Universalia is 30 years old, and we find ourselves celebrating once more with a book that underscores our commitment to sharing what we have learned with professional colleagues in international development and evaluation from around the world. In celebrating our golden anniversary with this publication, we hope that it will stimulate your thinking and make a lasting contribution to the fulfillment of our motto: Improving performance to make a difference!

Cut through the complexities of educational research! The authors discuss the research process and offer a research framework – collect the data, analyze it, and write a credible paper or thesis that balances quantitative and qualitative perspectives.

An innovative and comprehensive approach for diagnosing the strengths and weaknesses of any institution, the framework has been tested by Universalia and IDRC in a variety of situations around the world and has been used for internal self-assessments and external evaluations by funding agencies. Available on the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) website.

Do you know if your organization is performing efficiently? This guidebook presents an innovative and thoroughly tested model for organizational self-assessment that integrates techniques of formative assessment, in which the assessment team becomes involved in helping its organization become more effective. The model can be adapted to any type or size of organization. Worksheets and hands-on exercises are included. Also available in French and Spanish. Available on the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) website.

The key to improving the effectiveness of development projects is strengthening the organizations that receive development assistance grants and loans. This book offers a clear-cut methodology for diagnosing organizational strengths and weaknesses and includes a quick assessment guide, sample questions, an outline for reports, and a comprehensive glossary. Also available in Spanish and French. Available on the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) website. Extract from Organizational Assessment: A Framework for Improving Performance:

"The inability of development agencies to understand and improve the performance of the organizations they support continues to impede progress in the developing world, even after a decade of reforms. Strengthening the institutions that receive those grants and loans has become the key to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of development assistance."

Universalia looks back on its first 25 years and shares its experiences and lessons.

This book shares some key lessons learned about cross-cultural dissonance, conflicting values about social inclusion of minorities, differing perspectives on gender equality, and how former enemies can build peace by connecting professionally. It reflects upon processes to train 10,000 teachers, the development of leaders for the future, and efforts to change an intransigent university. The different authors – from Canada, Kosovo, and Serbia – consider issues such as the cycle of change, why people resist change, and how local leaders can be empowered to embrace change, lead it, and own it as conditions in their context evolve. While the illustrations and examples refer to education systems in the Balkans, we believe that the book is relevant to development professionals in all sectors and every part of the world.