NORAD terminated in 2000 its funding for HIRDEP, which has been the longest lasting IRDP within Norwegian aid. The project was evaluated in 1992 by CMI, and has been credited for a number of innovative approaches to local level planning and popular participation. This evaluation, completed in 2001, focuses on the main objectives of the last phase of HIRDEP: promotion of private sector development and employment creation. The study also assesses the extent to which the experiences of HIRDEP have been used by other similar projects and programmes in Sri Lanka. Alf Morten Jerve led a team comprising several local consultants, managed by the Regional Development Studies Centre at Colombo University, and one other Norwegian consultant.

Recent CMI publications: