Social Research and Evaluation of International Corporation Project

—Case of Poverty Reduction Project in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to explore the methods of social research for evaluating poverty reduction projects that are implemented in developing countries. Social research is a way of systematic observation of social life that is used for collecting information about the society we live in. We are well acquainted with the methods of social research, but we have little knowledge about the problems in conducting social research in developing countries. Agencies of international cooperation have conducted social research. The author wants to learn from their experiences of social research and evaluation research to expand the knowledge of methods of social research.

In this paper, the author will review the report of evaluation conducted in 2001 for Sulawesi Rural Development Program to Supporting Poverty Alleviation implemented between 1997 and 2002. The project team had developed SISDUK, a subsidy system of participatory rural development. The local government of Sulawesi district had taken over SISDUK and enacted New SISDUK as a district ordinance. The JICA project team had supported 40 small project proposals. The terminal evaluation team evaluated the outcomes of the small projects.

We conducted field work and visited all 40 projects sites to verify the evaluation in 2007. In 2010, we did survey research with random samples at two villages in Sulawesi district to measure the degree of recognition of JICA SISDUK and New SISDUK.

The findings of two pieces of research suggest that there were some misunderstanding about the use of sampling methods that the project team had used. The author suggests promoting the study of proper methods of social research for the evaluation of poverty reduction in developing countries. He also suggests that those who work for social research business should observe the professional ethics to prevent misuse and failure of social research.