The Program Evaluation Standards in International Settings

Considerations on the Development of Culturally Relevant Evaluation Standards 31Malta is a small Mediterranean island (122 square miles) with a population of 350,000. It isone of the top countries within the category of “developing countries” as listed by the WorldBank and International Monetary Fund. The Island has a history that dates back more than 5000years, and has been dominated by ever group seeking control of the Mediterranean. The survivalof its people has depended on their ability to operate simultaneously within European and NorthAfrican cultural milieus. Due to its history of colonization, interpersonal relationships are highlyimportant, kinship and friendship ties are very strong in Malta. The political position of theperson one is speaking with is of considerable concern, and communication is most rapid along“friend-of-friends” patterns. To be effective, the evaluator must be able to make use of thesefriends-of-friends networks and to refrain from asking for information in a way that theinformant could be identified.Chircop (1987) describes the role of evaluation in Malta as follows:Formalized evaluation in Malta has largely been instigated by foreign needs and demands.Within a colonial structure, the representatives of the powers that be were always requiredto send reports to their superiors. Evidence of these reports exists for 2000 years. Thereports by the various commissions and governors sent to the British Crown are perhaps themost recent and preserved documents. When the Island became independent, such reportswere conducted by foreigners for the purpose of aid agreements with national orinternational institutions. Evaluations have also been conducted by foreign industrialconcerns. Thus one might say that formalized evaluation, though existent in Malta, islargely a foreign concern (Chircop, p.8).With a population of over 700 million, India is the seventh largest country in the world,three-fifths the size of the U.S. It has a long history that dates back to 1500 B.C. and has beendominated by Islamic and British powers for more than 700 years. The Indian tradition ischaracterized by cultural heterogeneity and religious tolerance. As laid down in the Indianconstitution, India is a secular democracy.India’s political structure consists of a powerful central government; any state governmentwhich happens to be headed by an opposition party will have a most difficult time gainingapproval for its projects. Although India’s constitution provide for a multi-party system, theCongress party has historically dominated all other parties lacking a national majority. InNovember 1989, the Congress party failed to win the national elections, only the second timesince India’s independence in 1947.The major problems of India are over-population, poverty, and unemployment. Theseproblems have to be kept in mind in understanding what works and what does not work in India;what is acceptable and what is not. The “culture” of India changes and reacts to these problems,and it is not possible to understand India’s culture independently of the context these problemscreate.