Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems are the hallmark of good program management. A new wave of results-oriented programs, such as CCTs in Latin America and public works programs (e.g. Argentine, Ethiopia), have developed and use integrated M&E. These programs demonstrate that strong monitoring systems support credible program evaluation and that both provide feedback for improvements in productivity, effectiveness and impact.^[1]

Program monitoring systems are tools that regularly supply information about how well a program is working, so that program managers can take action to improve implementation. Effective monitoring systems require a strategic focus and political support. They also require adequate skills, management attention, and information technology.

Program evaluation refers to an external assessment of program effectiveness that ascertains whether a program meets some standards, estimates its net results or impacts, and/or identifies whether the benefits the program generates outweigh its costs to society. It generates evidence that programs are well implemented and are achieving their intended results, and provides feedback for improvements.

The most frequently used types of evaluation in safety net programs are:

• Process evaluation, also known as formative evaluation, implementation research, implementation analysis, or descriptive evaluation. Process evaluation documents, assesses, and explains how a program is being implemented.

• Targeting assessment describes how public spending is distributed across population groups, whether defined as deciles or poor versus non poor. A targeting assessment is a descriptive analytic tool. It is not an alternative to a full impact assessment since it does not explain incidence outcomes or generate specific policy implications.

• Impact evaluation measures the programs causal effect on the outcomes it seeks to achieve. The specific technique for estimating impacts varies according to the setting but all methodologies center on ways of constructing a plausible comparison or control group to establish the counterfactual. This helps to approximate the impact of a program on beneficiaries (treatment group).