Enhancing evidence-based policy making through Country-Led M&E Systems* Marco Segone, Regional Chief, Monitoring and Evaluation, UNICEF CEE/CIS, and former Vice President, IOCE *: The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF. The text has not been edited to official publication standards and UNICEF accepts no responsibility for errors.

Based on book published by UNICEF in partnership with key international institutions Authors: 21 global evaluation leaders Partnership: UNICEF, WB, UNECE, IDEAS, IOCE, DevInfo and MICS Available for free download at:

1. M&E should be instrumental in ensuring effective decision making, by providing strong evidence. Then: Why is M&E not playing its role to its full potential? What are the factors, in addition to the quality and adequacy of the evidence, influencing the decision-making process in organizations and societies? How can the uptake of evidence in decision-making be increased?

What is Evidence-based Policy making? An approach that helps people make well informed decisions about policies, programmes and projects by putting the best available evidence at the heart of policy development and implementation.

Putting the best available evidence at the heart of policy making? Technical quality and trustworthiness Evaluation evidence Qualitative research evidence Systematic review evidence Consultative techniques LowHigh Low High Enabling policy environment Experimental and quasi- experimental evidence Survey and Administrative evidence

Putting the best available evidence at the heart of policy making? Practice of Political Life JudgementExperience Resources Lobby system Think-tank Opinion leaders Media Civil Society Technical quality and trustworthiness Timing of the analysis LowHigh Low High Enabling policy environment

Practice of Political Life Putting the best available evidence at the heart of policy making? Technical quality and trustworthiness Low Opinion-based Vicious circle countries Enabling policy environment JudgementExperience Resources Lobby system Think-tank Opinion leaders Media Civil Society Timing of the analysis Evaluation evidence Qualitative research evidence Systematic review evidence Consultative techniques Experimental and quasi- experimental evidence Survey and Administrative evidence

Putting the best available evidence at the heart of policy making? Technical quality and trustworthiness Low High Evidence-influenced Evidence demand- constrained countries Enabling policy environment JudgementExperience Resources Lobby system Think-tank Opinion leaders Media Civil Society Timing of the analysis Practice of Political Life Evaluation evidence Qualitative research evidence Systematic review evidence Consultative techniques Experimental and quasi- experimental evidence Survey and Administrative evidence

Putting the best available evidence at the heart of policy making? Technical quality and trustworthiness High Low Evidence-influenced Evidence supply- constrained countries Enabling policy environment JudgementExperience Resources Lobby system Think-tank Opinion leaders Media Civil Society Timing of the analysis Practice of Political Life Evaluation evidence Qualitative research evidence Systematic review evidence Consultative techniques Experimental and quasi- experimental evidence Survey and Administrative evidence

Putting the best available evidence at the heart of policy making? Technical quality and trustworthiness Evidence-based Virtuous circle countries High Enabling policy environment JudgementExperience Resources Lobby system Think-tank Opinion leaders Media Civil Society Timing of the analysis Practice of Political Life Evaluation evidence Qualitative research evidence Systematic review evidence Consultative techniques Experimental and quasi- experimental evidence Survey and Administrative evidence

Evidence into practice: Increasing the uptake of evidence in policy making Data Providers (Statisticians, Evaluators, Researchers) Data Users (Policy Makers) Need to improve dialogue Improving usability of evidence Reliable and trustworthy evidence Getting appropriate Buy-in Incentives to use evidence What ? Why? When? How? Effective dissemination Wide Access

The quality challenge: How to match technical rigour and policy relevance? Technical rigour but no policy relevance Policy relevance but no technical rigour Better evidence, technically rigorous and policy relevant.

a strategy to match technical rigour with policy relevance Country-led M&E systems (CLES): a strategy to match technical rigour with policy relevance Technical rigour but no policy relevance Policy relevance but no technical rigour Better evidence, technically rigorous and policy relevant Better Policies Better Development Results

Country-led M&E systems: what? Country (and not donors) leads and owns the evaluation process by determining: what policy or programme will be evaluated (including donors coordination and alignment) what evaluation questions will be asked what methods will be used what analytical approach will be undertaken how findings will be communicated how findings will be used

11 International Organisation for Cooperation in Evaluation – IOCE (Organisational membership) International Development Evaluation Association – IDEAS (Individual membership) Source: Quesnel, 2006 Country led? Not exclusively the Government Also civil society, including Professional evaluation organizations (from 15 to 70 in a decade)

Mutual accounta bility Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness Managing for results Harmoni zation Alignment Ownership National ownership and capacity development: the key ingredients to CLES

Partner countries exercise effective leadership over their development policies and strategies Partner countries exercise leadership in developing and implementing their national development strategies Donors respect partner country leadership and help strengthen their capacity to exercise it. Implications to the M&E Function Strengthen and use country M&E systems M&E capacity development Paris Declaration Commitment

What are the challenges and way-forward? On you view and experience: What are the challenges to implement country-led M&E systems? What are the perceived risks by partner countries and by donors ? What are the way forward? Whats the role of national evaluation organizations and International organizations?