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51 – Strategies for Large-Scale Numerical and Statistical Computing
Lessons Learned from Consulting in 25 Developing Countries: Becoming a Culturally Intelligent International Statistical Consultant
Brian Hannon
Independent International Consultant in Survey Statistics
Without effective counterparts it is impossible to build a country's capacity and sustain any accomplishments. This challenge is especially difficult in strife-torn nations such as Cambodia or Afghanistan. In Cambodia, the ruthless Khmer Rouge decimated the professional technocrats in the late 1970s. Afghanistan is divided by having two official languages and differences in religious sects, culture and tribal loyalties. Because of their strict Islamic religion, household survey interviewers must be a couple related by marriage or blood. In many developing countries, illiteracy is a major problem handicapping building an effective technocracy and recruiting staff members for government agencies. In other countries, politics, competing priorities and entrenched bureaucracies are challenges that are very difficult to overcome. Technical assistance from external advisers is seen as a threat rather than as a welcome resource. On the positive side, it is very gratifying to witness improvements in an organization after a survey is successfully completed. Transferring knowledge to counterparts in developing countries is an important contribution to that country's progress and development.