Evaluation of Self-Governance and Role of Municipalities in Poverty Reduction Project in Azerbaijan

Overview

The Self-Governance and Role of Municipalities in Poverty Reduction in Azerbaijan project ran for three years from May 2004. Its general objective was to support municipalities to represent their citizens, especially the poorest. It proposed to achieve this by; Improving the quality of local self-government by addressing the general lack of understanding, and making them more democratic, more effective, and more efficient; satisfying the local population by having them participating in decision making, giving them better services, and bringing them at a higher level of awareness, and; contributing to poverty reduction by improving the quality of life. This mid-term evaluation has the overall objective of assessing impact against expected results, and analysing the quality and appropriateness of the original project design. But even more relevant was assessing whether a new phase should continue in the same way as before or whether improvements, amendments and/or a shift in emphasis should be adopted in the design or operation of the project.