Bridging cultural differences in project evaluations in development and international cooperation context

Abstract

In the realm of development and international cooperation, projects often involve collaboration between various countries, organizations, and communities with distinct mentalities and cultural norms. Germany, as a major player in development assistance, engages in projects with diverse partner countries, each shaped by unique historical, social, and cultural backgrounds. Cultural responsiveness in this context entails recognizing and adapting to different mentalities, communication styles, and decision-making approaches. German evaluators collaborating with stakeholders from partner countries, such as the Republic of Moldova, must exercise cultural humility and empathy to bridge potential gaps in understanding and foster effective communication. In the Republic of Moldova it is common practice to have teams of external and local evaluators. This gives local evaluators the opportunity to have unique collaborations with experts from different countries. In addition to learning and knowledge transfer, this is a very valuable opportunity for local experts to pick up new working approaches, understanding of different cultural mentalities and application of different techniques adjusted to the local context. This research answers the question: What strategies address cultural responsiveness? What challenges do evaluators face in the project evaluation process when it comes to culturally responsive evaluation? And if such evaluations offer benefits to stakeholders involved in an evaluation process. In this context, Germany and the Republic of Moldova were analysed as case studies.