Skip to main content

RE: Do Big Projects Deliver Effective Solutions in a Complex World?

Ram Khanal

Nepal

Ram Khanal

Advisor

Community of Evaluator (COE) Nepal

Posted on 09/04/2025

Dear Prof. Tinsley, 

It’s a pleasure to reconnect after so many years (ref: AIT/AASP/1998), and thank you for your thoughtful observation. Indeed, in South Asia—particularly Nepal—I’ve observed that larger projects often involve multiple layers of management, including international experts with high overheads, which can significantly raise transaction costs across global, national, and local levels. While donors may perceive large projects as more cost-efficient at the administrative level, the actual value reaching beneficiaries can be diluted. Given your extensive experience, I’d be very interested to know if you’ve come across studies that analyze the proportion of funds utilized by service providers versus those reaching intended beneficiaries. Best regards,