9. Development Studies

Outline and Significance

    Under the development studies program, a development study team composed of experts or consultants is dispatched to a developing country upon receipt of a request, and through a combination of in-country field surveys and activities in Japan, prepares a report which contributes to the promotion of an official development plan which is acknowledged as being effective for that country's social and economic development.
    Thus, development studies have an important role to play in the provision of baseline data to assist recipient country governments in making policy judgments about their development plans. In brief, recipient country governments formulate basic concepts for development of the country overall, or in specific regions or sectors, based on the reports prepared by development study teams. Alternatively, such reports may be used to determine whether or not to initiate a certain project or whether it is of an urgent nature, and as background data for requests for funding cooperation from donor countries or international organizations.

Target Sectors for Development Studies

    Development study teams are dispatched to conduct their work in a range of sectors, including transportation, public utilities, telecommunications, social infrastructure, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, mining and manufacturing, and energy. Development studies will normally be carried out in one specific country, but there may be situations where projects span several countries.

Other Effects

    Development studies also assist in improving technological levels in developing countries. In other words, the program seeks to achieve a form of technology transfer through field surveys carried out in concert with local technical personnel, and also via the acceptance of these personnel as trainees in Japan, where they engage in the analysis of field survey data and the preparation of the team's report. However, the notion of technology transfer mentioned here does not simply represent the piecemeal transfer of discrete technologies, but also includes the transfer of technological expertise for formulating a viable development plan by organically integrating individual technological skills, viewed from the technological, economic, financial, and social aspects.
    Hence, the development study may rather be interpreted as the first step towards the realization of a given project, and lies between technical cooperation and funding cooperation on the continuum of forms of cooperation.
    Development studies are the JICA projects that make the maximum use of consultants. In order to implement such activities more effectively and efficiently, it is increasingly important to constructively use consultants as a means of enhancing the implementation framework. Given this perspective, the use of foreign consultants in a complementary role to the Japanese consulting industry has been permitted since FY1988. This move has resulted in the qualitative improvement of studies, through the enhancement of technical skills and expertise in areas in which Japan has traditionally been found wanting, and the facilitation of the in-country information gathering process.

Procedure

    Development studies are carried out according to a set procedure, and their duration may range from several months to several years, depending on the nature of the activities concerned. In general, the implementation procedure follows the pattern described below.

(1) Request for Cooperation
    A formal request for a specific study initiative is submitted from the government of a developing country to the government of Japan, usually via the relevant Japanese embassy.

(2) Preparation of Implementation Plan
    Relevant information about the proposed study is collected and its feasibility investigated. If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides to go ahead and dispatch a study team, it consults with interested ministries and agencies, then issues instructions to JICA to implement the study. A draft implementation plan is drawn up and the basic strategy determined.

(3) Dispatch of Preliminary Study Team
    When the implementation plan has been finalized, team members are selected and the preliminary study team is dispatched to the recipient country. During this preliminary activity, the details of the request are confirmed with the government of the recipient country, a field survey of the target area is carried out, and any necessary data and information are collected. After verifying the terms and conditions and other parameters of the full-scale study, discussions are held with the implementing agency of the recipient country to reach an agreement on the framework of the study, including its focus and duration. The details of the agreement are compiled in a document known as a Scope of Work (S/W).

(4) Dispatch of Full-scale Study Team
    In accordance with the terms of the Scope of Work mentioned above, a full-scale study team composed of consultants and other personnel is dispatched to the recipient country. In cooperation with the government and other authorities of the recipient country, the study team conducts its field study according to the agreed scope of operations.

(5) Work in Japan
    A draft report is prepared from a comprehensive analysis of the results of the full-scale field study. During the preparation of the draft report, a team may be dispatched to the recipient country to brief the appropriate authorities on the progress of the work.

(6) Dispatch of the Draft Report Briefing Team
    When the draft report is completed, it is presented, together with a briefing on its contents, to the officials of the country seeking assistance. The recipient country's views are taken into consideration when preparing the final report.

(7) Delivery of the Report
    When the final report is completed, the number of copies prescribed in the S/W is delivered to the recipient country, completing the study implementation process.

Types of Development Study

(1) Master Plan Study
    A Master Plan study (M/P) seeks to formulate the fundamental concepts (including project implementation structures, systems, and other information-oriented aspects) underpinning major integrated projects spanning several sectors, or complete development projects in specified regions or sectors. Thus, the country in question is able to forestall unplanned development through the preparation of various strategies and projects, and the master plan provides a balanced blueprint for implementation, framed from a broad perspective.
    In brief, the feasibility of development is evaluated at the initial stage of a development plan, and the relationships between individual projects, and investment priorities are elucidated. The integrated development planning study aims to investigate the development potentialities for various sectors such as agriculture, mining and manufacturing industry, and infrastructure, as well as those for the human and natural resources of a specific region. The development strategy for a region is drafted in light of the results of this survey, definite development projects are proposed, and the priorities for investment are determined.
    The development plan which results from the master plan study process serves as baseline data for the recipient country's socio-economic development strategies, and at the same time, provides a valuable reference tool for Japan in determining its future economic cooperation plans. Since they also share the characteristics of the project finding process, in which outstanding projects are identified, master plan studies are valuable forms of study-based cooperation programs.

(2) Feasibility Study
    A feasibility study (F/S) is a preliminary study in which an analysis is performed and recommendations made for the technical, economic, and financial viability of a certain project in sectors such as agriculture and social infrastructure. Feasibility studies account for more than 50% of all development studies. The following are typical sectors in which feasibility studies are performed:

(i) Infrastructure development (e.g., construction and improvement of roads, ports, communications, broadcasting services, and railways)

(ii) Agricultural development (e.g., boosting rice production through construction of irrigation and drainage facilities, promotion of dairy farming practices)

(iii) Forestry development (e.g., reforestation, lumber projects, construction of pulp and paper plants)

(iv) Fisheries industry development (e.g., construction and maintenance of fishing ports)

(v) Industrial development (e.g., power supply development, development of textile, steel, and chemical industries)

    Besides those mentioned above, feasibility studies are prepared for a wide variety of fields such as urban development, water resource development, river improvement, and tourism development. If the results of a feasibility study indicate that a particular project is feasible in technological, economic, and financial terms, it may be implemented either using the recipient country's own financial resources or through funding from international financial institutions like the World Bank, or from other governments such as that of Japan.

(3) Detailed Design Survey
    The next step after the feasibility study is the detailed design survey (D/D), which entails the preparation of a detailed design upon which an actual construction project will be based. It is thus normally included in construction expenses, but when the recipient country government makes a firm request and all the preconditions are satisfied, the detailed design survey, comprising the preparation of documentation, designs, and specifications required to commence construction of the project, may be funded as a form of technical cooperation. In such circumstances, however, three preconditions are identified as necessary: that a workable plan for procuring funds for the project is in place, that the project's feasibility has been confirmed, and that JICA will not bear any liability for defects (faults).

(4) Ground Water Resource Development Survey
    Ground water resource development surveys are carried out as a prerequisite to securing supplies of good quality water in arid regions and other areas. Since it is often difficult to ensure supplies of good quality water not only in arid regions, but also even in wetter climes such as those found in Southeast Asia, demand for this type of survey is deep-seated. To date, ground water resource development surveys have been carried out in countries including the Philippines, China, Jordan, Nigeria, Bolivia, and Honduras.

(5) Surveys to Supply Baseline Data for Development
(i) Topographical Map Surveys
Topographical maps provide baseline data that are indispensable to the preparation of development plans and the project implementation process. However, since cartographic studies usually require considerable time, funds, and sophisticated techniques, topographical maps are scarce in developing countries, impeding the preparation of projects and plans, and leading to requests to Japan for cooperation. Topographical map surveys are performed to prepare general purpose maps, known as basic national maps, covering 10,000 to 20,000 square kilometers (on a scale of 1:50,000 or 1:25,000). More recently, surveys have also been carried out to prepare basic city maps covering 1,500 to 2,000 square meters (on a scale of 1:10,000), intended for major urban areas which urgently require the preparation of development plans to address numerous urban problems. The preparation of such maps typically takes between three and five years. To date, such surveys have been carried out for, among others, the metropolitan area of Manila in the Philippines, Tunisia in its entirety (topographical maps for the northern region, and aerial photography for the south), the southern Mombasa district of Kenya, and the Bangkok metropolitan area in Thailand.

(ii) Forestry Resource Survey
First launched in FY1976, forestry resource surveys are typically three-year projects involving aerial photography, field surveys, and data analysis to determine the nature and extent of forestry resources, including parameters such as the numbers and species of trees. Since forestry resource surveys enable topographical maps of the forest area to be drawn up, they facilitate the preparation of appropriate land utilization plans for the area, and the preparation of management plans for river basins. To date, surveys have been carried out in countries including Tunisia, Colombia, and Ecuador.

(iii) Marine Resource Surveys
Marine resource surveys are designed to obtain information on the species and populations of fish living in a particular area of ocean, and appropriate fishing seasons and suitable fishing methods, through the use of fishing vessels to carry out experimental operations. Normally, this type of survey is carried out at different times for about six months each year, over a total period of two years. If the results of the survey indicate that the area of ocean is a promising fishing ground, a trial operation lasting one to two years is generally carried out on a commercial basis, followed by full-scale commercial fishing operations. To date, marine resource surveys have been carried out for countries including Costa Rica, Fiji, and Tuvalu.

(iv) Mineral Resource Survey (Basic Survey for Resource Development Cooperation)
Normally carried out over a three-year period, mineral resource surveys involve geological surveys, physical exploration, and drilling operations, through which deposits of mineral resources (primarily nonferrous metals such as copper, zinc, and lead) are identified and analyzed.
    Because mineral resource surveys demand specialized testing equipment and materials, expert personnel, and substantial funds, they are generally beyond the reach of developing countries. Thus, these surveys are intended to provide the fundamental data required to develop mineral resource projects in the recipient country. To date, mineral resource surveys have been carried out in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, and Colombia.

Back to Index