Evaluation - ifa-steiermark.at common evaluation... · 4.3 Level 3: Specification of implementation...

Evaluation

of theof theof theof the

transnational EQUAL Partnership

“IDeA-H – Chance for Gender”

- Common Final Report -

Evaluators:Evaluators:Evaluators:Evaluators:

László Benedek (NŐ az ESÉLY!/Hungary) Giada Dura (ITER/Italy)

Andreas Fritsch (RegioPlus/Germany) Gelsomina Pedalino (L.A.I.L.A.F/Italy)

Max Saurug (Plan:b/Austria)

May 2007

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CONTENTS:

1 TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION “IDEA-H” – CHANCE FOR GENDER......3

2 COMMON OBJECTIVES OF THE PARTNERSHIP “IDEA-H” ...........................3

3 THE EVALUATION: OBJECTIVES AND WORKING METHODOLOGY............5

3.1 An Approach for an ongoing transnational evaluation process ..........................................................5

3.2 Methods and databases ...........................................................................................................................6

4 RESULTS OF THE TRANSNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP

“IDEA-H – CHANCE FOR GENDER” .................................................................6

4.1 Level 1: Specification of the joint objectives: ........................................................................................6

4.2 Level 2: Specification of tasks and duties ..............................................................................................8

4.3 Level 3: Specification of implementation steps ...................................................................................10

4.4 Level 4: Analysis of the implementation process ................................................................................12

4.4.1 Steering of the work process...............................................................................................................12

4.4.2 Communication and cooperation process ...........................................................................................14

4.4.3 Working groups ..................................................................................................................................16

4.4.4 Adherence to principles and cross-sectional themes...........................................................................18

4.4.5 Gender Mainstreaming .......................................................................................................................19

4.5 Level 5: Analysis of goal-attainment....................................................................................................21

4.5.1 IDeA-H: Achievement of Goals and Products according to the TCA ..............................................21

4.5.2 Adherence to tasks, duties and arrangements .....................................................................................22

4.6 Level 6: Analysis of the added-value....................................................................................................24

4.6.1 Success and added-value ....................................................................................................................24

5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................26

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1 TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION “IDEA-H” – CHANCE FOR GENDER

The aim of the transnational EQUAL cooperation partnership is to explore methods to facilitate the access of women to the labour market, to make their work visible and to improve working conditions and employment stability. Transnational cooperation is a vital component of the EQUAL initiative and is seen as an essential source of inspiration for policy innovation. The development of common European solutions for common European problems means cooperating with people, organisations and institutions in other Member States. “EQUAL’s experience has shown that transnational cooperation is not easy, but it can often be the most effective way of achieving results unattainable under normal circumstances. This is because transnational

cooperation provides a tool for the kind of lateral thinking required to achieve innovation.”1

Accessing and participating in European networks open up new possibilities to learn from each other and to develop new activities, practices and systems. EQUAL has been structured to foster effective transnational cooperation and to encourage the transfer of know-how between Member States. This sharing and exchange of knowledge provides real benefits for policy development at all levels: “Transnationality is an essential element in the EQUAL Initiative for promoting the transfer of know-how and good practice between partnerships and between Member States. By sharing the results of innovative actions carried out by the DPs at national level, transnational cooperation will provide real value-

added for policy development at the national and European levels.”2

2 COMMON OBJECTIVES OF THE PARTNERSHIP “IDEA-H”

This EQUAL Development Partnership consists of five partnerships, two from Italy, and one each from Germany, Austria and Hungary, that collaborated until June 2007, within the framework of a two year transnational partnership called “IDeA-H - Chance for Gender”.3 The participating development partnerships approached their tasks and responsibilities differently, depending on the circumstances within their countries, for example strategies to reduce the horizontal and vertical segregation of women in the employment market. The most important aspect of transnational cooperation, according to the TCA4, is the exchange of experience and information, the parallel development of innovative approaches and the import, export and adaptation of new measures.

1 http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/equal/data/document/freemovbroch2004_en.pdf, p. 9.

2 http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/equal/data/document/transnatguide_en.pdf, p. 7.

3 RegioPlus' - Saechsischer Kooperations- und Kommunikationsverbund, Germany; NÖ az ESÉLY! Esélyegyenlőségi program Zala megyében, Hungary; L.A.I.L.A.F. - LABORATORIO DI INNOVAZIONE LAVORATIVA AL FEMMINILE, Italy; ITER - StrumentI per la cerTificazione di pERcorsi femminili, Italy; plan:b, Austria.

4 TCA: Transnational Cooperation Agreement, a contract that specifies the aims, activities and conditions for the participating development partnerships within the framework of the cooperation.

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Figure 1: Overview of the Transnational Cooperation Agreement

TCA: Aims, Activities, Methods, Results

Aims Ø Common interest of the transnational cooperation IDeA-H is to facilitate the access of women to the labour market, to make their work visible and to improve working conditions and employment stability

Activities General activity levels:

Ø Exchange of information and experiences ****5

Ø Parallel development of innovative approaches *** Ø Import, export or adoption of new approaches *** Ø Joint development ** Ø Exchange of trainees/trainers/staff *

Specific activities:

Ø General transnational meetings (5) Ø Steering group meetings (6) Ø Working groups (3 themes) Ø Development of describing tools (“problem-solution tree”) Ø Development of a “good practice tool” Ø Development of a “cross media publishing tool” Ø Website and Discussion Forum Ø Accompanying Evaluation Ø Bilateral meetings and study visits between the DPs and the

partners Ø Development of a matrix, containing the working packages and/or

specific knowledge of the national partners – Plus business cards

Methods Ø Working methodology is mainly the comparison of the different local situations, problems and activities. Study visits and learning from local projects will enrich the exchange of experience, good practice and innovative ideas for each DP.

Results Ø Valuable inputs for the national work of the participating DPs Ø Improved intercultural competence Ø Transferable tools Ø Final Report Ø Evaluation Report

5 Priority of the activities is valued using stars: ****=very important

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3 THE EVALUATION: OBJECTIVES AND WORKING METHODOLOGY

The central question was: Which aims, which methods and what success play a part in the development project “IDeA-H - Chance for Gender”. With the assistance of a background of systematic procedures from EQUAL, it is evident that from transnational cooperation, an “additional (European) value emerges from a common approach to the theme”. The task of the accompanying research was to, above all, analyse the achievements of the self-formulated targets of “IDeA-H – Chance for Gender”, not only as regards to the realisation but as to how high the objectives in question, were set.

3.1 An Approach for an ongoing transnational evaluation process

The scientific objective of the research project was the evaluation of the cooperation between the five participating development partnerships on a transnational level. The central tasks of the research assignment were to analyse the implementation process and the attainment of the jointly set objectives. The levels of analysis and the key questions of the evaluation are: Level:Level:Level:Level: Key questions:Key questions:Key questions:Key questions:

Level 1: Specification of tLevel 1: Specification of tLevel 1: Specification of tLevel 1: Specification of the jointly set he jointly set he jointly set he jointly set oooobbbbjectives:jectives:jectives:jectives:

Which objectives seemed to be attainable, considering the scarce resources for the transnational cooperation process?

Level 2: Specification of tasks and duties:Level 2: Specification of tasks and duties:Level 2: Specification of tasks and duties:Level 2: Specification of tasks and duties:

Which tasks and duties, should each DP undertake? How did the partners describe their role allocation within the transnational partnership? What were the expectations regarding these different roles and duties?

Level 3: Specification of implementation Level 3: Specification of implementation Level 3: Specification of implementation Level 3: Specification of implementation steps:steps:steps:steps:

Which working steps, methods and tools were used to attain the joint objectives?

Level 4: Analyses of the implementation Level 4: Analyses of the implementation Level 4: Analyses of the implementation Level 4: Analyses of the implementation process:process:process:process:

Which general conditions and factors promoted the cooperation process? Which general conditions and factors impeded the cooperation process?

Level 5: Analysis of goalLevel 5: Analysis of goalLevel 5: Analysis of goalLevel 5: Analysis of goal----attainment:attainment:attainment:attainment: To what extent were the set objectives attained?

Level 6: Analysis of the addedLevel 6: Analysis of the addedLevel 6: Analysis of the addedLevel 6: Analysis of the added----value:value:value:value: Which benefits did the partnership gain from the transnational cooperation? Which benefits did the individual national DP’s gain from the transnational cooperation?

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3.2 Methods and databases

The research methods used in this evaluation were interviews, participant observations, semi-structured questionnaires and the analysis of documents and records. By means of short, verbal and written periodical reports, the representatives of the transnational partnership and the steering group were kept up-to-date about the progress of the implementation process. The final results of the evaluation will now be summed up in a joint research report drawn up by all of the national evaluators. These methods and measures were discussed, developed and finalised within a working team of evaluators.

MMMMeeeethods and databases of all five evaluators in common:thods and databases of all five evaluators in common:thods and databases of all five evaluators in common:thods and databases of all five evaluators in common:

4 RESULTS OF THE TRANSNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP “IDEA-H – CHANCE FOR GENDER”

4.1 Level 1: Specification of the joint objectives

According to the TCA the most important goals of this transnational partnership are:

- The exchange of information and experience: The participating development partnerships were able to get to know each other’s ideas, strategies and activities.

- The parallel development of innovative approaches: The cooperation allowed for experimentation under different conditions.

- The import, export or adoption of new approaches: Approaches tested elsewhere can be transferred and adapted to one’s own regional situation.

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6 see p. 4.

This report is based on expert interviews and from focus groups with members of IDeA-H. In addition, standardised interviews held at meetings, such as steering committee conferences, where a series of conversations and discussions took place with the participants from all five of the IDeA-H development partnerships, were analysed. At least one of the five evaluators had to be present at the scheduled “IDeA-H - Chance for Gender” general conferences and steering group meetings. They not only acted as observers, but also as reporters on the interim evaluation results and thus they could contribute to the project information flow.

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Working methodology will be the “comparison of the different local situations, problems

and activities. Study visits and learning from local projects will enrich the exchange of

experience, good practice and innovative ideas for each DP.”7

NŐ az ESÉLY! (Hungary):

The objectives were set out very clearly in the TCA. However, the DPs and the participants had to “learn” their duties and tasks, not only in theory but also in practice throughout the implementation of the project. The first two General Meetings and subsequent meetings of the Steering Group provided the opportunity to learn from one another and to adapt a real time and working schedule for the DPs and working teams. The real challenge was, to work on, and react to one another’s work, not only at General Meetings but also during the interval between the meetings.

L.A.I.L.A.F (Italy):

During all the transnational meetings, the objectives established in the TCA, were, more or less, attained. The communication flow was very profitable in all the working groups. They learnt from each other, exchanged ideas and developed new approaches, which contributed to a process of mutual understanding. The personnel and financial resources provided for transnational cooperation and the achievement of the jointly set objectives were fully sufficient.

RegioPlus (Germany):

All of the objectives of the TCA seemed to be realisable within the transnational cooperation. Of special note was the exchange of information and experience and the import, export or adoption of approaches. The originally planned parallel development of innovative approaches was of minor importance. The creation of transnational long-term working groups, with the task of discussing problems and describing good practice on certain themes, was an outstanding goal of the transnational cooperation project IDeA-H. The personnel and financial resources provided for transnational cooperation and the achievement of the joint objectives were fully sufficient.

ITER (Italy):

The objectives were described very clearly in the TCA. This was the guideline for the steering group and consequently for all the participants of the working process.

Plan:b (Austria):

An important lesson learned from the first EQUAL period was the need to express clear and achievable targets at the beginning of the transnational cooperation. In direct consequence of this, the TCA of IDeA-H was formulated very clearly and provided a good basis for the later work of the five involved European DPs, and was further specified by the steering group.

7 see p. 1.

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Common point of view of all five evaluators (synthesis statement):Common point of view of all five evaluators (synthesis statement):Common point of view of all five evaluators (synthesis statement):Common point of view of all five evaluators (synthesis statement):

An important lesson learned from the first EQUAL period was the need to express clear and achievable targets at the beginning of the transnational cooperation. The objectives, therefore, were set up very clearly in the TCA.

The objectives established in the TCA were attainable.

Overall, the personnel and financial resources provided for transnational cooperation and the achievement of the joint objectives were sufficient. The resources were not equally distributed among the partners.

4.2 Level 2: Specification of tasks and duties

Which tasks and duties should each DP undertake? How did the partners describe their role allocation within the transnational partnership? What were the expectations regarding these different roles and duties?


Although the specifications of the duties were clearly defined in the TCA, there were some slight differences in the transnational allocation of tasks. Some tasks that were clearly delegated to the DPs were performed in a highly professional manner, especially the organisation of the General Meetings. Other concrete enough tasks, such as the development and hosting of the project web-site, managed by the Italian DP ITER and designing a concept for cross-media publishing, run by the Hungarian Nö az Esély!, were performed very well. The transnational office, led by the Austrian DP plan:b contributed a very essential part to the working process. However, other tasks, in which more than one partner was involved, such as working group activities and the good practice database, were not defined precisely enough, and the expectations and role allocation were unclear from the beginning of the project. However, at the General Meetings due to the guidance and clarification by the Steering Committee, a mutual understanding of what was required was reached.


The tasks of each DP, the responsibility of the transnational office and the duties of the steering group were negotiated and written down in the TCA. Some tasks were well known by the most part of the members from each DP. Others that were unclear were explained during General Meetings where each question received an answer, thanks to the efficiency of the Steering Committee.


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The tasks of each DP, the responsibilities of the transnational office and the duties of the steering group were negotiated and written down in the TCA. Almost all the German representatives were aware of the main responsibilities of the transnational development partners: DP RegioPlus was responsible for the good practice tool; DP plan:b was managing and coordinating the transnational office, D Nö az ESÉLY! was creating a cross-media concept for IDeA-H, DP ITER was building up the website www.idea-h.org, and DP LAILAF was in charge of working group methodology. According to the German representatives, the transnational office was in charge of coordination and promotion of communication and cooperation between the transnational partners. The transnational office mainly organised and led the steering group meetings and provided the protocols used to monitor these events. The steering group was responsible for the management of the transnational cooperation and the General Meetings. Each development partnership was to host a General Meeting and fulfil their duties as set down in the TCA.

ITER (Italy):

At first, the tasks and duties of the different DPs were not well known among the members of this DP. The only well identified DP was the Austrian one, with the role of managing the transnational office. In fact, only the steering group members were aware of the different tasks and duties of the various DPs. However, during the project period, the tasks and duties became clear to all the ITER members.

Plan:b (Austria):

The different roles and tasks of the cooperating partnerships were well defined and agreed to, at the beginning of the project and were continually updated. The main work of the steering committee was to specify the TCA’s aims and communicate the tasks, duties and deadlines to the DP coordinators and to the working group leaders. Also the transnational office led by the Austrian DP plan:b contributed an essential development of the working process.

Common point of view of all five evaluatorsCommon point of view of all five evaluatorsCommon point of view of all five evaluatorsCommon point of view of all five evaluators::::

The tasks of each DP, the responsibility of the transnational office and the duties of the steering group were negotiated and written down in the TCA. At first the tasks and duties of the different DPs were not well known among the members of the DPs. During the project period, the tasks and duties became clear to all the partners.

A few specific tasks, in which more than one partner was involved, such as working group activities, the good practice database, the expectations and role allocation were not defined precisely enough at the beginning of the project. Later however, the guidance of the Steering Committee at General Meetings led to the clarification of role allocation and a mutual understanding of expectations.

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4.3 Level 3: Specification of implementation steps

Which working steps, methods and tools were used to attain the joint objectives? In accordance with the TCA, the partners chose the following methods and tools to achieve the objectives of the transnational partnership:

- The installation of a transnational office in order to guarantee the establishment of efficient communication structures and the continuity of the joint working process.

- The organisation of, and participation at general transnational meetings, to offer the opportunity for all partners to get to know the different regional structures, activities and experience of other countries.

- The strategy of the TCA and the work of the general meetings were to be organised and planned during the steering group meetings.

- Bilateral exchange and study visits were organized individually. - The installation of three working groups allocated to specific themes, defined

during the first general meeting, represented the main tool for good practice exchange.

- The work and the results of the transnational cooperation were to be presented on a website.

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The installation of a transnational office led by the Austrian DP plan:b was the first step to attain the joint objectives. The second step was to draw up a schedule for five General Meetings to be organised by each DP and six Steering Committee meetings. The third step was to select the members of each Working Group according to their interests. Three Working Groups were organised on the themes of: Enterprise Creation, Integrative Models and Network in Rural Areas. The groups were to define their own time and working schedule, in order to exchange experience within the chosen field and incorporate the issues of women employment and Gender Mainstreaming. These working groups were ideally suited to develop the common database of good practice examples. Bilateral exchange programmes were organised between various partners. The Hungarian DP developed a concept and toolkit for cross-media publishing by using logos, headed paper and business cards, while the German DP RegioPlus developed a set of business cards in order to improve communication between the partners after the project. A project website was developed in order to speed up communication among the partners. This was managed and hosted by the Italian DP ITER. The website was very useful in speeding up project implementation and partnership development in the second year of the project. All the events, materials and documents were presented on the project website.

8 see p. 4-5.

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An international evaluation team was developed in parallel to the project implementation by the leadership of the Austrian DP plan:b and with the participation of all five DPs.

L.A.I.L.A.F (Italy): The following steps were taken to achieve the joint objectives: 1. The installation of a transnational office led by the Austrian DP plan:b. 2. The planning of general meetings, each to be hosted by one national DP. 3. The division of all the participants into three thematic Working Groups: Enterprise

Creation, Integrative Models and Network in Rural Areas. 4. Bilateral meetings were arranged for the exchange of programmes and experience

between the partners. 5. The creation of business cards for all the persons involved in the transnational

cooperation. 6. The production of a format for presenting the selected best practices and

implementation of a common database. 7. The creation of a website, “cross-media publishing tool” and a logo for the

partnership.


The implementation steps to attain the joint objectives were also set down in the TCA: The steering group was in charge of coordinating the transnational cooperation and the transnational office was to promote communication and cooperation.

The realisation of the General Meetings with long-term thematic working groups and a final conference were very important. All the meetings were monitored. The transnational evaluators provided feedback regularly. Dissemination of the results of the transnational partnership was to be prepared.

As a result of earlier experience, the promotion of bilateral contacts was implemented, as well as the creation of business cards for all persons involved in the transnational cooperation.

ITER (Italy):

The first step was to plan the general meetings, each hosted by one national DP. The second step was the subdivision of all the participants into three working groups, each one focused on a specific and well defined topic, plus one cross-sectional working group concerned about the evaluation process. The third step was to define the format for the presentation of selected best practices and the creation of a common database.

Other steps were:

ü The creation of a website through which the public could become familiar with the project.

ü The sharing of all information and materials for the working groups using the website

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Plan:b (Austria):

One main focus of the work was to concentrate on the preparations and the running of five general meetings and six steering group meetings as well as the three working groups, which consisted of members from every development partnership. One further target was to develop a “good practice tool”, in order to be able to portray good examples within a database for approaches and projects in the above-mentioned fields of interest. The purpose behind this was to make good practice examples useful and transferable for all the participating countries. A “cross-media publishing tool” was contributed by the Hungarian Development Partnership that is, in essence, a corporate identity line for “Chance for Gender”. It also produced presentation material like the logo of the partnership, headed letter paper, and business cards. The IDeA-H website was developed and maintained by the Italian DP ITER and served as a publication and information forum about the work of the transnational partnership. Different study visits took place with the aim of exchanging information and experience.


All the working steps, methods and tools used to achieve the objectives of transnational partnership set down in the TCA were implemented during the cooperation process.

Apart from the planned activities some extra tasks were performed, such as the development of business cards and a CD-ROM of the results and best practice descriptions. An international evaluation team was formed in parallel with the project implementation by the leadership of the Austrian DP plan:b and with the participation of all five DPs. All meetings were monitored and feedback was provided regularly to promote the achievement of the joint objectives.

4.4 Level 4: Analysis of the implementation process

Which general conditions and factors promoted the cooperation process? Which general conditions and factors impeded the cooperation process?

4.4.1 Steering of the work process


The Steering Committee was a very good means of coordinating the project implementation. All the tasks like setting time schedules and coordinating the project flow involving the national partners were managed by the effective work of the steering group,

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the members of which kept in continual contact with one another. The Hungarian member of the Steering Group, who felt that their activities were very effective, underlined the warm and friendly atmosphere of the team. Since the Hungarian member was a young man, he very much appreciated the experience of his Austrian, German and Italian colleagues, as regards project coordination. The members of the Steering Committee participated in the working groups as well, either as chairpersons or as active participants. Thus the information flow and the activities were well coordinated between the Steering Team and the Working Groups.


The composition and competences of the Steering group with the task of managing the coordination of the project phases, the time schedule and its capacity to give a request to the several quetions queried from working group members, and the maintenance of frequent contact to the national partners was a success factor of the transnational cooperation. Even though, the people involved couldn’t speak the same language, there was always a friendly atmosphere. There was always a readiness to help with translations for those who didn’t speak English. Despite this, there was a continual communication flow, not only at the meetings but by e-mail too.


The main beneficial factor in steering the cooperation process was the “intercultural experience” of the transnational coordinators and the good will shown by all the partners to work together. Communication between the steering group members was rated as very good, especially via e-mail. However, the dropping out of leaders of the transnational coordination from the DP plan:b somewhat impeded the transnational cooperation process because the experience and skills required for coordinating the steering group and general meetings needed to be replaced.

ITER (Italy):

The formation of a steering group was successful. It furnished effective leadership for the development of the project. Periodic meetings of the steering group were held. The timetable of the work project was respected.

Plan:b (Austria):

As previously mentioned, the clarity of the TCA and its attainable targets facilitated the work. The establishment of a steering committee, good preparation and implementation of measures such as defining tasks and setting deadlines for the participating development partnerships and project representatives, and taking into consideration the experience from the last EQUAL period, resulted in clearer steering committee requirements. The TCA general activities were worked on with commitment. As regards the good progress made in achieving the aims of the partnership work, it should be emphasised that the cooperation, on the whole was carried out in a very eager and friendly atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding. However, the heterogeneous composition of the partnership with regard to social cultural backgrounds and the language barrier slowed down the work.

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Common point of view of all five evaCommon point of view of all five evaCommon point of view of all five evaCommon point of view of all five evaluatorsluatorsluatorsluators::::

The general conditions and factors that promoted the steering of the work process were:

• The competence of each steering group member, as regards intercultural background and experience, coordination and project management skills

• The warm and friendly atmosphere • Communication between the steering group and working groups • Communication between the steering group members • The regular meetings • The know-how transfer from experienced colleagues to younger members.

No impeding factor could be mentioned.

4.4.2 Communication and cooperation process


The communication flow was sufficient between the project partners. Communication between the Steering Committee members was excellent, as they kept in continual contact with one another by e-mail and they were able to inform each other about new developments and upcoming events of the project. Less effective was the communication between the Working Group participants, which was somewhat hectic in the first year, but later in the course of developing best practice examples, improved. The website was an excellent tool of mutual, transnational communication however, during the first year of the project, it was not utilized sufficiently. Personal professional contacts were kept up at General Meetings and through bilateral visits. The national coordinators mediated between the Hungarian project partners and the other DPs.


Communication flow was appropriate and sufficient between all the partners even though there were some people who were unable to speak English. The website was the ideal place to learn about new developments, the status of the project, and in developing cooperation over long distances, even though its use was inadequate considering its potential. The Italian national coordinators were, often in direct contact with other DPs, and there was a will to find a similar approach to similar problems.


The selection of suitable partners for each theme was the starting point for the transnational cooperation. The main factors that promoted the transnational cooperation process were the choice of the partners, the implementation steps set out in the TCA, the

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“intercultural experience” of the transnational coordinators, the good will shown from all the partners and the improved use of English during the project period.

The diversity of the projects, the specific local backgrounds of the various members, and their different points of view provided an opportunity for the exchange of experience and ideas within the working groups, but paradoxically these same factors could hinder the cooperation process. Other impeding factors were the language barrier and lack of collaboration between the General Meetings.

It was evident that there was a different cultural attitude between partners concerning work and communication. The Germans, for instance wanted efficient time management, while others preferred more informal unscheduled communication. These experiences promote as well as impede the cooperation process.

The promotion of bilateral contacts during General Meetings heavily intensified transnational cooperation, and was beneficial on a personal level. Warm personal relationships developed during the programmes of the meetings, which strongly promoted cooperation at a DP level.

ITER (Italy):

Each DP had all the necessary instruments in order to communicate. However, sometimes, the communication was intermittent, and there was:

ü Too little communication between the meetings

ü Too little use of the website

Nevertheless during the meetings, cooperation was very good; the only real problem was the lack of a common language.

Plan:b (Austria):

On the whole, communication at meetings, via e-mail and telephone between the coordinators, working group members and module representatives was evaluated as good. However, it must be pointed out, that the intensity of communication tended to diminish after general meetings and increased only before meetings. It was pointed out critically, that cooperation between meetings, as regards content, should not only be mainly limited to the coordinators of the steering committee. In this way the transnational office from plan:b managed to achieve effective coordination work.

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The general conditions and factors that promoted communication and cooperation were:

• The competence of the steering group • The competence of the working group members • The General meetings that were the ideal venue to promote and improve

cooperation • A warm and friendly atmosphere • Innovative approaches from the partners and the selection of partners in terms of

topics and interests • Bilateral meetings and informal contacts • The website as a tool for communication • Good interrelationships between the steering group and the working groups

The impeding factors for communication and cooperation were:

• The lack of communication between the general meetings • Low utilization of the website • The language barrier

4.4.3 Working groups


Three working groups were nominated at the beginning of the project, dedicated to Enterprise creation, Integrated Models and Networks in Rural Areas. All the project participants attended one of them. There was a strong interrelationship between the Steering Committee and the Working Groups, as two of the Working Group chairpersons were former steering committee members. In the third working group, a very active participant was nominated in the person of the Austrian DP leader. The working groups made a good job of exchanging experience and pooled their knowledge about Gender Mainstreaming. They also generated the professional content for the good practice database. The information flow was fairly slow at the beginning of the project, but in the second part of the project, the working teams worked well, especially in the formulation of the Good Practice database.


The three Working groups meetings were ideally suited for cooperation and mutual understanding. They held long discussions on their chosen topics, used objective-oriented methods, shared their skills and background to face common problems and tackled the

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theme of Gender Mainstreaming. In the second part of the project the language barrier was easily overcome and the working groups produced good results, such as good practice examples.


Based on thematic working groups, a new quality of cooperation was achieved in the transnational partnership IDeA-H, as compared with former transnational partnerships.

The problem tree was a good starting point for the work within the working groups. While creating the problem tree, the partners became acquainted with each other. Focusing on very interesting topics, the members discussed their own national or local approaches to promote the empowerment and employability for women. The problem tree provided a useful structure to combine the different approaches. However, after a good start, the later work of the working groups could have been more focused on a few selected problems and their solution. Some of the chairing of the meetings was poor. Many good ideas were discussed, but very little in the way of putting theory into practice.

The portrayal of local best practice examples with the aid of a tool to describe good practice could have been beneficial in assisting the exchange of experience, but not all the partners prepared for the meetings on time.

To make matters worse, the make-up of the working groups was altered by the dropping out of participants, resulting in repeating old discussions with the new participants.

Other obstacles to the cooperation process were the language barrier and the lack of cooperation work between the working group meetings.

ITER (Italy):

Dividing the members into working groups was a good working method and their work was satisfactory. The methods used by each working group were effective. As for the evaluation group, their activities were developed in steps. During the first phase, it was necessary to determine a suitable method of evaluation, on which everyone could agree. A monitoring system was set up and the activities were planned and carried out according to the time schedule.

Plan:b (Austria):

Beside the general meetings, the three working groups formed the heart of transnational cooperation. They discussed new employment possibilities for women in rural areas as well as the optimisation of networks and new mobility and flexibility models. The working group coordinators reported that the discussions were objective-orientated and described a constructive and friendly atmosphere. The working groups progressed well, although there was a serious language barrier, which used up precious time. Despite the language hurdle and the fact that the differing basic conditions and the work content of the participating development partnerships necessitated much information exchange and explanation, the set tasks were achieved. The main result of the working groups was the completion of the good practice database.

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The three working groups were ideally suited for cooperation and mutual understanding.

They held long discussions on their chosen topics, used objective-oriented methods, shared their skills and background to face common problems and tackled the theme of Gender Mainstreaming. In the second part of the project, the language barrier was overcome and the working groups produced one of the main results of the transnational cooperation, the good practice example database.

4.4.4 Adherence to principles and cross-sectional themes


The EQUAL principles were evident throughout the project period. One principle, partnership, was built up either in a national context or through the work of the DPs at a transnational level. There was active participation in the implementation of project work and at the General Meetings. Most of the cases presented were of innovative nature, such as time-sharing examples in Austria and Italy or chance management from Hungary, or accreditation of vocational projects from Germany. The thematic approach was also present in the work of the working teams. The EQUAL principle of sharing good examples and exchanging knowledge and experience was one of the key elements of the project. Learning from the experience of others was one of the dominant features of the project.


All the EQUAL principles and the cross-sectional themes were fully taken into consideration within the transnational partnership, especially in regard to Gender Mainstreaming and female empowerment. The sharing of different approaches to similar issues was a fundamental element of the Equal principles as was the previous experience gained by other EU-financed projects.


The EQUAL principles and cross-sectional themes were fully considered within the transnational partnership: Gender Mainstreaming was the common topic of the transnational partnership. Empowerment was an outstanding result of this transnational partnership. Even the smallest local projects were involved in the transnational cooperation. Empowerment and participation of the target group, people with disabilities, however, were only addressed on a local level.

The networking idea proved to be central for the transnational cooperation process.

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ITER (Italy):

EQUAL principles were ever present, even if not openly stated. The strong point of the project was the exchange of information regarding different approaches and solutions to similar problems.

Another remarkable aspect was the very friendly atmosphere that was always evident.

Plan:b (Austria):

The principles and cross-sectional themes of EQUAL were hardly addressed in detail. They were, however, in many cases, an implicit part of the programme as regards to the sustainability of an arranged cooperation. It was observed that overall, there was a very good team spirit within the different committees of IDeA-H.


EQUAL cross-sectional principles were present throughout the project period. These were partnership, empowerment and participation, innovation, sharing of experiences and good practices, and Gender Mainstreaming.

4.4.5 Gender Mainstreaming


Since Gender Mainstreaming is one of the most up-to-date concepts in the EU, the DP partners decided to integrate this approach and concept into all of the General Meetings. Thus the current status of Gender Mainstreaming was identified in all the participating countries and each General Meeting had a special section devoted to Gender Mainstreaming.


The Gender Mainstreaming approach was evident at all the General Meetings. It became the basis of each action regarding female employability in every country and, above all, at the local level.


The common focus of Gender Mainstreaming in terms of “Employability for Women” united the transnational partners - despite a wide range of national backgrounds, underlying problems, methods for solving problems, and factors involved in projects set up at a national level.

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Nevertheless there were some concerns about “one best way” of promoting Gender Mainstreaming.

ITER (Italy):

Sharing of solutions and approaches to similar problems could lead to the implementation of a uniform “modus operandi” by the various countries.

Plan:b (Austria):

Those asked from plan:b, were of the opinion that Gender Mainstreaming is of especial major importance. This was evident at conferences, where the Gender Mainstreaming representative from plan:b was very active, so that the main focus of the meeting was affected. At plenary meetings, the majority of members were women, while the steering committee consisted of three women and two male development project coordinators. All in all, there was a very good working atmosphere within the various groups. While there was basic agreement about the disadvantages for women in the respective workplaces and regions and about their corresponding requirements, it was not clear, whether there was complete unanimity between the partnerships about Gender Mainstreaming and the corresponding subsumable objectives.

Common point of view of all five evaluators (synthesis statement):Common point of view of all five evaluators (synthesis statement):Common point of view of all five evaluators (synthesis statement):Common point of view of all five evaluators (synthesis statement):

Gender Mainstreaming was the fundamental and the most important common theme of the transnational partnership.

The Gender Mainstreaming representative from plan:b was very committed. At general meetings, the majority of members were women, while the steering group consisted of three women and two male development project coordinators.

There was basic agreement about the disadvantages for women in the respective workplaces and regions and about their corresponding requirements.

But it was not clear, if there was a common point of view between the partnerships about Gender Mainstreaming and the corresponding objectives to overcome the disadvantages for women. Maybe, better implementation of Gender Mainstreaming in a national context should have emerged from the transnational cooperation.

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4.5 Level 5: Analysis of goal-attainment

To what extent were the set objectives attained?

4.5.1 IDeA-H: Achievement of Goals and Products according to the TCA

From the point of view of the evaluators of the different DP’s:From the point of view of the evaluators of the different DP’s:From the point of view of the evaluators of the different DP’s:From the point of view of the evaluators of the different DP’s:


The targets and outcomes mentioned in the TCA were met. Five General Meetings were organised as well as six Steering Committee meetings. The concept of cross-media publishing was developed and a project website was built. Additionally business cards were developed in order to keep in contact after the official closing date of the project. The best practice examples database was developed with nine examples. At the end of the project a CD-ROM was produced with the results and documents of the project, together with the complete project documentation. Apart from the concrete results, the transnational exchange of knowledge and sharing of experience was the highlight of the project, which allowed the opportunity for all the participants to learn from the experience of others and adapt good methods and practices. The Hungarian partners have achieved a special goal. They organised altogether nine bilateral meetings or visits to Austria and Germany with the participation of 154 Hungarians. It was extremely important to learn from others by studying their specific practices on the spot.

L.A.I.L.A.F (Italy): • Five General and six Steering Committee meetings were organised. • Business cards • The best practice examples database was developed with nine examples. • Project documentation, and a CD-Rom • IDeA-H website. • Exchange of skills, knowledge and competence


The tasks and schedule set in the TCA were fulfilled, but there were also concerns:

There were some delays in creating the cross-media-concept as well as the website of www.IDeA-H.org, so that a wide dissemination of best practices could not been realised on time.

The realisation of a common tool to describe good practice took place on time, but there was little feedback and participation from the other DP’s in the development process. The common tool could have received some more attention.

One of the original discussed ideas was that every DP should describe three cases of good practice using the common tool, but there were not enough examples to fulfil this objective.

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ITER (Italy):

In accordance with TCA goals, the following results were achieved: • Cultural exchanges between the various teams at meetings and visits to each

others’ countries • Learning about new approaches and solutions to similar problems • A website • A CD containing best practices

Plan:b (Austria):

The TCA targets were achieved in the main. Five general meetings and six steering group meetings took place as well as the meetings of the three working groups. The Hungarian Development Partnership contributed a “cross-media publishing tool”, the IDeA-H website was developed and published by the Italian DP ITER, and the additional “business cards” were furnished by the German DP RegioPlus. The agreed nine good practice examples were completed and several study visits between the cooperating DP’s occurred. At the final meeting in Italy, the cooperating DP’s presented a CD Rom as their final product, which contains, besides project documentation, the worked out good practice examples, and the business cards.


The targets and outcomes mentioned in the TCA were met:

Five General Meetings and six Steering Committee meetings were organised. The concept of cross-media publishing was developed and a project website was built. Additionally business cards were developed in order to keep in contact after the official closing date of the project. The best practice examples database was developed with nine examples. At the end of the project a CD-ROM was published with the results and documents of the project, together with the complete project documentation. Several successful bilateral contacts and study visits took place.

4.5.2 Adherence to tasks, duties and arrangements


The objectives and expected outputs of the project laid down in the TCA were met. All the planned events were implemented and the proposed products were produced. There were some slight delays in the planning of the website and in the description format of the good practice projects as compared to the planned schedule. But these delays did not endanger the project implementation. By the end of the project period all the tasks, duties and arrangements were completed.

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All the General Meetings were successful and they received sufficient participation and attention. All the planned events took place. All the tasks were completed with diligence and dedication. New relationships were built.


The organisational coordination worked very well. All the General Meetings were successful in terms of organisation, themes and formal and informal contact. All of the participants rated all five meetings useful personally or for the DP. The usefulness of the topics and thematic discussions was rated highest in Dresden, Zalakaros and Acqui Terme. The overall evaluation including organisation and proportion of contact was rated highest in Stegersbach. Steering group meetings took place regularly, but were not always well prepared or coordinated. The contributions of the transnational office were not always sufficiently in order to promote a high level of communication especially between the General meetings.

ITER (Italy):

The established goals of the project and the meetings were achieved in general. On some occasions the tasks were not completely carried out.

Plan:b (Austria):

The previous aims and working methods were predominantly adhered to. It should be mentioned that the arrangements for the working groups and most of the General Meetings were purposefully led and went exactly according to plan. However, delays arose in completing the IDeA-H website and in constructing a suitable description format for good practice projects. As already mentioned, the intensity of communication tended to reduce after general meetings and increased only before meetings.


The previous aims and working methods were predominantly adhered to. The arrangements for the working groups and most of the general meetings were purposefully led and went exactly according to plan. However, delays arose in completing the IDeA-H website and in constructing a suitable description format for good practice projects due to poor feedback by the partners. As already mentioned, the intensity of communication tended to reduce after general meetings and only increased before meetings.

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4.6 Level 6: Analysis of the added-value

Which benefits did the partnership gain from the transnational cooperation? Which benefits did the individual national DP’s gain from the transnational cooperation?

4.6.1 Success and added-value


From the Hungarian perspective, the project IDeA-H and the transnational cooperation proved to be very successful. The tasks and commitments laid down in the TCA were met and the planned products were produced. The added value of the joint project is a perspective on transnational cooperation in the field of equal opportunities for women in employment and in society with a special emphasis on Gender Mainstreaming. A special feature of the IDeA-H project was that DPs coming from established EU member states (Germany, Austria, Italy) cooperated with a new member state DP, namely Hungary. The deep experience of the older EU member partners was combined with a fresh innovative approach from the new member.


From the Italian DP LAILAF’s perspective, the strict cooperation set up as “IDeA-H – Chance for Gender” achieved benefits and goals due to working together with the same objective: to reduce the inequality between men and women in the labour market and to increase the level of empowerment for disadvantaged people. This cooperation demonstrated the possibility to implement new and different solutions to a common problem within an Italian context and, above all, on a regional dimension where the small regions are affected by high female unemployment. Thanks to IDeA-H we have found some friends to build together a better tomorrow by replacing an inward looking national vision by a European one. This goal cannot be valued enough.


The partners of IDeA-H as well as the individual DPs gained outstanding benefits through transnational cooperation such as:

• interesting and nice General Meetings • meeting interesting people and getting to know each other • knowledge about labour market interventions and promotion of women’s

employability within the European Community • interesting examples of good practice in developing employment, reemployment,

and assessing of competence • receiving impulses, new ideas and new approaches for one’s own work and

projects • modifying one’s own work culture in order to promote transnational cooperation • transferring information on international developments to the local partners at

home • finding new partners to set up new transnational projects • improving English language skills

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• learning something about the organisation of transnational meetings • learning about different cultures • attaining experience in the unifying process within Europe

The relation between benefits and costs was rated as acceptable. The benefits cannot be counted in financial terms, but they are highly valued.

ITER (Italy):

Overall the objectives were achieved. The best practices were selected and presented to the participants, and the website was set up.

The added value is coming into contact with different cultures and sharing experiences in a very friendly atmosphere.

Plan:b (Austria):

In the opinion of the Austrian DP the transnational cooperation IDeA-H was successful in general. The self appointed tasks, based on a clear TCA, were fully realised and there was good teamwork with very committed DPs and persons. It should be emphasised that the cooperation, on the whole, was carried out in a very committed and friendly atmosphere with mutual respect and understanding. A European “added value” was attained by exchanging experiences and learning from one other. The added value could be increased in the future, if some of the described good practice examples could be applied at the various national levels.


The added value is the coming into contact with different cultures, interesting people and sharing experiences about innovative approaches to overcome inequalities between men and women in the labour market in a very friendly atmosphere.

A special feature of the IDeA-H project was that DPs from older EU member states (Germany, Austria, Italy) cooperated with a new member state DP namely Hungary.

This co-operation demonstrated the possibility to implement new and different solutions to a common problem in a national context and, above all, at a regional dimension where small regions are affected by unequal opportunities for men and women.

One of the main benefits of the transnational cooperation was the transfer of informations, ideas and solutions at an international level to the local partners at home.

Thanks to IDeA-H, the DPs may have found partners for future cooperation to build together a better tomorrow replacing an inward-looking national vision with a European one. This goal cannot be valued highly enough.

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5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS


The overall impression on the project-flow was very positive from the Hungarian perspective. However, some special recommendations can be made for future projects: 1. A common view and a common language is very important in any transnational cooperation. The lack of language skills often impedes effective work, and in this case an interpreter is essential. 2. Practical hints and bilateral site visits are of the utmost importance 3. The clarification of tasks and duties can prevent misunderstandings 4. The use of online communication speeds up cooperation among partners


In general the levels of cooperation were very good, and we had a good impression and feeling about this experience. But we recommend better use of a website as an essential tool to encrease the level of the cooperation.We suggest more activities between the General Meetings, which should be longer than just two or three days. We also recommend to overcome the language problem sooner. It is also necessary to give more information on specific projects carried out by the different DPs.


The overall evaluation of the transnational cooperation was very good. The long-term thematic working groups resulted in a new quality of cooperation. The exceptionally useful and interesting topics were examples of good practice and finding partners for new projects.

The combination of top-down and bottom-up strategies worked very well. Top-down strategies like management using objectives, providing methodology and monitoring provided the context for bottom-up processes within the working groups and from bilateral contacts.

The language barrier seemed to diminish during the cooperation process.

The lessons learned for future transnational projects are:

• The steering group should prepare the thematic cooperation more consistently.

• There should be more activities between the General Meetings and they should more focused.

• The aims, structures and focus of the working groups should be more clearly defined and the working groups should continue with the realisation of specific tasks after having discussed some ideas.

• The responsibility for publishing, public relations, Gender Mainstreaming and sustainability should be defined.

• It is necessary to provide more information about the specific projects: What are they about? What are the goals, methods, and target groups? Who is in charge?

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Intensifying visits of the local projects during the General Meetings would help in this regard.

• The language barrier is an important factor in transnational cooperation. An English course could be beneficial for beginners. A criterion for participating in transnational collaborations should be English language proficiency.

A reflection about the goals, factors and results should be stimulated, as feedback is necessary for future projects.

ITER (Italy):

The general opinion is positive. However here are some recommendations:

1. All participants should speak a common language, i.e. English.

2. There should be more communication about the common goals, tasks and duties.

3. There should be more communication between meetings and perhaps more human resources.

4. There should be more financial resources for more and longer meetings.

5. There should be more preliminary meetings to define aims and objectives and to plan activities.

6. There should be more financial resources for the evaluation groups.

Plan:b (Austria):

Further transnational co-operations should consider that,

• There should be regular explanations about the common aims, tasks and products at the steering group level and good communication about tasks at the plenary meetings e.g. working groups and part projects.

• Working groups should keep in regular contact, even between meetings, in order to “to keep them on their toes” and be ready to work.

• Participating part projects should formulate their expectations and desires on transnational cooperation early in the process and submit concrete proposals.

• It is very important to avoid language barriers and that every participant is able to speak English fluently

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The overall evaluation of the transnational cooperation was very good, especially the new quality of cooperation within the long-term thematic working groups.

However, some special recommendations for future projects are that:

• There should be regular explanations about common aims, tasks and products at the steering group level and good communication about tasks at the general meetings e.g. working groups and part projects.

• Participants should keep in regular contact, even between meetings, in order to “to keep them on their toes” and be ready to work.

• It is very important to avoid language barriers and that every participant is able to speak English fluently or to have professional interpreters.

• It is necessary to give more information on specific projects carried out by the different DPs such as practical hints, site visits, or bilateral meetings.

• The use of online communication should be promoted, to speed up cooperation.

• Longer meetings where there is less time pressure would promote a better exchange of experience.

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