ZEF Bonn

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ZEF Bonn ● Center for Development Research – Annual Report 2001/2002
"ZEF's core activities, which
emphasise the fact that it is a
research institute, correspond
to those of a university institute.
They include, as is impressively
documented by the ZEF
projects, a comprehensive program
of practical applicationoriented
research policy and
advice."
ZEF Evaluation
The recently completed first evaluation by an external and independent expert team
has assessed ZEF's performance and has given recommendations for further improvements.
The main findings and recommendations were summarised by the Evaluation
Commission, consisting of
Prof. em. Dr. Dr. h.c. Dieter Oberndörfer, Arnold Bergstraesser Institute, Freiburg i.
Br. (Chair),
Dr. Ulrich Hiemenz, Director OECD Development Centre/Paris,
Prof. Dr. Franz Nuscheler, Institute for Development and Peace /University of
Duisburg, and
Prof.em. Dr. Paul Streeten, Spencertown, New York/USA
The report is available in German only (http://www.zef.de). The following translation
of the conclusions section of the evaluation report is provided by ZEF below.
Main Findings and Recommendations
I. Appropriateness of the Mission, Strategy and Priorities
ZEF's mandate is defined in the foundation concept of the Senate of the University
of Bonn. It calls for development-related basic research and application-oriented
research on concrete development issues for providing advice to practitioners and
policy-makers.
In the 'Strategy for the Future', a strategy paper developed in 2000 by the directors
and staff in collaboration with the ZEF International Advisory Board, the specifications
of the Senate's concept concerning research, teaching activities and knowledge
transfer are put into concrete terms.
ZEF's activities address pivotal issues of topical interest in international development
policy and development research. All topics currently being worked on are relevant
for development research. On the one hand, new fields of research are being built
up that anticipate future developments, such as the question of the potentials of
new technologies for poor populations (biotechnology, information technology). On
the other hand, research is being conducted in already established fields. In this way,
ZEF demonstrates competence in “classical" fields of research together with innovative
potential, thus being able to establish itself in new research fields.
ZEF strives successfully to develop new fields of research with minimal duplication
and justifiable initial investments. Research issues that are the principal domains of
other research facilities or, as is the case with education research, issues that require
large initial investments were not included in ZEF's future research agenda owing to
the Center's limited human and financial resources.
ZEF's core activities, which emphasise the fact that it is a research institute, corre-