Evaluation Capacity Building

Abstract

Most developing countries now have monitoring and evaluation systems in place. However, most systems are concerned with the progress of implementation, rather than assessing the social, economic and environmental impacts of projects. Also, there seem to be no systems that assess the impact of policy interventions emerging from recent macro-level measures, such as liberalization, privatization, and the preservation of women's rights. In developing countries, donor agencies have played a role in planning, implementing and financing various socio-economic development programs and projects. In many cases, the outcomes of these interventions do not match the intended objectives. It has been argued that due to the lack of ongoing evaluation many governments fail to learn, in time, the way a project is unfolding and the manner in which it is generating benefits. There are also many who simply do not see the benefits of evaluation and consider it to be a donor-driven activity of no management use. Those donors who do see evaluation as an important tool to improve investment quality are now initiating evaluation capacity building activities. The success of these initiatives seems to have been constrained, among other things, by the lack of a unified approach; inadequate appreciation and analysis of governmental culture; confusion about concepts and methodologies; lack of long-term commitment; and lack of either interest or resources—or both—from the recipient governments. Future evaluation capacity building work will need to make a careful analysis of these constraints and approach the subject with far greater sensitivity and technical knowledge.