Il ruolo delle Università nella cooperazione allo sviluppo italiana e il loro contributo sul tema della valutazione

This article discusses the role of Universities in past and present Italian cooperation activities for the development of poor countries, tracing the origins of Italian university cooperation and the evolution of its approaches until present. In particular, the article highlights the current role that universities play in supporting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the evaluation of development programs and projects in partner countries, as part of Universities' public engagement. This oc-curs through the creation of dedicated consulting bodies that gather in-stitutional actors, civil society organizations, and university professors with thematic expertise in the field of development, including evalua-tion.