Monitoring
Collecting and analyzing specific indicators in order to assist decision-making processes, guarantee responsibilities and provide basis for learning
Evaluation
Systematic and objective evaluation of the design, implementation, costs and/or results of a project, program or policy, whether still in place or finalized.
There are various kinds of evaluation, including;
1. Design evaluation
2. Impact evaluation
3. Cost-benefit evaluation
4. Process evaluation
Diagnosis
Desk review of a program or group of programs in order to identify the main stakeholders, institutional arrangements, existing information, etc.
1) M&E: What for?
Monitoring and Evaluation, essential components of results-based management, provide information for the design, implementation and evaluation of the results of projects, programs and policies from governments, civil society and private institutions. When used correctly, M&E can assist decision-makers in defining what works or not, and, in both cases, why.
M&E within the public sector may also:
- Support results-based decision-making, especially in this national context of budget planning;
- Advise ministries and agencies in the management of their activities on sectional, programmatic and project levels;
- Strengthen transparency and accountability.
2) Can Monitoring and Evaluation be relevant for the process of budget resource allocation?
Yes. Since governments have budgetary constraints, it is in public managers’ best interest that decisions on the allocation of more or less resources be made regarding programs’ performances. M&E may assist managers in identifying which programs work and why.
3) How can M&E be used to improve government transparency?
The evidence generated by M&E systems and programs are essential so that a government may get information across to the population about its administration and how public resources are being invested. Such information is also important in order to enable debate on the efficiency of public programs and policies.
4) What are the main challenges associated with the implementation of M&E?
Challenges depend on a country’s context or the extent of its development. Broadly speaking, four main challenges and requisites can be identified, which must be met in order for the M&E of programs or policies to be successful:
- High-level public management buy-in;
- Incentives to promote the use and generation of information on results;
- Capacity building in order to maintain M&E efforts;
- Access to trustworthy data and indicators.
The CLEAR Initiative and Regional Centers
- The CLEAR Initiative
- CLEAR – CIDE for Latin America
- CLEAR for South Asia
- CLEAR for Anglophone Africa
- CLEAR for Francophone Africa
- CLEAR – AFDI for East Asia
M&E Initiatives and Networks
- Brazilian Monitoring and Evaluation Network
- Latin America and Caribbean Monitoring, Evaluation and Systematization Network (RELAC)
- Latin America and Caribbean Monitoring and Evaluation Network (REDLACME)
- My M&E
- European Evaluation Society
- American Evaluation Association
- Canadian Evaluation Society
- United Nation Evaluation Group
- International Organization for Evaluation Cooperation
- International Development and Evaluation Association (IDEAS)
- Latin America and Caribbean Regional Platform for the Development on Capacities in Evaluation and Systematization
- International Evaluation Network Program
- Better Evaluation
International Organizations – M&E Sectors
- Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) – World Bank
- Evaluation and Supervision Office – Inter-American Development Bank
- Independent Evaluation Office – International Monetary Fund
- Independent Development and Evaluation Group – African Development Bank
- Independent Evaluation Group – Asian Development Bank
- J-Pal – Poverty Action Lab
M&E Initiatives in Brazilian Institutions
- Integrated System of Monitoring, Execution and Control
- National Public Administration School
- National Institute for Studies and Research
- Unified Healthcare System’s Informatics Department