IPDET: Regional, National and Local Offerings

Customized versions of IPDET have been delivered in Botswana, Uganda, South Africa, Czech Republic, Spain, Tunisia, China, India, Thailand, Canada, Australia (for the Australasian NGO community) and Trinidad & Tobago. These condensed one-week or two-week programs have been offered since 2003 by the IPDET co-directors, Linda Morra Imas and Ray C. Rist, at the invitation of various government agencies, regional development organizations or the World Bank. Over time these shorter regional programs have come to be known asmini-IPDETs.

Inquiries regarding mini-IPDETs should be directed to Linda Morra Imas (Lmorra@worldbank.org) and Ray Rist (Rrist@worldbank.org).

A recent addition to the mini-IPDET family was the Shanghai International Program for Development Evaluation Training (SHIPDET), which commenced in April of 2007. Over a 3-year period, SHIPDET will be held semi-annually with the spring program focusing on Chinese participants and the autumn program focusing on international participants from the Asia and Pacific region. The program is jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China, The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Pacific Development and Finance Center.

Hundreds of individuals have participated in mini-IPDETs on four continents. Funding for these programs is separate from the IPDET flagship program and participants are selected by the sponsoring organization or government. Although each mini-IPDET is customized to suit the particular needs of the participants, they all share certain features. The condensed program provides participants with instruction in the essential tools and techniques of development evaluation, focusing especially on results-based management and stakeholder participation. By the end of the program, participants have a good understanding of RBM, developing baselines and indicators for monitoring progress, various data collection methods, designing and conducting evaluations, and how to effectively use and disseminate evaluation findings.

Mini-IPDETs are highly interactive, employing a mix of presentations, discussion groups, group exercises and case studies. The programs are designed to maximize opportunities for peer learning, with a focus on discussing real-world issues and learning practical solutions.