ABSTRACT
The evaluation of national programs on the basis of formally-established criteria is in effect a beginning of multinational planning. Programs and policies within national plans are tested by the evaluating committees for consistency with what other Latin American countries are doing, or propose to do, and potential conflicts are brought to the forefront. Given the importance of a high quality of national planning and execution of plans, there are problems stemming from the inexperience of the planning agencies, the lack of adequate planning personnel, the inadequacy of statistics and economic information, and the inadequacies of institutional arrangements for plan execution. The conception of the Alliance for Progress, as a simultaneous, cooperative and multilateral development effort, provides an initial base for multinational planning. The evaluation of national development programs has been given a pivotal role in the execution of the development strategy under the Alliance.
