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Monitoring and evaluation
Providing support to a capacity development process is a purposeful intervention aimed at bringing about change. Through monitoring, practitioners assess from time to time whether the intervention is still on course towards achieving the envisioned results or whether adjustments are required. An evaluation at the end of an intervention assesses the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the intervention.
Within the aided development sector, the logical framework is the most commonly used tool for planning, as well as monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Although the methodology of a logical framework has its merits, it is often not well applied and mainly used as a checklist for the purpose of accountability. Monitoring is reduced to checking whether activities have been completed as planned. The logical framework (in practice not in theory) does not encourage stakeholders to critically reflect from time to time on the quality of the previous steps or the validity of analytical insights and assumptions at the beginning of every project. This however may not be so much a problem of the “logframe” method as such but the way it is linked to contractual agreements between donor and recipient. The bureaucratic implications of proposing a change in a logical framework are often discouraging. As a result practitioners are not stimulated to learn and to develop an eye for the unpredictable dynamics in a complex environment that makes the road to planned outcomes (and even the planned outcomes themselves) very uncertain. Therefore the logical framework is seen to induce linear thinking.
The resources on page all explore ways to overcome the limitations associated with the logical framework approach to ensure that M&E processes serve to facilitate learning and innovation.
Featured Article
Evaluation for equitable development results
This wide-ranging publication aims to contribute to the international debate on how to achieve
equitable development results by conceptualizing, designing, implementing and using evaluations
focused on human rights and equity. It does so by offering a number of strong contributions from 27
world-level experts and senior officers in institutions and governments dealing with development
and evaluation. The authors also presented their contribution in a series of webinars that are
available for download on the
My
M&E web portal. The book complements an earlier manual “
How to
design and implement equity-focused evaluations,” published in 2011.
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Recent Articles
Moving beyond strategy to implementation: Africa Capacity Indicators Report (ACIR) 2012
13 April 2012
The African Capacity Building
Foundation (ACBF) launched the second of its flagship annual reviews on the state of capacity
development in Africa on 3rd April. This year's report is devoted to the theme of capacity
development in agricultural transformation and food security. One of the highlights is Ghana's
upgrading to the 'High' category of the ACI composite index. The composite index measures the
policy environment, processes for implementation, development results at country level and capacity
development outcomes. In 2011 there were no countries classified under the 'High' category.
Evaluation for equitable development results
01 April 2012
This wide-ranging publication aims to contribute to the international debate on how to achieve
equitable development results by conceptualizing, designing, implementing and using evaluations
focused on human rights and equity. It does so by offering a number of strong contributions from 27
world-level experts and senior officers in institutions and governments dealing with development
and evaluation. The authors also presented their contribution in a series of webinars that are
available for download on the
My
M&E web portal. The book complements an earlier manual “
How to
design and implement equity-focused evaluations,” published in 2011.
LenCD case stories database
24 March 2012
Case stories are an important and accessible way of
sharing experiences and learning lessons. Many organisations publish case stories on their
websites, but finding these stories has always required a good deal of research.
LenCD (Learning Network on Capacity Development), has been building up an index of case stories including material from the United Nations Development Programme, the Task Team on South–South Cooperation, SNV, the World Bank Institute, ECDPM, and other sources.
More than 500 case stories have now been catalogued and are searchable by country and by keyword on www.lencd.org/case-stories.
MoreEldis governance assessments CDROM now available: Request your free copy!
23 March 2012
Since 2008 the
Eldis project at IDS Knowledge Services has hosted an online resource library,
The Eldis
Governance Assessments dossier as part of a long-term partnership with the UNDP Global
Programme on Democratic Governance Assessments. To mark the end of this collaboration Eldis
collated a selection of documents from the library on to a CDROM. The disc contains over 200
resources from a range of different experts, institutions and organisations that work in the field
of governance assessments. It is designed to provide detailed, practical information drawing upon
evidence about what works, and identifying innovations in approaches, policy and practice. Eldis is
trying to identify potential users for the CDROMs by means of a short survey (click
here to download). If you would like to receive a copy, or to nominate possible beneficiaries,
please fill in the questionnaire and send it by email to Jason Collodi, Eldis Governance Editor (j.collodi@ids.ac.uk).
Dealing with complexity through Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation (Praxis Paper 26)
22 March 2012
Published
by INTRAC in February 2012, this paper shares initial findings from an ongoing action research
project, involving nine Dutch and one Belgian international development organisation, in
collaboration with their Southern partners. The objective of the project is to explore if and how
more ‘complexity oriented’ Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) approaches can help them to
deal with diverse challenges that they encounter in their day-to-day practice.
Capacity, complexity and consulting: lessons from managing capacity development projects
20 March 2012
In recent years, the Research and Policy in Development (RAPID) programme of the UK-based
Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has increasingly focused on managing large, multiyear
processes, aimed at building the capacity of local institutions in developing countries to change
the way they engage with policy. This paper draws on the observations of RAPID staff involved
in various projects as well as on primary documentation such as trip reports, after action reviews
and project reports. It also includes a ‘ light-touch’ review of some of the grey and academic
literature available on capacity development, complexity, managing social change and aid agency
behaviour.
Other Topics
Essential Readings
-
David Watson (2010) "Combining the ‘Best of Two Worlds’ in Monitoring and Evaluation of Capacity Development" in: Ubels, J., N. Acquaye-Baddoo and A. Fowler (eds) Capacity Development in Practice, Earthscan, pp. 239-249
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Nigel Simister with Rachel Smith (2010) Monitoring and Evaluating Capacity Building: Is it really that difficult? INTRAC Praxis Paper 3
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Engel, P., N. Keijzer, and T. Land (2007) A balanced approach to monitoring and evaluating capacity and performance: A proposal for a framework, ECDPM Discussion Paper No. 58E
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David Watson (2006) Monitoring and Evaluation of Capacity and Capacity Development, ECDPM Discussion Paper 58B
More Web Resources
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My M&E - open learning portal
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Monitoring and Evaluation News (MandE News)
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Evaluation for Development portal, IDRC Canada
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Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) Netherlands - online dossier on participatory approaches to local development planning, M&E in the context of decentralization and local governance
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Impact Alliance web portal
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Evaluation Gap Updates, Centre for Global Development
Featured Community
MandE News: Resources on M&E communities of practice
Launched by Rick Davies, an independent M&E consultant, in 1997, MandE NEWS is both an information service and community resource on monitoring and evaluation practice. The portal contains a comprehensive database of M&E tools and methods, training and job opportunities, and the latest news and events in this area.
The web portal supports facilitates several mailing lists on M&E issues, especially as they relate to international development aid. It also contains a helpful overview of numerous specialized e-groups and learning communities, including country-specific groups active in all regions of the world.
For a full overview of email lists (egroups), and information on how to join, or start a group, please click here.
Related Blogs
Bringing the invisible into perspective: ECDPM call for reflection and materials on the 5Cs framework
In December 2011, the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) published a read more »
Consider the organizational life cycle when evaluating the effectiveness of capacity-development support
In August 2011, the Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published a report titled ‘ read more »
Supporting domestic accountability: why quick fixes won't work
In an interesting review... read more »
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