques inthis book will make you less stressed and more successful."—Kevin Eikenberry, bestselling author, RemarkableLeadership "As the leader of an international logistics company, I know howcritical project management is to meeting the needs of ourcustomers. To hit their due dates we have to hit our own, with noexcuses. Lou's practical approach to project management fits wellinto our time-constrained, date-focused workplace. It's simple,it's real, and it works." —Cathy Langham, CEO, LanghamLogistics
leading to an overall decrease in the world's forest cover. The forests of Asia, in particular, have been strongly impacted. A number of initiatives have suggested forest policy reforms, and the need for the sustainable management of forests has been widely recognized and encouraged. But because implementation of reforms at the local level has been insufficient, it is imperative that local people begin to effectively participate in forest planning and management as well as in protected-area management. The Forest Conservation Project, launched in April 1998 by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), has carried out research activities on forest strategies, including policy analysis and on-site surveys. This book gives an overview of the project's research activities in its first three-year phase (April1998-March 2001). Since viable forest strategies work best when based on the involvement of local people, this report is addressed to stakeholders in the communities of the relevant countries, including local people and authorities, community-based organizations, experts, national agencies, and international institutions.
How many senior executives and managers are able to reach the top with little or no financial training? They may have been appointed to the executive board as a result of their expertise in marketing, HR, sales or IT, yet every board member has a responsibility to make informed decisions on proposed financial actions - decisions which inevitably affect the value of their business. Offering straightforward and practical advice, Creating Financial Value will equip those who are not financial specialists with the necessary knowledge not only to contribute fully to important discussions on policy and strategy, but also to develop sound business proposals, or to competently cross-examine the proposals of others. Through examples from a range of business disciplines, the book explains in simple, digestible terms how a business creates financial value, and how a non-financial manager can confidently take an active role in the process. Once read, the book will provide an essential resource that can be referenced time and again. Malcolm Allitt punctures the myths surrounding 'shareholder value' and looks behind the finance jargon to define the boundaries between what a non-specialist should know and when it is good practice to seek the advice of financial specialists. This book is key reading for anyone from a non-financial background who wants to execute their increasingly broad responsibilities competently and confidently, without the need to become experts themselves.
June 1998 Does the entry of foreign banks make domestic banks more competitive? This study shows that, in developing countries, increasing the number (even more than the share) of foreign banks reduces both profits and overhead expenses of domestic banks. Banking markets are becoming increasingly international through financial liberalization and general economic integration. Using bank-level data for 80 countries for 1988-95, Claessens, Demirgüç-Kunt, and Huizinga examine the extent of foreign ownership in national banking markets. They compare net interest margins, overhead, taxes paid, and profitability of foreign and domestic banks. The comparative functions of foreign banks and domestic banks is very different in developing and industrial countries, possibly because of a different customer base, different bank procedures, and different regulatory and tax regimes: * In developing countries foreign banks tend to have greater profits, higher interest margins, and higher tax payments than do domestic banks. * In industrial countries it is the domestic banks that have greater profits, higher interest margins, and higher tax payments. It is common to read, in the literature on foreign banking, that the entry of foreign banks can make national banking markets more competitive, thereby forcing domestic banks to operate more efficiently. Claessens, Demirgüç-Kunt, and Huizinga show that increasing the foreign share of bank ownership does indeed reduce profitability and overhead expenses in domestically owned banks-so the general effect of foreign bank entry may be positive. Interestingly, the number of foreign entrants matters more than their market share, suggesting that they affect local bank competition more on entry rather than after gaining a substantial market share. These effects hold even when controlling for the fact that foreign banks may be attracted to markets with certain characteristics, such as low banking costs. This paper-a joint product of the East Asia and Pacific Region and the Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the Bank to study the effects of increasing global integration of financial services. The authors may be contacted at cclaessens @worldbank.org, [email protected], or H.P. Huizinga@Kub. NL.