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This manual explains the skills and steps for making a monitoring and evaluation system that functions well, organizing the people, processes and partnershipsso that they collect and use good information that can be used by decision makers and other stakeholders.
This Handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system.
After more than a decade of development investments in monitoring and evaluation few countries are able to regularly report on how effective their policies and programs are in achieving the results they desire. It is not through lack of good M & E design, n.
A growing number of governments are working to improve their performance by creating systems to measure and help them understand their performance. These systems for monitoring and evaluation (M & E) are used to measure the quantity, quality, and targeting of the goods and services--the outputs--that the state provides and to measure the outcomes and impacts resulting from these outputs. These systems are also a vehicle to facilitate understanding of the causes of good and poor performance.
Monitoring and Evaluation Training fills a gap in the literature by providing readers with a systematic approach to monitoring and evaluation (M&E) training for programs and projects. Bridging theoretical concepts with practical, how-to knowledge, authors Scott Chaplowe and J. Bradley Cousins draw upon the scholarly literature, applied resources, and over 50 years of combined experience to provide expert guidance for M&E training that can be tailored to different training needs and contexts, from training for professionals or non-professionals, to organization staff, community members, and other groups with a desire to learn and sustain sound M&E practices.
Developing Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks is a practical book that provides clear, step-by-step guidance on how to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework in a participatory, logical, systematic, and integrated way. Authors Anne Markiewicz and Ian Patrick outline the key stages and steps involved, including: scoping the framework; identifying planned results; using program theory and program logic; developing evaluation questions; identifying processes for ongoing data collection and analysis; determining means to promote learning; reporting; and dissemination of results. A final chapter focuses on planning for implementation of the framework, with reference to the broader program and organizational context. The authors draw on their extensive experience in developing monitoring and evaluation frameworks to provide examples of good practice that inform organizational learning and decision making, while offering tips and guidelines that can be used to address common pitfalls.
This volume has been developed as a step-by-step guide for professionals involved in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating developmental interventions. It introduces and elucidates the key concepts and procedures involved, starting from the fundamentals of project design and management, the basics of monitoring and evaluation, and the development of a performance monitoring plan to different approaches to monitoring, choosing appropriate evaluation designs, approaches to evaluation, the analysis of monitoring and evaluation, and finally implementing this information in a project environment. In order to provide further context, the manual uses real project examples which help in buttressing the understanding of the readers and enable adoption of these practices in such projects.
This open access book is a consolidation of lessons learnt and experiences gathered from our efforts to utilise Earth observation (EO) science and applications to address environmental challenges in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. It includes a complete package of knowledge on service life cycles including multi-disciplinary topics and practically tested applications for the HKH. It comprises 19 chapters drawing from a decade’s worth of experience gleaned over the course of our implementation of SERVIR-HKH – a joint initiative of NASA, USAID, and ICIMOD – to build capacity on using EO and geospatial technology for effective decision making in the region. The book highlights SERVIR’s approaches to the design and delivery of information services – in agriculture and food security; land cover and land use change, and ecosystems; water resources and hydro-climatic disasters; and weather and climate services. It also touches upon multidisciplinary topics such as service planning; gender integration; user engagement; capacity building; communication; and monitoring, evaluation, and learning. We hope that this book will be a good reference document for professionals and practitioners working in remote sensing, geographic information systems, regional and spatial sciences, climate change, ecosystems, and environmental analysis. Furthermore, we are hopeful that policymakers, academics, and other informed audiences working in sustainable development and evaluation – beyond the wider SERVIR network and well as within it – will greatly benefit from what we share here on our applications, case studies, and documentation across cross-cutting topics.
The second edition of the Impact Evaluation in Practice handbook is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to impact evaluation for policy makers and development practitioners. First published in 2011, it has been used widely across the development and academic communities. The book incorporates real-world examples to present practical guidelines for designing and implementing impact evaluations. Readers will gain an understanding of impact evaluations and the best ways to use them to design evidence-based policies and programs. The updated version covers the newest techniques for evaluating programs and includes state-of-the-art implementation advice, as well as an expanded set of examples and case studies that draw on recent development challenges. It also includes new material on research ethics and partnerships to conduct impact evaluation. The handbook is divided into four sections: Part One discusses what to evaluate and why; Part Two presents the main impact evaluation methods; Part Three addresses how to manage impact evaluations; Part Four reviews impact evaluation sampling and data collection. Case studies illustrate different applications of impact evaluations. The book links to complementary instructional material available online, including an applied case as well as questions and answers. The updated second edition will be a valuable resource for the international development community, universities, and policy makers looking to build better evidence around what works in development.
This open access book provides an overview of the building blocks necessary for managing, steering and guiding the establishment of a research infrastructure (RI). It offers valuable insights into RI investment, access and management at the academic, grants management, agency and policy level, and serves as a useful guide for the research community, students, and those in the private sector wishing to understand the approaches and opportunities involved in the establishment, maintenance and management of research infrastructure platforms. Presenting a holistic view of RI investment and granting cycles from a South African perspective, the books target audience includes those working in science diplomacy, policymaking and science grants councils (especially in Africa) as well as funders and donors.
