ABSTRACT
Panama is a small Latin American Republic with a population of approximately 1.7 million. The Government of Panama obtained technical and capital assistance with project design and implementation from the United States Agency for International Development. The decision to cancel the survey in Panama is instructive for two reasons. First, it demonstrates the iterative nature of analysis. Second, the decision to first conduct a survey and then to cancel it demonstrates the tendency to underestimate the time and cost required for quality surveys. The World Bank supported a detailed 0-D study in Panama in 1974; however, the final report from the study aggregated the data to a point where they were of very limited value. Information from the Ministry of Housing and the Panamanian Construction Association indicated a surplus in Panama of architects, construction firms, construction workers, and building materials.
