DACDAC Network on Network on Development EvaluationDevelopment Evaluation

Rob D. van den BergRob D. van den Berg

ChairmanChairman

Brief historyBrief history

Established by the Development Established by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD in the Assistance Committee of the OECD in the early 80searly 80sRole and mandate: to improve Role and mandate: to improve development effectiveness through:development effectiveness through:– improving evaluation practice and improving evaluation practice and

encouraging standardisationencouraging standardisation– undertaking synthesis studiesundertaking synthesis studies– promoting collaboration and joint workpromoting collaboration and joint work– promoting evaluation capacity developmentpromoting evaluation capacity development

Current membershipCurrent membership

Independent evaluation units of DAC Independent evaluation units of DAC membersmembers

Observers:Observers:– Evaluation Unit of UNDPEvaluation Unit of UNDP– Operations Evaluation Department of the Operations Evaluation Department of the

World BankWorld Bank– Evaluation Department of IMFEvaluation Department of IMF– Regional Development BanksRegional Development Banks

PrinciplesPrinciples

1991: DAC High Level Meeting approves 1991: DAC High Level Meeting approves the DAC Principles of Evaluation of the DAC Principles of Evaluation of Development AssistanceDevelopment Assistance– Evaluation for learning and as basis for Evaluation for learning and as basis for

accountabilityaccountability– Organisational requirements: evaluation Organisational requirements: evaluation

policy and independencepolicy and independence– CriteriaCriteria– PartnershipPartnership

Review of principles (1998)Review of principles (1998)

Overall: no need for changeOverall: no need for change

However, new trends pose challenges:However, new trends pose challenges:– CollaborationCollaboration– New conceptsNew concepts– Independence and participationIndependence and participation– Learning and accountabilityLearning and accountability– Moving up and attributionMoving up and attribution

““Checking up” on application of principles in Checking up” on application of principles in DAC peer reviews of bilateral donorsDAC peer reviews of bilateral donors

Collaboration: leading to Collaboration: leading to harmonisationharmonisation

Where donors finance together, they Where donors finance together, they should evaluate togethershould evaluate togetherIncreasing partnership should include Increasing partnership should include partnership in evaluationpartnership in evaluationIncreasing ownership should lead to Increasing ownership should lead to ownership of evaluationownership of evaluationRecognition that we need to evaluate our Recognition that we need to evaluate our contribution to development as well as the contribution to development as well as the results of our aidresults of our aid

The challengeThe challenge

??GlobalGlobal

10s10sJoined internationalJoined international

100s100sPolicy/countryPolicy/country

1.000s1.000sSector/thematicSector/thematic

1.000s1.000sProgrammeProgramme

10.000s10.000sProject/activityProject/activity

# of evaluations# of evaluationsCategoryCategory

Synthesis report from 1998Synthesis report from 1998

Products (1)Products (1)

Glossary of evaluation and results based Glossary of evaluation and results based management terminologymanagement terminology

Synthesis essays: lessons for Synthesis essays: lessons for reconstruction of Afghanistan and Iraqreconstruction of Afghanistan and Iraq

Synthesis of evaluationsSynthesis of evaluations– Participatory development and good Participatory development and good

governancegovernance– Support to decentralisation and local Support to decentralisation and local

governancegovernance

Main contribution to RBMMain contribution to RBM

Translated in: Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese

Products (2)Products (2)

Support for evaluation capacitySupport for evaluation capacityPromoting joint evaluations:Promoting joint evaluations:– CDF, Basic EducationCDF, Basic Education– General Budget SupportGeneral Budget Support– Peace BuildingPeace Building

Harmonisation of programming of Harmonisation of programming of evaluations by the Nordics plusevaluations by the Nordics plusSupport to the peer reviews of bilateral Support to the peer reviews of bilateral donorsdonors

Monitoring & EvaluationMonitoring & Evaluation

M & E often mentioned together, but they M & E often mentioned together, but they are in fact two separate instrumentsare in fact two separate instruments

Often under M & E only M is discussedOften under M & E only M is discussed

False belief that with good monitoring False belief that with good monitoring evaluation is no longer necessaryevaluation is no longer necessary

Monitoring shows whether you are “on Monitoring shows whether you are “on track” – evaluation shows whether you are track” – evaluation shows whether you are “on the right track”“on the right track”

M & E and resultsM & E and results

““Results” is used for process (increased Results” is used for process (increased partnership), output, outcome and impactpartnership), output, outcome and impact

Monitoring can in principle take place on Monitoring can in principle take place on all these levelsall these levels

However, the contribution of aid to However, the contribution of aid to development cannot be established by development cannot be established by monitoring, because it requires analysing monitoring, because it requires analysing relationshipsrelationships

Managing for results and evaluationManaging for results and evaluation

On the higher levels (outcome, impact) On the higher levels (outcome, impact) evaluation plays an important roleevaluation plays an important roleOn these levels evaluations take a lot of On these levels evaluations take a lot of time and resourcestime and resourcesPossible solutions:Possible solutions:– more syntheses of existing findingsmore syntheses of existing findings– interim productsinterim products– a strategic long term agenda for management a strategic long term agenda for management

and evaluationand evaluation

Future workFuture work

Joint evaluation on the contribution of aid to Joint evaluation on the contribution of aid to development (as challenged by the DAC Chair)development (as challenged by the DAC Chair)

More synthesis studies and productsMore synthesis studies and products

Self-evaluation of the quality of bilateral Self-evaluation of the quality of bilateral evaluationsevaluations

Review of recent experiences in joint evaluationsReview of recent experiences in joint evaluations

Partnerships with broader evaluation communityPartnerships with broader evaluation community