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Monitoring and evaluation : Essential Readings
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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
The drive for accountability is pushing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of capacity development, and development in general, in two different directions that a practitioner needs to be aware of. One reflects a traditional results-based, log-frame approach to intentional change. The other relies on an open systems way of thinking, and the related interactive M&E methods. In this chapter, David Watson acknowledges the merits of conventional resultsbased approaches but outlines their limitations when applied to more complex situations and to the multi-faceted nature of capacity itself. With extensive references to literature and cases available, he goes on to review examples of successful and innovative M&E methods and shows how these combine ‘the best of two worlds’.
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Nigel Simister with Rachel Smith (2010) Monitoring and Evaluating Capacity Building: Is it really that difficult? INTRAC Praxis Paper 3
This paper is part of an ongoing programme at INTRAC looking at the monitoring and evaluation of capacity building. It examines both theory and current practice, and aims to promote debate on some of the key barriers to progress. The paper is primarily concerned with capacity building within civil society organizations (CSOs), although many of the lessons also apply to commercial and state organizations. It is based on a literature review and interviews with capacity building providers in the North and South.
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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
This paper seeks to address one of the weaknesses of current monitoring and evaluating (M&E) practices: an inability to fully recognize the mix of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ characteristics that make up effective capacity. Building on the findings of the eighteen country studies that were done in the context of ECDPM's landmark study on "Capacity, Change and Performance", this paper proposes a framework for a balanced approach to assessing capacity that is based on five core capabilities. The framework is presented as a possible basis for a comprehensive framework for monitoring and evaluating capacity and performance in multi-stakeholder settings.
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David Watson (2006) Monitoring and Evaluation of Capacity and Capacity Development, ECDPM Discussion Paper 58B
This paper reviews the donor and practitioner literature, and innovations in M&E aspects of public sector and NGO capacity and capacity building in developing countries from both results-based management (RBM) and systems-thinking perspectives.
