TY - RPRT TI - Partnering with communities to co-design humanitarian health strategies: A SeeChange CommunityFirst Framework for implementation in MSF projects AU - Chapela Trillo, Violeta AU - Farber, Jessica AB - The CommunityFirst Framework is intended to be implemented by field teams at MSF. The theoretical aspects and evidence presented on the importance of community engagement are intended for all MSF staff seeking to learn more about why and how to shift the way we work with communities as humanitarians. We believe this guideline, and other tools like it (including OCA’s Person-Centred Approach Guidance07, and MSF Vienna Evaluation Unit’s Guidance for Involving Communities08), to be an important contribution to the growing movement of communities and humanitarian actors who are pushing for changes in the humanitarian system that translate to dignity, health, justice, equity and self-determination for communities around the world. Specifically, the CommunityFirst Framework is intended to guide MSF teams to co-design health strategies with communities, throughout all stages of the project cycle, for exploratory missions, projects that are just opening, projects that have been running for some time, or those that are closing. At the time of publication, the CommunityFirst Framework has been tested in pilot projects in: (1) Madre de Dios, Peru (MSF OCP, August 2022), (2) Tonkolili, Sierra Leone (MSF OCA, November 2022) and (3) Anzoátegui, Venezuela (MSF OCB, February 2023) The experiences from these pilots (feedback from teams, implementation results, adaptations to each context, etc.) have informed the adaptation of the Framework. CommunityFirst builds on existing community engagement work inside MSF and contributes a practical framework for co-designing health initiatives with communities. To avoid duplicating efforts and resources around community engagement inside MSF, the appendices in this guideline largely refer to already existing MSF resources.09 This guideline is meant to be a living document that can evolve and be adapted given the experience of MSF staff and community members and diverse community contexts. This guide can be used by anyone in MSF who is interested in partnering with communities to improve the responsiveness and impact of their humanitarian programs. This is the first iteration of the document. Subsequent iterations will be published based on additional testing during future phases of the CommunityFirst TIC project. DA - 2034/03// PY - 2034 PB - MSF UR - https://www.seechangeinitiative.org/ Y2 - 2024/03/25/14:20:16 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Radical How AU - Greenway, Andrew AU - Loosemore, Tom AB - Any mission-focused government should be well equipped to define, from day one, what outcomes it wants to bring about. But radically changing what the government does is only part of the challenge. We also need to change how government does things. The usual methods, we argue in this paper, are too prone to failure and delay. There’s a different approach to public service organisation, one based on multidisciplinary teams, starting with citizen needs, and scaling iteratively by testing assumptions. We’ve been arguing in favour of it for years now, and the more it gets used, the more we see success and timely delivery. We think taking a new approach makes it possible to shift government from an organisation of programmes and projects, to one of missions and services. It offers even constrained administrations an opportunity to improve their chances of delivering outcomes, reducing risk, saving money, and rebuilding public trust. The Radical How in a nutshell The struggles and shortcomings of delivering in government are well rehearsed. Many of the root causes that make it tough have been restated several times over several decades. But what to do? We believe the government can and should change how it delivers, by: organising around multidisciplinary teams embracing incremental, feedback-driven iteration focusing more on outcomes. The Radical How is a change of mindset as much as a change in organisation. It promotes methods and processes that have been shown to work, multiple times, at scale. They are the default ways of working for many of the world’s most successful companies. However, the occasions where they have been deployed are rare in government. These occasions have come about thanks to exceptional leaders, exceptional circumstances, or both. We think they’d make a big difference if they became the norm, rather than the exception. We also think that without them, mission oriented government will not become a reality. New policy ideas will remain just that, rather than translating into profound improvements to society. Central to this approach is the widespread adoption of internet-era ways of working. This paper explains both those and our thinking in more detail, with reference to real examples. CY - London DA - 2024/03// PY - 2024 PB - Nesta and Public Digital UR - https://options2040.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/The-Radical-How.pdf Y2 - 2024/03/15/09:38:01 ER - TY - BLOG TI - How adaptive M&E from the peace sector can help demonstrate the value of aid AU - Kratzer, Sebastian AB - Over the last decade, the peace sector has been developing and adapting Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems and tools to fit their contexts and ways of working. This evolution may hold some insights for the aid community in how to go beyond more traditional, backwards-looking M&E to navigate today’s volatile, interest-based world of politics and aid. DA - 2023/10/13/ PY - 2023 UR - https://frompoverty.oxfam.org.uk/how-adaptive-me-from-the-peace-sector-can-help-demonstrate-the-value-of-aid/ Y2 - 2023/08/15/07:57:02 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Lasting Roots: Naatal Mbay and the Integrated Finance Model in Senegal AU - Fowler, Ben AU - Courbois, Laura T2 - MSP Ex-Post Study AB - This report addresses the well-recognized evidence gap1 on the longer-term impacts created by marketdriven programming; specifically, programming influenced by market systems development (MSD) principles. It does so by presenting the findings of an ex-post study conducted three and a half years after the close of USAID’s Feed the Future Senegal Naatal Mbay Activity (hereafter Naatal Mbay) in 2019. It examines the scale and sustainability of changes resulting from Naatal Mbay’s introduction of an integrated finance model (IFM) – described in Error! Reference source not found. below – in the domestic rice sector. This study is one in a series of ex-post evaluations that are being conducted between 2023-2026 on USAID-funded MSD interventions around the world. This study focused on four questions, noted below in Figure 1. These were addressed using a mix of desk research, 122 key informant interviews with market actors and other stakeholders remotely and in Senegal, focus group discussions with 26 rice producers networks in Senegal, and a validation workshop with USAID/Senegal, implementing partner staff and market actors. Findings were analyzed leveraging the Disrupting System Dynamics (DSD) framework (see Figure 4 in the body of the report) as an analytical tool for understanding systems change. CY - Washington DC DA - 2023/08// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID UR - https://agrilinks.org/post/lasting-roots-ex-post-study-senegal-naatal-mbay-and-integrated-finance-model Y2 - 2023/10/02/00:00:00 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - Practitioners Guidance to Assessing Systems Change: Co-Authors Preview AU - Gover, Dun AU - Nasution, Zulka AU - Okutu, David AU - Bolder, Meghan AU - Henao, Lina AB - Check out this video to see what’s inside our new resource: Practitioners' Guidance to Assessing Systems Change, developed by MEL Managers for MEL Managers. (Check out the Guidance here https://bit.ly/MSPMELClinics.) Hear from the authors about which parts they love the most and how this guide challenges MEL managers to assess systems change as an ongoing aspect of implementation, generating feedback that teams need to better understand and catalyze change, for more impact. DA - 2023/07// PY - 2023 PB - USAID UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_szw6nIwbA Y2 - 2023/10/02/09:38:55 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Applying Adaptive Management in a Fragile Context – Case Study AU - Lonsdale, Jane AU - Green, Duncan AU - Robertson, Kelly AB - DT Global is proud to introduce our new Guidance Note: Practical Introduction to Adaptive Management There is a growing consensus around adaptive management as an effective (even necessary) approach when programs are tackling complex development problems. While there is no standard definition of adaptive management, there is general agreement that such programs need to routinely engage with and respond to program context; constantly test what works in that context; and adjust approaches, plans, and activities based on continuous learning. However, there remains a more limited body of evidence about what this looks like in practice—the enabling conditions, systems, resourcing, skills, and attitudes to effectively operationalise adaptive management. There is also limited guidance around when adaptive management is required, and to what extent—both critical and often overlooked considerations when planning for successful adaptive management. This Guidance Note draws together lessons and good practice in adaptive management from across DT Global’s diverse portfolio of donor-funded programs. It outlines our conceptual framework for adaptive management, with practical guidance on how it can be applied by our program teams. It is also designed to help our teams distinguish adaptive management from good (non adaptive) project management, consider when adaptive management is most useful on a program, and how adaptive a program (or part of a program) should be. DA - 2023/07// PY - 2023 PB - DT Global UR - https://dt-global.com/assets/files/dt-global-applying-adaptive-management-in-fragile-contexts-case-study.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/24/10:25:32 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Applied political economy analysis for human rights programs and campaigns: A guide for practitioners (second edition) AU - Pact AB - This updated guide provides practical guidance to practitioners in the human rights sector and beyond on how to integrate Applied Political Economy Analysis CY - Washington DC DA - 2023/07// PY - 2023 LA - en PB - Pact ST - Applied political economy analysis for human rights programs and campaigns UR - https://www.pactworld.org/library/applied-political-economy-analysis-human-rights-programs-and-campaigns-guide-practitioners Y2 - 2023/10/06/09:27:05 ER - TY - MGZN TI - How to Build Movements with Cyclical Patterns in Mind - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly AU - Algoso, Dave AU - Guerzovich, Florencia AU - Gattoni, Soledad T2 - Nonprofit Quarterly AB - The world changes too much for anyone who is invested in social change work to imagine that this work is linear and predictable. Opportunities come and go, whether caused by a pandemic or political shifts. This much most social movement leaders and activists intuitively understand. But what can be done with this realization? How might movement groups better prepare for moments of opportunity? We want to explore how we can create the changes we want to see by responding to the changes that are outside our control. DA - 2023/06/05/ PY - 2023 UR - https://nonprofitquarterly.org/how-to-build-movements-with-cyclical-patterns-in-mind/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Y2 - 2023/10/03/11:30:33 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The adoption of innovation in international development organisations: lessons for development co-operation AU - Kumpf, Benjamin AU - Jhunjhunwala, Parnika T2 - OECD Development Co-operation Working Papers AB - Addressing 21st century development challenges requires investments in innovation, including the use of new approaches and technologies. Currently, many development organisations prioritise investments in isolated innovation pilots that leverage a specific approach or technology rather than pursuing a strategic approach to expand the organisation’s toolbox with innovations that have proven their comparative advantage over what is currently used. This Working Paper addresses this challenge of adopting innovations. How can development organisations institutionalise a new way of working, bringing what was once novel to the core of how business is done? Analysing successful adoption efforts across five DAC agencies, the paper lays out a proposed process for the adoption of innovations. The paper features five case-studies and concludes with a set of lessons and recommendations for policy makers on innovation management generally, and adoption of innovation in particular. CY - Paris DA - 2023/05// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - OECD Publishing SN - 112 UR - https://doi.org/10.1787/21f63c69-en Y2 - 2023/09/14/00:00:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - A new pathway: how can funders support meaningful monitoring, evaluation, and learning practice in the field? - Blog post on Better Evaluation AU - Acevedo, Andrea AU - Colnar, Megan AB - How can donors and grantees work together to create effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) practices that drive field-wide transformation? DA - 2023/04/10/ PY - 2023 LA - en M3 - Better Evaluation ST - A new pathway UR - https://www.betterevaluation.org/blog/new-pathway-how-can-funders-support-meaningful-monitoring-evaluation-learning-practice-field Y2 - 2023/07/04/09:46:07 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Celebrating Adaptive Delivery: A View from the Frontline in Myanmar AU - Barnes, Katrina AU - Lonsdale, Jane T2 - IDS Working Paper AB - The conversation on adaptive management has grown fast amongst development actors. These conversations often focus on designing, commissioning, and managing large-scale development programmes. Exactly how this impacts the frontline, the implementers, and day-to-day project delivery is still being debated. Yet, perspectives drawn directly from practice are often largely missing within these debates. This paper is written by two development practitioners. Through this paper, we reflect on the difference between adaptive management and adaptive delivery, and how this interacts with risk and aid accountability, particularly in contexts of fragility. Drawing on examples of Oxfam in Myanmar work and our personal insights in relation to delivering programming across humanitarian, peace-building, and development, we suggest that in complex, conflict-affected, and highly political environments adaptive delivery already happens far more regularly than is currently recognised, as a necessity to get activities delivered. However, it happens despite the system, not because of it, and is therefore often hidden and carried out ‘under the radar’ rather than celebrated as a success in difficult environments. This paper was written in 2019, before the military seized control of Myanmar in February 2021. Whilst it draws on examples from pre-2021 Myanmar to illustrate real life cases, it is a contribution to a broader global debate on adaptive management in practice, specifically in fragile contexts. This is not specifically aimed at practitioners working in Myanmar at present, who are now working in a protracted crisis. This paper makes tangible recommendations on steps that donors, international non-governmental organisations, local staff, and partners could take to promote a system of encouraging and celebrating adaptability in programme delivery in fragile contexts. CY - Brighton, UK DA - 2023/02/02/ PY - 2023 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - IDS SN - 586 ST - Celebrating Adaptive Delivery UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17860 Y2 - 2023/02/06/12:33:24 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Understanding Political Economy Analysis and Thinking and Working Politically AU - Whaites, Alan AU - Piron, Laure-Hélène AU - Menocal, Alina Rocha AU - Teskey, Graham AB - This guide is adapted from work by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) with inputs from members of the Thinking and Working Politically Community of Practice (TWP CoP). It outlines how to understand and use a set of analytical tools that are collectively known as Political Economy Analysis (PEA). The guide aims to equip practitioners to act in an informed manner, given that development objectives are invariably politically complex, and entail engaging with counterparts’ political incentives and preferences. The guide summarises different types of tools – from very light-touch to more in-depth approaches – and provides advice on how development professionals can decide what is most appropriate in a given context, with illustrations based on the experiences of teams working on these issues. This guide will help development professionals and others to make use of PEA and to apply it to their own specific needs. The first part of the guide offers a general picture of the approach. The second part provides more specific guidance for those who are tasked with deploying a PEA. Contents --> Main audience What is PEA, its role and purpose (Section 2) --> General information for all readers The main elements of PEA (Section 3) Thinking and Working Politically (Section 4) --> Core information for teams planning and using PEA How to ensure quality (Section 5) --> Essential reading for those directly responsible for a PEA Important concepts and terminology (Annex) --> General information for all readers CY - London DA - 2023/02// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - FCDO and TWP CoP UR - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-political-economy-analysis-and-thinking-and-working-politically Y2 - 2023/10/04/00:00:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Innovative M&E from the Sandbox and beyond AU - Vester, Søren AU - Tran, Samuel T2 - Medium AB - In this blog we are sharing a digest of some of the many useful and innovative monitoring, evaluation and learning resources and efforts that have come through the M&E Sandbox in 2022. A lot of these resources have been shared by our community in response to the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the launch of the Sandbox (please keep them coming!). We hope you find it useful. We have grouped these efforts and resources under six broad questions: - How do we measure systems transformation? - How do we know if we are on track? - How do we rethink complexity and independence in evaluation? - Why, how and for whom do we measure? - How do we generate insights and learn? - How do we make decisions and adapt? DA - 2023/01/20/T14:03:18.824Z PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/@undp.innovation/innovative-m-e-from-the-sandbox-and-beyond-9234d0977796 Y2 - 2023/01/24/09:29:34 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Building a team culture for Adaptive Management in MSD: 5 Strategies MEL Managers Say Work AU - Gover, Dun AU - Nasution, Zulka AU - Okutu, David AU - Bolder, Meghan AU - Henao, Lina T2 - MSD in MEL Brief DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID SN - 2 UR - https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/media/file/MSD%20in%20MEL%20Brief%202_Building%20Culture_508.pdf Y2 - 2023/10/02/09:38:55 KW - Bolder Meghan KW - Gover Dun KW - Henao Lina KW - Nasution Zulka KW - Okutu David ER - TY - RPRT TI - Enhancing partner and system-level learning: 8 Tips from MEL Managers AU - Gover, Dun AU - Nasution, Zulka AU - Okutu, David AU - Bolder, Meghan AU - Henao, Lina T2 - MSD in MEL Brief AB - Effective learning is a key driver of market systems change, with the potential to enhance system competitiveness, resilience, and inclusiveness. Shifting the Locus of Learning: Catalyzing Private Sector Learning to Drive Systemic Change recently outlined a rationale for enhancing the scale and quality of learning in a system and identifying 10 strategies programs can contextualize to catalyze learning. These strategies are also backed with robust examples from 13 programs doing this work across 11 countries. To deepen insights on what MSD Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Managers have experienced in putting several of those strategies into practice, the Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP) Activity convened a series of peer discussions as part of a larger initiative (see Figure 1). This brief shares the collective learning and experience on this topic of three senior MEL Managers who were interested in and had experience with this topic. The group represented full-time, program-based MEL Leads working on MSD programs funded by USAID and DFAT, based in Fiji, Albania, and Kosovo working for Adam Smith International, SwissContact, and DT Global, respectively. From those discussions, this paper synthesizes eight tips from MEL Managers for practically enhancing partner and system-level learning: 1. Identify the right decision-maker(s) at potential partners. 2. Use a co-creation process to identify learning opportunities. 3. Use diagnostics and assessments to strengthen partner and system capacity for actionable learning. 4. Use a phased capacity strengthening process tied to behavior change. 5. Measure partners’ continued investment in and use of learning—not the continuation of specific learning activities. 6. Work with sector-level institutions for scale but be aware of risks. 7. Leverage informal communities of practice to share learning. 8. Use the right terminology to talk about partner and system-focused learning. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID SN - 3 UR - https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/media/file/MSD%20in%20MEL%20Brief%203_PS%20Learning_508.pdf Y2 - 2023/10/02/09:38:55 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Practioners Guide to Assessing Systems Change AU - Gover, Dun AU - Nasution, Zulka AU - Okutu, David AU - Bolder, Meghan AU - Henao, Lina T2 - MSD in MEL Brief DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 PB - USAID SN - 1 UR - https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/media/file/MSD%20in%20MEL%20Brief%201_Practioners%20Guide%20to%20Assessing%20Systems%20Change_06.14.pdf Y2 - 2023/10/02/09:38:55 ER - TY - SOUND TI - Transforming M&E for Uncertain and Complex Contexts: The UNDP’s Innovation Sandbox Approach AU - Fraser, Dugan AU - Haldrup, Søren T2 - Powered by Evidence Podcast AB - How can we transform monitoring and evaluation (M&E) into a more adaptive, emergent process to address uncertainty and complexity in todays’ world? How do we move from compliance and accountability to learning – to support better, more timely, decisions? Join GEI Program Manager, Dugan Fraser, as he discusses these questions and others with Special Guest, Søren Haldrup, from UNDP's Strategic Innovation Unit where he manages UNDP's innovation facility and leads a new initiative called the M&E Sandbox. DA - 2022/11/03/ PY - 2022 LA - en ST - Transforming M&E for Uncertain and Complex Contexts UR - https://www.globalevaluationinitiative.org/podcast/transforming-me-uncertain-and-complex-contexts-undps-innovation-sandbox-approach Y2 - 2023/01/03/12:40:47 ER - TY - RPRT TI - UNDP Digital Leadership Learning Modules AU - UNDP AB - In order to support the digital transformation of government operations Digital Learning Modules for Civil Servants are available, an off-the-shelf package of capacity development in form of replicable training modules to empower public servants at both the local and central government level to be leaders of digital transformation for delivering better public services. The modules cover a multitude of fundamental areas: comprehending digital government and services, human-centered design for inclusivity and agile learning cycles; feature the importance of security and privacy, the value of data and how to manage data and technology related risks; spotlight the key role of supportive leadership and offer practical tools for assessing and overcoming main barriers to ensure a successful digital transformation journey. DA - 2022/10// PY - 2022 LA - en PB - United Nations Development Programme UR - https://www.undp.org/publications/undp-digital-leadership-learning-modules Y2 - 2022/10/21/13:33:11 ER - TY - CONF TI - Thinking and Working Politically in the Land Sector in Mekong Region AU - Burns, Tony AU - Ingalls, Micah AU - Rickersey, Kate T2 - FIG Congress 2022 AB - In recent decades, the World Bank and many bilateral development partners have provided funding to support land administration reform. Traditional land administration reform projects focus on the economic and technical design of interventions based on a library of best practice, commonly avoiding the “messy politics” typically involved in land governance. Experience and lessons from land administration reform initiatives have been documented and a recurrent theme is that many projects fail to create effective, transformative change and gain the critical mass, and the community participation, necessary to ensure the sustainability of land administration reform. Over the last decade there have been concerted efforts to develop more politically informed ways of thinking and working using a range of methodologies referred to, variously, as Thinking and Working Politicallyi (TWP), Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) and Doing Development Differently (DDD). There is little evidence that these different approaches have been applied in the land sector. C1 - Warsaw, Poland DA - 2022/09/11/15 PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en ER - TY - RPRT TI - Evidence-led adaptive programming: Lessons from MUVA AU - Sharp, Samuel AU - Riemenschneider, Nils AU - Selvester, Kerry AB - Calls for more ‘adaptive programming’ have been prominent in international development practice for over a decade. Learning-by-doing is a crucial element of this, but programmes have often found it challenging to become more learning oriented. Establishing some form of reflective practice, against countervailing incentives, is difficult. Incorporating data collection processes that generate useful, timely and practical information to inform these reflections is even more so.This paper explores MUVA - an adaptive female economic empowerment programme in Mozambique. MUVA, we suggest, is atypically evidence-led. It combines systematic, inclusive reflective practice with extensive real-time data collection. We describe the fundamental features of MUVA’s monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) approach that supported this. One, how data collection and analysis are synchronised with set cycles for learning and adapting projects. Two, how MEL systems are designed to prioritise actionable learning, with data collection oriented more to the needs of implementing staff than to the reporting requirements of funders.This approach was enabled by building collective ownership over the programme’s objectives and the purpose of MEL from the outset. Implementers are asked about their motivations, and these are related to the programme’s Theory of Change. The evidence culture is supported by the proximity of MEL staff to implementing staff; and through structuring upwards accountability to funders around justifying evidence-based adaptations instead of reporting on more narrow indicators. We conclude by considering the relevance, or not, of MUVA’s approach to programmes in other contexts or issue areas trying to replicate a similarly evidence-informed approach to adaptive management. Key messages Learning-by-doing is essential to adaptive programming, but it can be challenging to establish data collection processes that generate useful, timely and practical information. MUVA – a female economic empowerment programme in Mozambique – has an atypically evidence-led adaptive management approach. This has two fundamental features. One, data collection and analysis are synchronised with set cycles for learning and adapting projects. Two, data collection is oriented more to the needs of implementing staff than to the reporting requirements of funders. Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems are designed to prioritise actionable learning. This approach was enabled by building collective ownership over the programme’s objectives and the purpose of MEL from the outset. Implementers are asked about their motivations, and these are related to the programme’s Theory of Change. The evidence culture is supported by the proximity of MEL staff to implementing staff; and through structuring upwards accountability to funders around justifying evidence-based adaptations instead of reporting on more narrow indicators. CY - London DA - 2022/06/29/ PY - 2022 LA - en-gb PB - ODI ST - Evidence-led adaptive programming UR - https://odi.org/en/publications/evidence-led-adaptive-programming-lessons-from-muva/ Y2 - 2022/07/04/10:45:09 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Integrated Governance: Achieving Governance Results and Contributing to Sector Outcomes AU - Frazer, Sarah AU - Granius, Mark AU - Brinkerhoff, Derick W. AU - McGregor, Lisa T2 - RTI Press Publication AB - Achieving broad-based socio-economic development requires interventions that bridge disciplines, strategies, and stakeholders. Effective sustained progress requires more than simply an accumulation of sector projects, and poverty reduction, individual wellbeing, community development, and societal advancement do not fall neatly into sectoral categories. However, researchers and practitioners recognize key operational challenges to achieving effective integration that stem from the structures and processes associated with the current practice of international development. Integration calls for the intentional linking of intervention designs, implementation, and evaluation across sectors and disciplines to achieve mutually reinforcing outcomes. In this report, we summarize the results of a study we conducted to explore the challenges facing governance programs that integrate with sector interventions to achieve governance outcomes and contribute to sector outcomes. Through a review of policy documents and project reports from recent integrated governance programs and interviews with donor and practitioner staff, we found three integrated governance programming variants, an emphasis on citizen and government collaboration to improve service delivery, interventions that serve as the glue between sectors, and a balancing act for indicators to measure contribution to sectoral outcomes. Our analysis identified four key success factors: contextual readiness, the application of learning and adapting approaches, donor support, and recognition of the limitations of integrated governance. We then discuss recommendations and implications and for answering the challenge of integrating governance and sector programming to achieve development outcomes. CY - Research Triangle Park, NC DA - 2022/05/19/ PY - 2022 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en PB - RTI Press SN - RR-0046-2205 ST - Integrated Governance UR - https://www.rti.org/rti-press-publication/integrated-governance Y2 - 2022/07/01/08:09:30 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Capacity Development in a Participatory Adaptive Programme: the Case of the Clarissa Consortium AU - Widmer, Mireille AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Afroze, Jiniya AU - Malla, Sudhir AU - Healey, Jill AU - Constant, Sendrine T2 - CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper AB - Doing development differently rests on deliberate efforts to reflect and learn, not just about what programmes are doing and achieving, but about how they are working. This is particularly important for an action research programme like Child Labour: Action- Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA), which is implemented by a consortium of organisations from across the research and development spectrum, during a rapidly changing global pandemic. Harnessing the potential of diverse skills and complementary strengths across partners in responding to the complex challenge of the worst forms of child labour, requires capacity to work together in novel ways. This Research and Evidence Paper documents how CLARISSA approached capacity development, and what we learnt from our challenges and successes. From the start, the programme incorporated a capacity development strategy resting on self-assessment of a wide range of behavioural and technical competencies that were deemed important for programme implementation, formal training activities, and periodic review of progress through an after-action review (AAR) process. An inventory of capacity development activities that took place during the first year of implementation reveals a wide range of additional, unplanned activities, enabled by the programme’s flexibility and adaptive management strategy. These are organised into eight modalities, according to the individual or collective nature of the activity, and its sequencing – namely, whether capacity development happens prior to, during, or after (from) implementation. We conclude with some reflections on the emergent nature of capacity development. Planning capacity development in an adaptive programme provides a scaffolding in terms of time, resources, and legitimacy that sustains adaptiveness. We also recognise the gaps that remain to be addressed, particularly on scaling up individual learning to collective capabilities, and widening the focus from implementation teams to individuals working at consortium level. CY - Brighton DA - 2022/04/25/ PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - IDS SN - 1 ST - Capacity Development in a Participatory Adaptive Programme UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17351 Y2 - 2022/07/04/11:51:12 ER - TY - RPRT TI - System Change: A Guidebook for Adopting Portfolio Approaches AU - Wellsch, Brent AB - This guidebook codifies the principles and methods of applying systems change and portfolio approaches to complex development challenges with practical tools and examples. It is based on the empirical learning generated from the collaborative initiatives in UNDP Country Offices in Bhutan, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Viet Nam with support from Regional Innovation Centre for Asia and the Pacific. CY - Bangkok DA - 2022/03/28/ PY - 2022 LA - en PB - UNDP ST - System Change UR - https://www.undp.org/publications/system-change-guidebook-adopting-portfolio-approaches Y2 - 2023/11/07/10:27:13 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Theory of Change Workbook: A Step-by-Step Process for Developing or Strengthening Theories of Change AU - Salib, Monalisa AB - While over time theories of change have become synonymous with simple if/then statements, a strong theory of change should actually be a much more detailed, context-specific articulation of how we *theorize* change will happen under a program. DA - 2022/02/15/ PY - 2022 LA - en M3 - Text PB - USAID ST - Theory of Change Workbook UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/library/theory-change-workbook-step-step-process-developing-or-strengthening-theories-change Y2 - 2022/03/17/13:58:01 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Systems Thinking and Practice: A Guide to Concepts, Principles and Tools for FCDO and Partners AU - Woodhill, Jim AU - Millican, Juliet T2 - K4D AB - This guide is a basic reference on systems thinking and practice tailored to the context and needs of the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). It is an output of the FCDO Knowledge for Development Programme (K4D), which facilitated a Learning Journey on Systems Thinking and Practice with FCDO staff during 2021 and 2022. The guide offers a common language and shared framing of systems thinking for FCDO and its partners. It explores what this implies for working practices, business processes and leadership. It also offers links to additional resources and tools on systems thinking. We hope it can support systems thinking to become more commonplace within the culture and practices of FCDO and working relations with partner organisations. CY - Brighton DA - 2022/02/03/ PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies ST - Systems Thinking and Practice UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17862 Y2 - 2023/02/08/15:50:53 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Difference Learning Makes - Factors that enable and inhibit adaptive programming AU - Gray, Stephen AU - Carl, Andy AB - Executive Summary When Christian Aid (CA) Ireland devised its multi-country and multi-year Irish Aid funded Programme Grant II (2017-2022), they opted to move away from a linear programme management approach and to explore an adaptive one. Across seven countries: Angola, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe, CA and partner organisations support marginalised communities to realise their rights, reduce violence and address gender inequality. Since 2019, Adapt Peacebuilding has accompanied CA Ireland, CA country teams and partner organisations as they experimented with using a deliberate adaptive approach. The authors were also asked to follow up on an initial study by CA Ireland and Overseas Development Institute in 2018, which described the rationale for adopting this new approach and included early lessons from its first year of implementation. The aim of this study is to help deepen CA Ireland, CA country teams’ and partners’ understanding of (a) whether their application of adaptive programming has resulted in better development outcomes, and (b) how they can better understand the factors that enabled or inhibited the effectiveness of using this approach. Over the past three years, this study has found evidence and multiple examples that show adaptive programming contributed to better development outcomes. The main reasons cited were that these were made possible both from improvements to programming strategies based on proactive reflection and learning, as well as those that stem from the reactive capacity of adaptive programmes to change course in response to unanticipated changes in operating conditions. This study found that adaptive programming has enabled better development practice where organisations are enhancing their skills to better respond and be flexible to contextual challenges. 72% of partners surveyed described adaptive programming as the most useful approach to programme management that they have used. The programme approach has meant that CA and partner staff were better able to explore the significance of change in the context and their contributions to them. It also enabled spaces for meaningful engagement with communities in learning and programme planning processes and encouraged opportunities for experimentation in programming. The study also found that adaptive programming has supported flexible delivery. This led to better outcomes that would not have been possible were the programme not able to make flexible adjustments. The main focus has been the analysis of nine factors that can determine the effectiveness and impact (or otherwise) of using an adaptive approach, flagging important issues for understanding. These factors are identified as: 1) Leadership; 2) Organisational culture; 3) Conceptual understanding; 4) Staff capacities; 5) Partnership approaches; 6) Participation; 7) Methods and tools; 8) Administrative procedures; and 9) The operating context. Together these can provide an analytical framework for assessing an organisation’s ‘adaptive scope’, which can be used as a tool for better understanding an organisation’s potential to generate improved development outcomes via adaptive programming and how to strengthen them. The study concludes with several recommendations for CA Ireland, all of which have relevance for a broader community of donors and implementing organisations interested in the potential of adaptive programming. CY - London DA - 2022/02// PY - 2022 PB - Christian Aid UR - https://www.christianaid.ie/sites/default/files/2022-12/the-difference-learning-makes-factors-that-enable-and-inhibit-adaptive-programming.pdf Y2 - 2024/01/29/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Guidance Note for Adaptive Management AU - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark AB - This note explains what adaptive aid management is; why and when it should be considered; and how it should be applied. It covers all Danish development support channels and modalities, including bilateral country assistance, assistance to and through civil society, the private sector and to and through multilateral organisations. This guide has three chapters. Chapter 1 provides an executive overview of what adaptive management is. Chapter 2 goes deeper into five key operational principles of adaptive management. Chapter 3 details the main tenets of adaptive management processes during the programming cycle. CY - Copenhagen DA - 2022/02// PY - 2022 LA - en PB - Government of Denmark UR - https://amg.um.dk/bilateral-cooperation/guidelines-for-country-strategic-frameworks-programmes-and-projects Y2 - 2023/09/29/09:26:56 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Guidance Note: Practical introduction to adaptive management AU - DT Global AB - DT Global is proud to introduce our new Guidance Note: Practical Introduction to Adaptive Management There is a growing consensus around adaptive management as an effective (even necessary) approach when programs are tackling complex development problems. While there is no standard definition of adaptive management, there is general agreement that such programs need to routinely engage with and respond to program context; constantly test what works in that context; and adjust approaches, plans, and activities based on continuous learning. However, there remains a more limited body of evidence about what this looks like in practice—the enabling conditions, systems, resourcing, skills, and attitudes to effectively operationalise adaptive management. There is also limited guidance around when adaptive management is required, and to what extent—both critical and often overlooked considerations when planning for successful adaptive management. This Guidance Note draws together lessons and good practice in adaptive management from across DT Global’s diverse portfolio of donor-funded programs. It outlines our conceptual framework for adaptive management, with practical guidance on how it can be applied by our program teams. It is also designed to help our teams distinguish adaptive management from good (non adaptive) project management, consider when adaptive management is most useful on a program, and how adaptive a program (or part of a program) should be. DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - DT Global UR - https://dt-global.com/assets/files/dt-global-guidance-note-introduction-to-adaptive-management.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/24/10:25:32 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Context-monitoring for adaptive management AU - Pickwick, Sarah DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - World Vision UR - https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/World-Vision-Context-monitoring-for-adaptive-management-.docx Y2 - 2022/01/12/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - An introductory systems thinking toolkit for civil servants AU - UK Government AB - This document is a an Introductory Toolkit for for civil servants. It is one component of a suite of documents that aims to act as a springboard into systems thinking for civil servants unfamiliar with this approach. These documents introduce a small sample of systems thinking concepts and tools, chosen due to their accessibility and alignment to civil service policy development, but which is by no means comprehensive. They are intended to act as a first step towards using systems thinking approaches to solve complex problems and the reader is encourage to explore the wider systems thinking field further. CY - London DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 LA - en PB - UK Government Office for Science UR - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/systems-thinking-for-civil-servants/toolkit Y2 - 2023/02/08/15:56:28 ER - TY - RPRT TI - CLA Maturity Tool - Card Deck (Implementing Partners version 1) AU - USAID LEARN AB - USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL) and its support mechanism, LEARN, have developed a Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Framework and Maturity tool to help USAID missions think more deliberately about how to plan for and implement CLA approaches that fit the mission’s context and assist them in achieving their development objectives. While the tool is intended primarily for USAID audiences to be used in participatory self-assessment workshops, the CLA Framework and maturity spectrum are relevant to a wider audience. USAID’s CLA Framework identifies key components and subcomponents of daily work that may be opportunities for intentional, systematic, and resourced CLA. The framework recognizes the diversity of what CLA can look like in various organizations and programs while also giving CLA structure, clarity, and coherence across two key dimensions: • CLA in the Program Cycle: how CLA is incorporated throughout Program Cycle processes, including strategy, project, and activity design and implementation; and • Enabling Conditions: how an organization’s culture, business processes, and resource allocation support CLA integration. Recognizing that CLA is not binary—it’s not an issue of “doing it or not doing it”—PPL and LEARN have developed a spectrum of practice for each of the 16 subcomponents in the framework. The spectrum offers examples of what integration might look like at different stages: Not Yet Present, Emergent, Expanding, Advanced and Institutionalized. The maturity stage descriptions are only illustrative and are intended to spark reflection on current practice and opportunities for improvements. In this resource, each CLA subcomponent page describes the key concepts for that topic and includes a description of the maturity stages. Although the descriptions were originally developed for USAID, the majority of the concepts easily transfer or have equivalents in the partner community. For example, although organizations outside of USAID may not hold “Portfolio Reviews” (part of the Pause & Reflect subcomponent), the majority hold some type of meeting to review programmatic progress. This is the seventh version of the CLA Framework and maturity spectrum. PPL and LEARN will continue reviewed and periodically update them based on user feedback, so if you have comments about the content, please email learning@usaid.gov. We would also love to hear how you’ve used this content with your team or organization. CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - USAID UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/508c_cla_maturity_tool_card_deck_ip_v1_2022-07-29.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/03/12:59:23 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) Maturity Spectrum (v7) AU - USAID LEARN AB - USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL) and its support mechanism, LEARN, have developed a Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Framework and Maturity tool to help USAID missions think more deliberately about how to plan for and implement CLA approaches that fit the mission’s context and assist them in achieving their development objectives. While the tool is intended primarily for USAID audiences to be used in participatory self-assessment workshops, the CLA Framework and maturity spectrum are relevant to a wider audience. USAID’s CLA Framework identifies key components and subcomponents of daily work that may be opportunities for intentional, systematic, and resourced CLA. The framework recognizes the diversity of what CLA can look like in various organizations and programs while also giving CLA structure, clarity, and coherence across two key dimensions: • CLA in the Program Cycle: how CLA is incorporated throughout Program Cycle processes, including strategy, project, and activity design and implementation; and • Enabling Conditions: how an organization’s culture, business processes, and resource allocation support CLA integration. Recognizing that CLA is not binary—it’s not an issue of “doing it or not doing it”—PPL and LEARN have developed a spectrum of practice for each of the 16 subcomponents in the framework. The spectrum offers examples of what integration might look like at different stages: Not Yet Present, Emergent, Expanding, Advanced and Institutionalized. The maturity stage descriptions are only illustrative and are intended to spark reflection on current practice and opportunities for improvements. In this resource, each CLA subcomponent page describes the key concepts for that topic and includes a description of the maturity stages. Although the descriptions were originally developed for USAID, the majority of the concepts easily transfer or have equivalents in the partner community. For example, although organizations outside of USAID may not hold “Portfolio Reviews” (part of the Pause & Reflect subcomponent), the majority hold some type of meeting to review programmatic progress. This is the seventh version of the CLA Framework and maturity spectrum. PPL and LEARN will continue reviewed and periodically update them based on user feedback, so if you have comments about the content, please email learning@usaid.gov. We would also love to hear how you’ve used this content with your team or organization. CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - USAID UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/cla_maturity_spectrum_handouts_20170612_0.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/03/12:55:47 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting Framework & Key Concepts (Implementing Partner Version 1) AU - USAID LEARN AB - Although collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) are not new to USAID and its implementing partners, they often do not happen regularly or systematically and are not intentionally resourced. The CLA Framework above identifies components and subcomponents to help you think more deliberately about what approach to CLA might be best tailored to your organizational or project context. The framework recognizes the diversity of what CLA can look like in various organizations and projects while also giving CLA structure, clarity, and coherence across two key dimensions: - CLA in the Program Cycle: how CLA is incorporated into planning and design processes throughout the Program Cycle in order to improve their effectiveness; and - Enabling Conditions: how an organization’s culture, daily operating processes, and resource allocation support CLA integration. Organizations need both integrated CLA practices appropriate for their context and conducive enabling conditions to become stronger learning organizations capable of managing adaptively. The framework stresses the holistic and integrated nature of the various components of CLA to reinforce the principle that CLA is not a separate workstream—it should be integrated into existing processes to strengthen the discipline of development and improve aid effectiveness. CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/508c_cla_maturity_tool_card_deck_ip_v1_2022-07-29.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/03/12:59:23 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning to adapt & adapting to learn - Using elements of outcome mapping in the ‘Resilient Adolescents in the Syria Crisis’ programme AU - van Ongevalle, Jan AU - Kvintradze, Ana AU - Rennesson, Gaël AU - Miller, David AB - This learning paper highlights how elements of outcome mapping were used by Save the Children Sweden in a project (2018-2020) that supports adolescents, affected by the Syria crisis, to become more resilient. The paper first outlines how the spheres of influence framework has been applied to develop an actor focused theory of change. It then describes how progress markers, as an alternative to SMART indicators, were formulated to monitor the programme’s results. The paper also outlines how long lists of progress markers were categorised in a more realistic and practical results framework. The paper then continues to elaborate how outcome journals, qualitative data analysis techniques and regular review meetings and reflection workshops were utilised for data collection, for collective learning among programme stakeholders and for informing planning and programme adjustment. Various practical guidelines and tips on how to implement elements of outcome mapping are provided. The final part of the paper explores to what extent outcome mapping was able to foster several key enablers of adaptive programme management and highlights some of the challenges that programme stakeholders faced. Practical recommendations towards the use of outcome mapping in future programmes are also proposed. DA - 2021/06// PY - 2021 PB - Save the Children UR - https://www.outcomemapping.ca/download/Outcome%20Mapping%20Learning%20Paper_SAP_02062021.pdf Y2 - 2022/09/30/08:38:35 ER - TY - RPRT TI - LearnAdapt: a synthesis of our work on adaptive programming with DFID/FCDO (2017–2020) AU - Laws, Ed AU - Pett, Jamie AU - Proud, Emma AU - Rocha Menocal, Alina T2 - Briefing Note AB - Key takeaways. • Development is not linear or straightforward, but rather complex, uncertain and context-specific. This calls for international development actors to work differently, in ways that are based on deliberate experimentation, learning and adaptation, to inform decisions and drive effective development. • Although it might go by different names, adaptive programming has been used in a variety of areas and fields in both the public and private sectors. Development practitioners have much to learn from and contribute to these different approaches and experiences. • Trust and relationship-building across all relevant stakeholders are among the most critical enabling factors for adaptive management. They are essential to give partners the space, autonomy and authority needed to try, test, reflect, iterate and feed back at the frontline of implementation, and to give donors the confidence that decisions are being made on the basis of evidence and learning to improve effectiveness. • There is an urgent need to rethink how accountability requirements, results frameworks, value for money considerations, performance markers, procurement and contracting mechanisms and other processes are understood and applied so that they are better aligned with and can support adaptive management more effectively. • The role of senior managers leading adaptive programmes from the donor side should be to create a space for experimentation and learning. Funders should hold their partners accountable for learning and how it feeds into effective programming, rather than for delivering on predetermined targets. • While formal guidance is important, leadership, champions, institutional incentives, a supportive management culture and appropriate mindsets are essential to encourage adaptive ways of working. • Adaptive management is resource-intensive. It requires skill, commitment, time for building trust and investments in learning. It is a journey, not an immediate destination – so it calls for patience, open-mindedness and a more nuanced approach to risk. CY - London DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 PB - ODI UR - https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/learnadapt_summary_note_2021.pdf Y2 - 2021/08/05/22:09:03 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Opportunities and challenges for DAC members in ‘adapting to context’ AU - Sharp, Samuel AU - Wild, Leni AB - Key Messages New principles for OECD DAC members on ‘Managing for Sustainable Development Results’ emphasise tailoring result management approaches to different contexts; balancing internal compliance with empowerment at ground level; and adapting implementation in the pursuit of long-term outcomes. However development organisations face numerous challenges in aligning with these principles in practice. Reporting and evidence collection processes do not consistently encourage adaptive practice, reflecting their orientation towards accountability over learning. Context analysis is common during programme design, but used less on an ongoing basis. Popular tools –such as logical frameworks and theories of change - are often intepreted in linear ways, not as ‘living documents’ that react and change over time. Organisations need to meaningfully empower staff to work adaptively, including examining incentives and cultures that can make staff more comfortable with traditional results management. Even when senior leadership is supportive of adaptive ways of working, they can lack a clear understanding of the resourcing required and appropriate governance and management processes. Development organisations and their partners have attempted to address these challenges through the use of different monitoring and evaluation tools and methods, changes to reporting frameworks and templates, and initiatives to create positive incentives and motivate staff, leadership and partners at different levels. DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 LA - en-gb UR - https://odi.org/en/publications/opportunities-and-challenges-for-dac-members-in-adapting-to-context/ Y2 - 2021/05/25/09:58:21 KW - _tablet ER - TY - RPRT TI - Peer reviews - Guidance for facilitators and participants AU - Wadley, Ian T2 - Mediation Practice Series AB - Essential points for practitioners and donors • Mediation offers a cost-effective and proven method for resolving armed conflict. Between 1985 and 2015, 75 per cent of armed conflicts in the world were resolved through agreement rather than by force. In most cases these processes will have involved third party facilitation or support. • Professional mediators understand the high stakes involved in their work to prevent, mitigate and resolve armed conflict. In addition, they and their financial supporters are increasingly required to demonstrate ‘value-for-money’ to ensure continued funding. • However, traditional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) methods are not well suited to this task, typically imposing artificially linear project models on a dynamic conflict situation, as well as compliance reporting that moves attention away from real value. • Traditional M&E methods tend to focus on documenting the past and generating vast amounts of data, rather than enabling timely adaptation of the project in the present. • Traditional M&E approaches rely heavily on external evaluation consultants. Even in the best of cases this may interfere with the mediation process and impose a heavy time burden on the project team, leading to low acceptance of traditional M&E approaches by mediation practitioners. • In contrast, an ideal M&E approach for mediation should deliver useful insights in even the most dynamic and sensitive mediation environments, impose a light reporting burden, and be readily accepted by mediation teams. It should protect discretion and trust, enable rapid adaptation, and also provide some assurance that donor funds are being well spent. CY - Geneve DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 PB - Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue UR - https://www.hdcentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/HDC_MPS7_EN-REV2-WEB.pdf Y2 - 2023/08/15/07:40:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive Management: Learning and Action Approaches to Implementing Norms-shifting Interventions AU - McLarnon, Courtney AU - Gayles, Jennifer AU - Deepan, Prabu AB - What Passages has Learned about Adaptive Management: • Be reflective about information that is collected and create a culture of learning. • Be systematic about establishing monitoring and learning systems. • Be strategic about data sources and analysis, prioritizing areas for learning and addressing issues raised. • Be inclusive about information collection: who is collecting what, how, and how is it being used. CY - Washington DC DA - 2021/01// PY - 2021 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en PB - USAID / Passages UR - https://prevention-collaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IRH_2021_Adaptive-Management.pdf Y2 - 2022/10/24/10:08:29 ER - TY - JOUR TI - A Systems Framework for International Development: The Data-Layered Causal Loop Diagram AU - Blair, Courtney AU - Gralla, Erica AU - Wetmore, Finley AU - Goentzel, Jarrod AU - Peters, Megan T2 - Production and Operations Management AB - Meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require adapting or redirecting a variety of very complex global and local human systems. It is essential that development scholars and practitioners have tools to understand the dynamics of these systems and the key drivers of their behavior, such as barriers to progress and leverage points for driving sustainable change. System dynamics tools are well suited to address this challenge, but they must first be adapted for the data-poor and fragmented environment of development work. Our key contribution is to extend the causal loop diagram (CLD) with a data layer that describes the status of and change in each variable based on available data. By testing dynamic hypotheses against the system's actual behavior, it enables analysis of a system's dynamics and behavioral drivers without simulation. The data-layered CLD was developed through a 4-year engagement with USAID/Uganda. Its contributions are illustrated through an application to agricultural financing in Uganda. Our analysis identified a lack of demand for agricultural loans as a major barrier to broadening agricultural financing, partially refuting an existing hypothesis that access to credit was the main constraint. Our work extends system dynamics theory to meet the challenges of this practice environment, enabling analysis of the complex dynamics that are crucial to achieving the SDGs. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DO - 10.1111/poms.13492 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 30 IS - 12 SP - 4374 EP - 4395 LA - en SN - 1937-5956 ST - A Systems Framework for International Development UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/poms.13492 Y2 - 2022/07/01/08:55:09 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Principles for managing in complexity AU - Proud, Emma T2 - LearnAdapt AB - Written by Toby Lowe and Shaheen Warren (Centre for Public Impact) and Sam Sharp (Overseas Development Institute), with input from Jamie… DA - 2020/11/30/T17:43:04.450Z PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/learnadapt/principles-for-managing-in-complexity-daee9a056b9d Y2 - 2023/08/06/19:29:09 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Diseño transformacional de proyectos AU - Kehrer, Daniel AB - There are many definitions of the term ‘transformation’ or ‘transformational change’. The first section of the report develops a basic understanding of transformations or transitions (used synonymously) viewed from various perspectives. In this, transformations are defined as processes that use disruptive innovations to change systems into fundamentally new systems that subsequently form the new mainstream. Section two describes existing approaches to environmental and climate finance in international cooperation and discusses them in light of the proposed definition. All of the approaches have the potential to be further refined and in that process often to increase the precision of what is understood by each type of transformation. The definitions already state which criteria and indicators are referred to and how relevant they are. There is wide diversity in the type of criteria and indicators used by the various organisations, and how they are classified, but certain common features can be identified and with the aid of the literature on transformations they can be combined to form a comprehensive framework. With this in mind, the derivation of quality criteria for transformative interventions is explained in section 3.1. Transformational change at one and the same time calls for big decisions and innumerable projects in a particular field of transformation; the projects cannot be planned on the drawing board but still should be coordinated with each other. Section 3.2 offers guidance on this. Section 3.3 argues in favour of focusing more closely on the ‘process promise’ and employing a more iterative and more adaptable commissioning procedure. Finally, section 3.4 introduces two types of indicators under the various criteria: design indicators, which measure the quality of interventions that are aimed at influencing transformations (process orientation), and outcome indicators, which measure the process and/or progress of a transformation itself. CY - Bonn DA - 2020/11// PY - 2020 PB - GIZ UR - https://www.giz.de/expertise/downloads/GIZ-BMU_2020_Transformative%20Project%20Design_EN.pdf Y2 - 2021/03/31/08:49:20 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Transformative project design AU - Kehrer, Daniel AB - There are many definitions of the term ‘transformation’ or ‘transformational change’. The first section of the report develops a basic understanding of transformations or transitions (used synonymously) viewed from various perspectives. In this, transformations are defined as processes that use disruptive innovations to change systems into fundamentally new systems that subsequently form the new mainstream. Section two describes existing approaches to environmental and climate finance in international cooperation and discusses them in light of the proposed definition. All of the approaches have the potential to be further refined and in that process often to increase the precision of what is understood by each type of transformation. The definitions already state which criteria and indicators are referred to and how relevant they are. There is wide diversity in the type of criteria and indicators used by the various organisations, and how they are classified, but certain common features can be identified and with the aid of the literature on transformations they can be combined to form a comprehensive framework. With this in mind, the derivation of quality criteria for transformative interventions is explained in section 3.1. Transformational change at one and the same time calls for big decisions and innumerable projects in a particular field of transformation; the projects cannot be planned on the drawing board but still should be coordinated with each other. Section 3.2 offers guidance on this. Section 3.3 argues in favour of focusing more closely on the ‘process promise’ and employing a more iterative and more adaptable commissioning procedure. Finally, section 3.4 introduces two types of indicators under the various criteria: design indicators, which measure the quality of interventions that are aimed at influencing transformations (process orientation), and outcome indicators, which measure the process and/or progress of a transformation itself. CY - Bonn DA - 2020/11// PY - 2020 PB - GIZ UR - https://www.giz.de/expertise/downloads/GIZ-BMU_2020_Transformative%20Project%20Design_EN.pdf Y2 - 2021/03/31/08:49:20 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive management: A practical guide to mitigating uncertainty and advancing evidence-based programming AU - Byom, K. AU - Ingram, M. AU - Oakley, A. AU - Serpe, L. AB - Pact’s Adaptive Management Guide provides practical guidance to development practitioners globally on the mindsets, behaviors, resources, and processes that underpin an effective adaptive management system. It presents an approach to managing adaptively that is rooted in complexity analysis and program theory. It draws on Pact’s global experiences and work on topics as diverse as health, livelihoods, markets, governance, capacity development, women and youth, and more. This document begins with an introduction to adaptive management, then walks through successive steps to determine how much adaptation a project requires and how to design an appropriate system. The second half of this guidebook contains a toolkit of examples and templates that projects can tailor to their needs. CY - Washington DC DA - 2020/10// PY - 2020 LA - en PB - PACT ST - Adaptive management UR - https://www.pactworld.org/library/adaptive-management-practical-guide-mitigating-uncertainty-and-advancing-evidence-based Y2 - 2021/01/04/11:34:24 ER - TY - RPRT TI - SystemCraft - a primer: How to Tackle our Toughest Problems AU - Simpson, Kate AU - Randall, Ian AB - Systemcraft is our applied framework to help leaders and organisations get started and keep going when faced with complex problems. It is built on our practical experience. It draws on a broad body of research, action and theory from the worlds of complexity thinking, systems theory, adaptive management, leadership development, social movements, development theory and beyond. Systemcraft has been designed to make systems thinking something any leader can apply when they find themselves faced with a complex problem and asking, ‘So what do I do next?’ CY - Nairobi DA - 2020/09// PY - 2020 PB - Wasafiri UR - https://www.wasafirihub.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Wasafiri-SystemCraft-2020-Small.pdf Y2 - 2021/11/09/12:10:22 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Smart Implementation of complex change processes AU - Beier, Christoph AU - Kirsch, Renate T2 - Global Solutions Journal AB - Cooperation management facilitates the recoupling of progress toward sustainable development DA - 2020/05// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero IS - 5 SP - 206 EP - 211 LA - en UR - https://www.global-solutions-initiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GSJ5_Beier_Kirsch.pdf Y2 - 2020/12/11/00:00:00 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - A pragmatic approach to assessing system change - Webinar AB - Few topics inspire as much confusion and debate as systemic change. What is it? How do you measure it? Does it even matter? Assessing changes in systems might be more doable than you think. This webinar explored a back-to-basics approach to assessing system change. In November 2019, thirty results measurement specialists, managers and consultants got together in Bangkok. They took part in workshops on a back-to-basics approach to assessing system changes, applying it to cases from participants’ programmes. Since then, the insights from the workshop have been further developed into a pragmatic approach to assessing system changes that builds on what programmes are actually doing and learning from practice. It can be: applied by programmes using a variety of different systemic change frameworks applied across a variety of sectors implemented with internal resources using familiar methods for information gathering The speakers walked through the approach using examples from the 2019 workshop, including PRISMA in Indonesia and Skills for Jobs (S4J) in Albania. DA - 2020/04/30/ PY - 2020 LA - en PB - DCED UR - https://beamexchange.org/community/webinar/assessing-system-change/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/08:34:09 ER - TY - RPRT TI - LEARN End of Contract Report AU - Learning Lab AB - In September of 2014, USAID’s Office of Learning, Evaluation & Research (LER) awarded the Learning and Knowledge Management (LEARN) contract to Dexis Consulting Group and subcontractor RTI International.1 This document—the End of Contract Report—captures five and half years of results and reflections for our stakeholders. Our intention is to share the good and the bad, and while this report would not be considered a “tell all,” we think we have a story worth sharing, particularly to USAID CORs and AORs, activity managers, and other implementers of institutional support contracts.2 LEARN’s primary purpose was to support organizational change at USAID. More specifically, the contract was focused on helping USAID staff integrate collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) approaches into the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of programs (what is known at USAID as the Program Cycle). It was clear that most USAID staff, whether they realized it or not, were already integrating CLA into their work to some extent. The focus of our efforts, therefore, was to make those practices more systematic, intentional, resourced, and ultimately more widespread throughout the Agency, which would have a ripple effect on implementing partners and even other stakeholders, such as host country governments. This was based on the theory—later borne out by evidence—that by becoming a better learning organization, USAID could be a more effective development organization. And that theory brought the USAID CLA team within USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning & Learning (PPL) and LEARN contractors together, driven by a shared purpose of improving how USAID does business. LEARN was designed based on this belief and, as you might expect from a learning-oriented contract, began with more questions than answers. Primary among those questions was: could an institutional support contract do more than carry out requested services—could it actually accelerate positive organizational change at USAID? And if so, how and under what conditions? DA - 2020/04/05/ PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 92 LA - en PB - USAID ER - TY - RPRT TI - Monitoring for problem-solving, adaptive management, reporting and learning AU - Dominique Morel AU - Dzino-Silajdzic, Velida AU - Hagens, Clara AB - Internal and external stakeholders have different information needs over a project’s life, for purposes that include adaptive management, accountability, compliance, reporting and learning. A project’s monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning, or MEAL, system should provide the information needed by these stakeholders at the level of statistical reliability, detail and timing appropriate to inform data use. In emergency contexts where the situation is still fluid, ‘informal monitoring’ has proved helpful to staff’s ongoing assessment of the broader environment in order to identify changes in the situation, in other actors’ responses, and in priority unmet needs that would require corresponding changes in the response.2 The same distinction between informal monitoring of possible changes in the project’s operating context—whether identified as project assumptions and risk factors or not—and formal monitoring of the activities included in the response and project indicators, is relevant for development contexts too. Informal monitoring: Ongoing assessment of changes in operating context Formal monitoring: Tracking progress against project activities and indicators Within formal monitoring, it is useful to further differentiate between light monitoring and rigorous monitoring: - Light monitoring aims to provide timely feedback on new activities (or new locations or target groups) or aspects of the project’s theory of change (activity-to-output or output-to-IR change) logic that staff are less confident about, to check for early signs that progress is being made and that assumptions are holding true while there is still ample time to make adjustments if necessary.3 - Rigorous monitoring aims to collect representative data for evidence-based project management, reporting and learning, not just at midterm but throughout project implementation. CY - Baltimore, USA DA - 2020/04// PY - 2020 PB - Catholic Relief Services UR - https://www.crs.org/sites/default/files/tools-research/monitoring_for_problem_solving_adaptive_mgt_reporting_and_learning_2020.pdf Y2 - 2022/02/24/15:44:19 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Transforming our work: Getting ready for transformational projects AU - Kehrer, Daniel AU - Flossmann-Kraus, Ursula AU - Ronco Alarcon, Sabrina Valeria AU - Albers, Vivien AU - Aschmann, Gwendolin CY - Bonn DA - 2020/02// PY - 2020 PB - GIZ UR - https://www.giz.de/fachexpertise/downloads/Transfomation%20Guidance_GIZ_02%202020.pdf Y2 - 2021/03/31/08:49:20 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Embracing complexity - Towards a shared understanding of funding systems change AU - Ashoka DA - 2020/01// PY - 2020 LA - en-us PB - Ashoka UR - https://www.ashoka.org/files/embracing-complexitypdf Y2 - 2023/11/20/10:53:35 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning From Failure 2020 - What CARE’s evaluations tell us about how to improve our work AU - CARE AB - “Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” --Samuel Beckett Here’s my favorite part of that quote: the ultimate goal is not a lack of failure; it’s better failures. That’s good news for CARE, because we just published round two of our Learning From Failure initiative, and…I know this will surprise everyone…we haven’t stopped failures yet. We do have some hopeful signs that we’re failing better; or at least, that we’re improving on some concrete weaknesses we identified in the first round. It’s an interesting process to launch the second phase of learning from failure. The first round, we didn’t know what we were going to find. We spent as much time talking about how it was the first-ever report of its kind as we did about the actual failures. Our case study admitted, “It's still very early to see specific development impacts.” Round two isn’t quite the same. It’s not new anymore, so there’s less excitement at having invented something. We’re not discovering data and themes for the first time. In a lot of ways, the stakes are higher. Round two of learning from failure becomes an exercise in continuous performance improvement, rather than a journey of discovery. If we don’t see improvements, we don’t have the excuse that it’s too early to tell. It also takes a sustained commitment. Launching an exploratory exercise at a small scale is easy, especially when no one quite knows what the answers will be. Pulling together a few pieces of content over a few months is pretty straightforward. It takes some staying power—and real support from leadership—to keep up the work over time, especially in the middle of a pandemic. That’s even more true once we’ve seen one round of results and had a chance to understand the work that it takes to improve. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 6 LA - en PB - CARE UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/lab-notes/fail-again-fail-better ER - TY - RPRT TI - Listen carefully. Tread lightly. Adapt quickly. Approaching Adaptive Management: Examples from our Somalia Education Programming AU - CARE T2 - CARE Learning AB - Adaptive management approaches potentially offer us opportunities to deliver high quality results in circumstances where change is complex, including in fragile, unstable or conflict affected places. However, building adaptive programming continues to be a challenge for the sector. For CARE, our Department for International Development -UK Aid funded Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) programming has provided useful learning on how to operationalise adaptive approaches. In this paper we expand on our learning from this project and offer some recommendations for how to create more opportunities for truly adaptive programming in the future. In particular: • Projects that are designed to adapt need budget structures, results frameworks and governance that enable the process of adaptation. In our GEC projects the approaches employed by DFID, including the introduction of Review and Adaptation meetings have served to support meaningful adaptation. • Adaptive projects require both strong participatory elements and flexible governance and accountability structures. Whilst rigorous and comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems are important without these other elements appropriate adaptation can be hindered. • Adaptive Management requires resources. Where the expected change is complex, adaptation is frequently necessary to ensure we are responding to context and evidence. This should be adequately resourced if we are to expect results. In an environment where many INGOs work consistently within complex environments, the sector also needs more opportunities to trial these approaches and could benefit from more funding streams available which include the kinds of approaches used by DFID in current GEC programming DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - CARE UR - https://insights.careinternational.org.uk/media/k2/attachments/CARE_Adaptive-Management-and-the-GEC-in-Somalia_2020.pdf Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:24:12 ER - TY - THES TI - Examining the results and adaptation ideas in foreign aid AU - Janus, Heiner AB - This thesis applies ideational and institutional theories to analyse how two specific ideas, results and adaptation, have changed the theory and practice of development cooperation. The thesis addresses the question of why the results and adaptation ideas are often treated as binaries and how this debate has evolved historically. In a first theoretical paper, the evolution of results and adaptation is conceptualised as a combination of institutional layering and diffusion within development organisations. The second theoretical paper applies ideational theory, in particular, the coalition magnet framework, to China as a donor country. The empirical papers apply ideational and institutional theories to study aid projects funded by the World Bank and China in the Rwandan agriculture sector. The third paper analyses through which mechanism, results-based principal-agent relationships or problem-driven iterative adaptation, the World Bank’s Program for Results in the agriculture sector in Rwanda has led to increased agricultural productivity. The paper combines causal process tracing and contribution analysis to investigate two underlying theories of change of the Program for Results. The fourth paper applies the same framework and methodology to the Chinese Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center in Rwanda. The fifth paper compares both projects, the World Bank project and the Chinese project. The thesis finds that the ideas of results and adaptation are often presented as mutually exclusive mainly at the general level of public philosophies or paradigms, but show overlap and potential for integration on the level of framing policy problems and policy solutions. The thesis also demonstrates that there is unexplored potential for convergence between China and Development Assistance Committee donors around “coalition magnet” ideas. The empirical part of the thesis reveals how results-based and adaptive causal mechanisms co-exist within given aid interventions by the World Bank and China, how these interact and how they ultimately contribute to achieving development outcomes. The key finding is that the broader political context of the Rwandan agricultural sector is the main factor for determining development outcomes, which neither the World Bank project nor the Chinese projects take into account. The comparison of the World Bank’s and China’s interventions finds that donor organisations need to address how results-based ideas in combination adaptive development ideas can be better tailored to fit into the specific context of the Rwandan agriculture sector. CY - Manchester DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 LA - en M3 - PhD Thesis PB - University of Manchester UR - https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/examining-the-results-and-adaptation-ideas-in-foreign-aid(33eb1913-0918-4147-8080-f36f3f444c18).html Y2 - 2022/03/30/14:26:31 ER - TY - RPRT TI - AdaptScan - Improving your Team's Adaptive Management AU - Mercy Corps DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - Mercy Corps UR - https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/AdaptScan_Module.pdf Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:40:43 ER - TY - RPRT TI - A Pragmatic Approach to Assessing System Change: How to put it into practice AU - Miehlbradt, Alexandra AU - Shah, Rachel AU - Posthumus, Hans AU - Kessler, Adam AB - Planning for and assessing system change is a strategic management issue. It is critical for everything from developing a strategy and designing interventions, to adapting strategy, improving implementation and reporting impact. But many programmes get stuck when it comes to assessing system change. The private sector development field has struggled to agree on an approach that programmes can implement and stakeholders can understand. However some mature programmes are starting to assess system change more effectively. Building on these emerging practices, this paper outlines a process that programmes can use to assess system changes regularly and practically. Two complementary papers: Overview and How to put it into practice The Overview summarises the approach and How to put it into practice provides more detailed implementation guidance, worked examples, and useful tips. The Overview explores how to: develop a system change strategy and intervention plans that lay the groundwork for system change assessment, including how to set system boundaries and how to identify the system changes a programme aims to catalyse assess system changes using both: - an intervention lens focused on changes introduced by specific interventions - a helicopter lens that provides a whole system view By analysing findings from both lenses, programmes can improve their strategy and report on their contribution to system change. How to put it into practice uses two case examples for illustration throughout the paper - PRISMA’s work in the maize system in East Java and Indonesia and S4J’s work in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system in Albania. It targets practitioners responsible for facilitating and/or assessing system change. The paper explains how to: articulate the system changes that a programme aims to catalyse assess those changes use the results to inform decision making and reporting The approach described in the paper builds on the practices outlined in the DCED Results Measurement Standard. The guidance provided has been designed to be useful to programmes that aim to catalyse system changes whether or not they apply the DCED Standard. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 91 LA - en PB - DCED UR - https://beamexchange.org/community/webinar/assessing-system-change/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - A Pragmatic Approach to Assessing System Change AU - Posthumus, Hans AU - Shah, Rachel AU - Miehlbradt, Alexandra AU - Kessler, Adam AB - Planning for and assessing system change is a strategic management issue. It is critical for everything from developing a strategy and designing interventions, to adapting strategy, improving implementation and reporting impact. But many programmes get stuck when it comes to assessing system change. The private sector development field has struggled to agree on an approach that programmes can implement and stakeholders can understand. However some mature programmes are starting to assess system change more effectively. Building on these emerging practices, this paper outlines a process that programmes can use to assess system changes regularly and practically. Two complementary papers: Overview and How to put it into practice The Overview summarises the approach and How to put it into practice provides more detailed implementation guidance, worked examples, and useful tips. The Overview explores how to: develop a system change strategy and intervention plans that lay the groundwork for system change assessment, including how to set system boundaries and how to identify the system changes a programme aims to catalyse assess system changes using both: - an intervention lens focused on changes introduced by specific interventions - a helicopter lens that provides a whole system view By analysing findings from both lenses, programmes can improve their strategy and report on their contribution to system change. How to put it into practice uses two case examples for illustration throughout the paper - PRISMA’s work in the maize system in East Java and Indonesia and S4J’s work in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system in Albania. It targets practitioners responsible for facilitating and/or assessing system change. The paper explains how to: articulate the system changes that a programme aims to catalyse assess those changes use the results to inform decision making and reporting The approach described in the paper builds on the practices outlined in the DCED Results Measurement Standard. The guidance provided has been designed to be useful to programmes that aim to catalyse system changes whether or not they apply the DCED Standard. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 16 LA - en PB - DCED UR - https://beamexchange.org/community/webinar/assessing-system-change/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Case for an Adaptive Approach to Empowerment and Accountability Programming in Fragile Settings: Synthesis report AU - Christie, Angela AU - Green, Duncan T2 - Action for Empowerment and Accountability Research Programme AB - Fragile, conflict and violence-affected settings (FCVAS) are messy and ambiguous contexts in which to plan and implement development initiatives. To work there, external actors are increasingly adopting an adaptive approach to empowerment and accountability (E&A) programming, whatever the setting. This means using a compass rather than map, where real-time political economy analysis (PEA) in relation to context and programme monitoring and evidence-informed learning in relation to intervention are used in combination and in shorter-than-usual planning cycles to maintain and adapt strategic direction. This paper brings together three case studies of large Department for International Development (DFID) governance projects in Myanmar, Nigeria and Tanzania. CY - Brighton DA - 2019/06/21/ PY - 2019 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Itad, Oxfam and IDS ST - Adaptive Programming in Fragile, Conflict and Violence-Affected Settings, What Works and Under What Conditions? UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/14556 Y2 - 2018/08/02/09:48:28 KW - A4EA KW - Adaptive Development KW - Economy KW - Fishery ER - TY - RPRT TI - Implementing Adaptive Approaches in Real World Scenarios: A Nigeria Case Study, with Lessons for Theory and Practice AU - Bridges, Kate AU - Woolcock, Michael AB - How does adaptive implementation work in practice? Drawing on extensive interviews and observations, this paper contrasts the ways in which an adaptive component of a major health care project was implemented in three program and three matched comparison states in Nigeria. The paper examines the bases on which claims and counterclaims about the effectiveness of these approaches were made by different actors, concluding that resolution requires any such claims to be grounded in a fit-for-purpose theory of change and evaluation strategy. The principles of adaptive development may be gaining broad acceptance, but a complex array of skills, expectations, political support, empirical measures, and administrative structures needs to be deftly integrated if demonstrably positive operational results are to be obtained, especially when undertaken within institutional systems, administrative logics, and political imperatives that are predisposed to serve rather different purposes. CY - Washington DC DA - 2019/06/18/14:52:04 PY - 2019 DP - documents.worldbank.org SP - 1 EP - 37 LA - en PB - The World Bank SN - WPS8904 ST - Implementing Adaptive Approaches in Real World Scenarios UR - http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/300301560883977057 Y2 - 2019/07/05/10:02:26 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Scaling Impact: Innovation for the Public Good AU - McLean, Robert AU - Gargani, John AB - Scaling Impact introduces a new and practical approach to scaling the positive impacts of research and innovation. Inspired by leading scientific and entrepreneurial innovators from across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East, this book presents a synthesis of unrivalled diversity and grounded ingenuity. The result is a different perspective on how to achieve impact that matters, and an important challenge to the predominant more-is-better paradigm of scaling. For organisations and individuals working to change the world for the better, scaling impact is a common goal and a well-founded aim. The world is changing rapidly, and seemingly intractable problems like environmental degradation or accelerating inequality press us to do better for each other and our environment as a global community. Challenges like these appear to demand a significant scale of action, and here the authors argue that a more creative and critical approach to scaling is both possible and essential. To encourage uptake and co-development, the authors present actionable principles that can help organisations and innovators design, manage, and evaluate scaling strategies. Scaling Impact is essential reading for development and innovation practitioners and professionals, but also for researchers, students, evaluators, and policymakers with a desire to spark meaningful change. DA - 2019/05/14/ PY - 2019 SP - 286 LA - en PB - Routledge SN - 978-0-429-88638-6 ST - Scaling Impact UR - https://www.idrc.ca/en/book/scaling-impact-innovation-public-good KW - Developing & Emerging Countries ER - TY - RPRT TI - How Does the World Bank Build Citizen Engagement Commitments into Project Design? Results from Pilot Assessments in Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Pakistan AU - Nadelman, Rachel AU - Le, Ha AU - Sah, Anjali T2 - Working Paper 525 AB - How and to what degree is the World Bank putting its new institutional citizen engagement (CE) commitments into practice? This question guides an independent assessment that the Accountability Research Center (ARC) at American University has undertaken as part of the Institute of Development Studies-led Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) research programme’s investigation into how external actors can best support local processes of and conditions for empowerment and accountability. This report investigates the World Bank’s incorporation of CE into project design, the critical early stage of donor engagement. To accomplish this, ARC reviewed the World Bank’s fiscal year 2015–17 investment project portfolios for four A4EA priority countries, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Pakistan, which covers 57 projects that range from US$19 million to U$600 million. The analysis determines whether projects commit to seeking a strategic approach to CE, which involves combining multiple tactics so that the whole could be greater than the sum of the parts. This assessment of CE commitments is intended to help to inform possible national, civil society organisation strategies to monitor whether and how these commitments are actually implemented in practice. CY - Brighton DA - 2019/04/08/ PY - 2019 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - IDS ST - How Does the World Bank Build Citizen Engagement Commitments into Project Design? UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/14449 Y2 - 2019/04/17/08:18:27 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning from Results-Based Management evaluations and reviews AU - Vähämäki, Janet AU - Verger, Chantal T2 - Development Co-operation Working Papers AB - What have we learned from implementing results-based management in development co-operation organisations? What progress and benefits can be seen? What are the main challenges and unintended consequences? Are there good practices to address these challenges? To respond to these questions this paper reviews and analyses the findings from various evaluations and reviews of results-based management systems conducted by members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the OECD/DAC Results Community Secretariat and other bodies in the past four years (2015-2018). It also draws on emerging lessons from new methods for managing development co-operation results. This analytical work aims to: identify recent trends in results-based management, explore challenges faced by providers when developing their results approaches and systems, select good practices in responding to these challenges that can be useful for the OECD/DACResults Community, considering new approaches, new technologies and evolving contexts. This body of evidence will inform the development of a core set of generic guiding principles for results-based management in development co-operation. DA - 2019/03/15/ PY - 2019 DP - www.oecd-ilibrary.org LA - en PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/learning-from-results-based-management-evaluations-and-reviews_3fda0081-en Y2 - 2019/04/05/13:42:26 ER - TY - RPRT TI - How DFID can better manage complexity in development programming AU - Sharp, Samuel AU - Valters, Craig AU - Whitty, Brendan AB - The United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) is an ambitious government department that is committed to reducing poverty and conflict overseas. Many of the issues on which DFID works are complex; whether focused on climate change, gender equality, health or other priorities, simple solutions rarely exist. And to tackle these complex challenges, DFID staff must interact with unpredictable systems of political, organisational and individual behaviours and incentives. There is a risk that complex problems spur more complicated programmes; that the complexity of development challenges is addressed through designing programmes with too many projects and implementers. While there may be valid reasons for this, too many of these complicated programmes will overburden staff. This briefing note is the outcome of an ongoing process within DFID to confront these issues and answer the question: how can DFID design and manage programmes to address complex development challenges without creating too much staff workload? Key messages DFID deals with complex problems, which require flexible systems to support testing, learning and adaptation. • Complex problems do not necessarily require workload-heavy delivery structures, but simpler approaches depend on delivery partners’ experience and competence. • However, programmes that tackle complex problems do require more hands-on engagement and face more workload from inflexible compliance requirements. We suggest that DFID and similar agencies: • Pay closer attention to delivery options in programme design, making use of existing options where possible and, where not, fostering local organisations through long-term investments. • Encourage programme designers to articulate how ambition matches resources and consider ‘good enough’ design. • Reduce the burden of compliance by cultivating partner autonomy, reassessing results and valuefor-money requirements and promoting more flexible contracting and procurement. • Plan and prioritise management resources across a portfolio of programmes to make sure they can be focused in the right areas, where the complexity of the problem requires greater engagement. CY - London DA - 2019/03// PY - 2019 DP - Zotero LA - en M3 - Briefing paper PB - ODI UR - https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/12675.pdf Y2 - 2019/05/15/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - AID Programming Guide AU - DFAT DA - 2019/02// PY - 2019 PB - Australian Government UR - https://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Pages/aid-programming-guide.aspx Y2 - 2019/03/12/16:44:34 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Evaluation of development programmes - OECD AU - OECD AB - Data & research on evaluation of development programmes inc. paris declaration, budget support, multilateral effectiveness, impact evaluation, joint evaluations, governance, aid for trade DA - 2019/// PY - 2019 UR - https://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/ Y2 - 2019/11/27/11:59:43 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Doing adaptive management at Sida AU - Tim Ruffer AU - Helen Bailey AU - Stefan Dahlgren AU - Patrick Spaven AU - Mark Winters T2 - Evaluation Brief AB - Lessons from the market systems development approach The evaluation focuses on Sida’s management of MSD projects. The projects are applying the MSD approach with an aim to: - contribute to improved MSD programming by Sida through better management practices across the project cycle - generate recommendations on how Sida can create conducive conditions for systems approaches and adaptive programming more generally. The brief assesses Sida’s organisational capacity for adaptive management in three dimensions: - leadership and culture - staff capacities - skills, and systems and procedures DA - 2019/// PY - 2019 LA - en PB - SIDA UR - https://beamexchange.org/resources/1413/ Y2 - 2022/07/01/11:12:04 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Evaluation of the market systems development approach: Lessons for expanded use and adaptive management at Sida Volume I: Evaluation Report AU - Ruffer, Tim AU - Bailey, Helen AU - Dahlgren, Stefan AU - Spaven, Patrick AU - Winters, Mark T2 - Evaluation of the market systems development approach AB - This report presents the findings of an evaluation of Sida’s management of the market systems development (MSD) approach. It aims to inform thinking on how Sida can best manage its growing portfolio of MSD programs. Beyond this, it provides insights relevant to Sida’s wider support to complex and adaptive programs. The evaluation identified several factors that affect Sida’s ability to ensure that conducive conditions are in place for effective MSD programs and good development programming more generally. Sida’s relatively flexible framework of rules, guidelines and systems for project management provide the space needed for staff to innovate and manage adaptively. But for this to happen consistently and effectively, Sida needs to invest more deliberately in building the capacity of its staff in relevant areas. In addition, leadership and incentives are key to shaping a culture of active experimentation and learning. This needs to be supported with clearer guidance for those involved in the design and appraisal of MSD projects; and strengthened oversight of project performance, including through adjustments to Sida’s contracts and funding agreements. CY - Stockholm DA - 2018/12// PY - 2018 PB - Sida UR - https://www.sida.se/contentassets/bfe15e8902fa4dbb864bd478c2f14df1/2018_2a_evaluation_market_systems_dev_approach_vol-1.pdf Y2 - 2019/01/08/12:11:40 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Evaluation of the market systems development approach: Lessons for expanded use and adaptive management at Sida Volume II: Case studies AU - Ruffer, Tim AU - Bailey, Helen AU - Dahlgren, Stefan AU - Spaven, Patrick AU - Winters, Mark T2 - Evaluation of the market systems development approach AB - This report presents the findings of an evaluation of Sida’s management of the market systems development (MSD) approach. It aims to inform thinking on how Sida can best manage its growing portfolio of MSD programs. Beyond this, it provides insights relevant to Sida’s wider support to complex and adaptive programs. The evaluation identified several factors that affect Sida’s ability to ensure that conducive conditions are in place for effective MSD programs and good development programming more generally. Sida’s relatively flexible framework of rules, guidelines and systems for project management provide the space needed for staff to innovate and manage adaptively. But for this to happen consistently and effectively, Sida needs to invest more deliberately in building the capacity of its staff in relevant areas. In addition, leadership and incentives are key to shaping a culture of active experimentation and learning. This needs to be supported with clearer guidance for those involved in the design and appraisal of MSD projects; and strengthened oversight of project performance, including through adjustments to Sida’s contracts and funding agreements. CY - Stockholm DA - 2018/12// PY - 2018 PB - Sida UR - https://www.sida.se/contentassets/bfe15e8902fa4dbb864bd478c2f14df1/2018_2a_evaluation_market_systems_dev_approach_vol-1.pdf Y2 - 2019/01/08/12:11:40 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive Programming in Fragile, Conflict and Violence-Affected Settings, What Works and Under What Conditions?: The Case of PERL, Nigeria AU - Punton, Melanie AU - Burge, Richard T2 - Action for Empowerment and Accountability Research Programme AB - This paper examines adaptive approaches to aid programming in Nigeria. Through field research and desk reviews, we have investigated some of the assertions around the ‘adaptive management and programming’ approach, which has arisen in recent years as a response to critiques of overly rigid, pre-designed, blueprint and linear project plans. This is the second of three case studies in a series which explore if and how adaptive approaches, including rapid learning and planning responses, are particularly relevant and useful for promoting empowerment and accountability in fragile, conflict and violence-affected settings (FCVAS). This case study focuses on PERL (Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn) in Nigeria, a five-year governance programme (2016-21) with a total budget of £100 million. It aims to promote better service delivery through bringing together government and citizens groups to collectively address governance challenges. PERL is viewed by DFID as the final stage of a 20-year investment, building on learning, experience and partnerships from 15 years of DFID-funded governance programming in Nigeria. It was designed to incorporate learning and adaptation through a ‘living’ theory of change, continuous political economy analysis at different levels, adaptive implementation by location-based delivery teams who are encouraged to be flexible and let partners take the lead, regular learning and reflection, and adaptive resourcing, HR and administrative systems. The case study draws on a conceptual framework (the ‘adaptive triangle’) that looks at three types of adaptation – adaptive management, adaptive programming and adaptive delivery – and the interconnections and tensions between them. CY - Brighton DA - 2018/11/26/ PY - 2018 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Itad, Oxfam and IDS UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/14148 Y2 - 2019/02/04/00:00:00 KW - A4EA KW - Adaptive Development KW - Economy KW - Fishery ER - TY - JOUR TI - Evaluation and learning in complex, rapidly changing health systems: China’s management of health sector reform AU - Xiao, Yue AU - Husain, Lewis AU - Bloom, Gerald T2 - Globalization and Health AB - Healthcare systems are increasingly recognised as complex, in which a range of non-linear and emergent behaviours occur. China’s healthcare system is no exception. The hugeness of China, and the variation in conditions in different jurisdictions present very substantial challenges to reformers, and militate against adopting one-size-fits-all policy solutions. As a consequence, approaches to change management in China have frequently emphasised the importance of sub-national experimentation, innovation, and learning. Multiple mechanisms exist within the government structure to allow and encourage flexible implementation of policies, and tailoring of reforms to context. These limit the risk of large-scale policy failures and play a role in exploring new reform directions and potentially systemically-useful practices. They have helped in managing the huge transition that China has undergone from the 1970s onwards. China has historically made use of a number of mechanisms to encourage learning from innovative and emergent policy practices. Policy evaluation is increasingly becoming a tool used to probe emergent practices and inform iterative policy making/refining. This paper examines the case of a central policy research institute whose mandate includes evaluating reforms and providing feedback to the health ministry. Evaluation approaches being used are evolving as Chinese research agencies become increasingly professionalised, and in response to the increasing complexity of reforms. The paper argues that learning from widespread innovation and experimentation is challenging, but necessary for stewardship of large, and rapidly-changing systems. DA - 2018/11/20/ PY - 2018 DO - 10.1186/s12992-018-0429-7 DP - BioMed Central VL - 14 IS - 1 SP - 112 J2 - Globalization and Health SN - 1744-8603 ST - Evaluation and learning in complex, rapidly changing health systems UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0429-7 Y2 - 2019/03/15/10:31:43 ER - TY - RPRT TI - USAID ADS 201 - Program Cycle Operational Policy (Update 10/29/2018) AU - USAID CY - Washington DC DA - 2018/10/29/ PY - 2018 PB - USAID UR - https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/201.pdf Y2 - 2019/05/16/00:00:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - What can the Thinking and Working Politically community learn from peace and conflict mediation? AU - Douglas, Alex T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - Wily aid practitioners have long understood the importance of adapting their programs to the political environment, and even use their activities to push politics in a progressive direction. But this magic was spun secretly, hidden behind logframes and results frameworks. Only recently has a range of programs been permitted to escape the dead hand of technocracy. But there was one corner of the development and humanitarian world that never needed to shroud its political ambitions; those of us working on resolving violent conflicts. Donors have always understood our work could never be disembodied from politics. This field included elements of the UN, regional organisations, and NGOs, such as the one I work for: the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. With a new focus on development being enabled by a series of ‘deals’ between different actors, it seems timely to examine the strategies used to reach peace agreements and whether they contain broader lessons for TWP/DDD/Adaptive Management. DA - 2018/07/14/ PY - 2018 UR - https://frompoverty.oxfam.org.uk/what-can-the-thinking-and-working-politically-community-learn-from-peace-and-conflict-mediation/ Y2 - 2023/08/15/07:54:44 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Scaling Up Inclusive Approaches for Marginalised and Vulnerable People AU - Carter, Becky AU - Joshi, Anu AU - Remme, Michelle AB - This rapid review summarises the evidence on how to scale up inclusive approaches to complex social change. It looks at how to design scalable inclusive change interventions, as well as how to plan and manage the scale-up process. Focusing on interventions with the aim of reaching the most marginalised and transform social norms, it covers programmes aiming to deliver inclusive outcomes for women and girls (with a particular focus on preventing violence against women and girls) and persons with disabilities. To date, many interventions seeking to change harmful gender and disability norms have been implemented as small-scale projects. There are limited experiences of scale-up and fewer evaluations of these experiences. However, there are some documented case studies as well as emerging analysis that draw out lessons learned. From this evidence base, this rapid desk review identifies eight critical issues commonly highlighted as important considerations when scaling up inclusive change interventions: 1. Opportunities for systemic approach, including integrating political and community-level scale-up, and coordinating across multiple sectors and stakeholders 2. Political support for scale-up 3. Strategic choices: balancing reach, speed, cost, quality, equity, and sustainability 4. Catalysing change: tipping points, diffusion effects, and local champions 5. Locally grounded, participatory, and adaptive approaches 6. Long-term approaches with funding models to match 7. Cost-effective and financially feasible scale-up strategies 8. Measuring impact and sustainability. DA - 2018/07// PY - 2018 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/13964 Y2 - 2019/02/15/09:40:16 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Context-Driven Adaptation (Overview) AU - Jacobstein, David T2 - USAID Learning Lab AB - CONTEXT-DRIVEN ADAPTATION COLLECTION DA - 2018/06/05/T17:34:09-04:00 PY - 2018 LA - en M3 - Text UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/context-driven-adaptation-overview Y2 - 2021/01/04/11:52:33 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Managing to Adapt: Analysing adaptive management for planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning AU - Desai, Harsh AU - Maneo, Gabriele AU - Pellfolk, Erica AU - Schlingheider, Annika T2 - Oxfam Research Reports AB - Adaptive management is at the heart of ‘Doing Development Differently’. It emerges from stakeholders’ calls for development programmes to be more flexible and responsive to their contexts. Whether it becomes a mainstreamed practice depends on how much it is DA - 2018/03/22/ PY - 2018 DP - policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk LA - English PB - Oxfam ST - Managing to Adapt UR - https://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/managing-to-adapt-analysing-adaptive-management-for-planning-monitoring-evaluat-620446 Y2 - 2018/05/14/11:02:16 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Thinking and working politically: Reviewing the evidence on the integration of politics into development practice over the past decade AU - Laws, Ed AU - Marquette, Heather CY - London DA - 2018/03// PY - 2018 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - TWP Community of Practice UR - https://twpcommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Thinking-and-working-politically-reviewing-the-evidence.pdf Y2 - 2019/05/16/00:00:00 ER - TY - SLIDE TI - Using elements of DCED Standards for CLA A2 - Mitra, Bilash A2 - Jalil, Mohammad Muaz AB - Introduction used in the DCED-BEAM seminar in Nairobi CY - Nairobi DA - 2018/02/21/ PY - 2018 LA - en UR - https://www.enterprise-development.org/dced-beam-seminar-2018/ ER - TY - RPRT TI - DFID’s approach to value for money in programme and portfolio management AU - ICAI AB - ICAI published this review on DFID’s approach to value for money in February 2018, and as value for money is both a process and an outcome and cuts across all aspects of DFID’s operations, did not score this review. We made five recommendations and published a follow-up to this review in July 2019. All UK government departments are required to achieve value for money in their use of public funds. In recent years, DFID has been working to build value for money considerations further into its management processes and its relationships with implementers and multilateral partners, establishing itself as a global champion on value for money. Review This review was published in February. Though it was not rated, ICAI made five recommendations, and found that the Department for International Development’s approach to value for money was helping to make UK aid spending go further, but improvements are still needed. Findings This review found that DFID has strengthened its processes and systems for ensuring it gains maximum value for each pound spent, has taken swift remedial action to tackle under-performing programmes, and has become a strong global champion on value for money. The review also found that DFID has been diligent in its efforts to cut waste, detect fraud, and improve efficiency, and that this work is improving the return on the UK investment in aid. However, the review found that DFID’s approach was not adequately reporting and capturing results and value for money at the country portfolio level, or how programmes work together to deliver lasting impact, including reducing future dependency on aid. It also found that weakness in the annual review process could undermine DFID’s approach to value for money. It found that targets were frequently revised, and that there could be pressures for optimistic scoring of programmes. Recommendations Based on this review, we made the following five recommendations to help DFID improve its approach to value for money still further: DFID country offices should articulate cross-cutting value for money objectives at the country portfolio level, and should report periodically on progress at that level. Drawing on its experience with introducing adaptive programming, DFID should encourage programmes to experiment with different ways of delivering results more cost-effectively, particularly for more complex programming. DFID should ensure that principles of development effectiveness – such as ensuring partner country leadership, building national capacity and empowering beneficiaries – are more explicit in its value for money approach. Programmes should reflect these principles in their value for money frameworks, and where appropriate incorporate qualitative indicators of progress at that level. DFID should be more explicit about the assumptions underlying the economic case in its business cases, and ensure that these are taken into account in programme monitoring. Delivery plans should specify points in the programme cycle when the economic case should be fully reassessed. Senior responsible owners should also determine whether a reassessment is needed following material changes in the programme, results targets or context. Annual review scores should include an assessment of whether programmes are likely to achieve their intended outcomes in a cost-effective way. DFID should consider introducing further quality assurance into the setting and adjustment of logframe targets. CY - London DA - 2018/02// PY - 2018 LA - en-GB PB - Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) UR - https://icai.independent.gov.uk/report/value-for-money/ Y2 - 2019/03/12/16:53:46 ER - TY - RPRT TI - GIZ's Evaluation Policy: Principles, guidelines and requirements of our evaluation practice AU - GIZ CY - Bonn DA - 2018/// PY - 2018 SP - 16 PB - GIZ UR - https://www.giz.de/en/downloads/GIZ_EVAL_EN_evaluation%20policy.pdf ER - TY - CHAP TI - Doing Development Differently at Scale AU - Pellini, Arnaldo AU - Karetji, Petrarca C. AU - Soekadis, Ade T2 - Knowledge, Politics and Policymaking in Indonesia A2 - Pellini, Arnaldo A2 - Prasetiamartati, Budiati A2 - Nugroho, Kharisma Priyo A2 - Jackson, Elisabeth A2 - Carden, Fred AB - In recent decades there has been an increasing recognition that politics and political institutions matter for development. There is also a much greater interest in contextually grounded approaches. This has stemmed from an acknowledgement that purely technocratic approaches to development often result in failure because they do not take into account the nature of political institutions. Nor do they take account of the context in a particular developing country and the interests and incentives of powerful national actors. Policy processes are embedded in specific social, political and organisational contexts. Approaches that focus on implementing universal best practices in evidence-informed policymaking are unlikely to be successful. Instead, what is needed is an approach that takes the local context as the starting point for understanding what issues are relevant to policymakers and developing contextually appropriate solutions. The authors of this chapter reflect on the management approaches and systems that may be required to enable and support large-scale development programmes to be flexible and adaptive to the local policy context and circumstances. The chapter argues that such programmes struggle to adopt adaptive management principle and that to do that at scale requires some changes in the way such programmes are managed. CY - Singapore DA - 2018/// PY - 2018 DP - Springer Link SP - 131 EP - 146 LA - en PB - Springer Singapore SN - 9789811301674 UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0167-4_8 Y2 - 2018/09/21/08:57:49 KW - Adaptive Management KW - Doing development differently KW - Evidence-informed policymaking KW - Indonesia KW - Knowledge sector KW - Thinking and working politically ER - TY - RPRT TI - Decision-Making and Data Use Landscaping [at DFID] AU - Powell, Josh AU - Orton-Vipond, Sarah AU - Bhatia, Vinisha AU - Kilroy, Annie AB - As DFID aims to harness the Data Revolution, ensuring that data1 drive decision-making, public accountability, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that systems, processes, and skills for data are aligned with these objectives is paramount. Across sector policy teams, country offices, and various analytical and technical cadres, different strengths and weaknesses, as well as needs and ambitions exist. To inform a strategic approach to data, as framed in its forthcoming Data Roadmap, DFID collaborated with Development Gateway to perform a Decision and Data Use Landscaping study. This report details lessons learned from approximately 60 interviews across 4 DFID country offices, all sector policy teams, senior managers, and various analytical and technical cadres and offices. CY - Washington DC DA - 2018/// PY - 2018 PB - Development Gateway UR - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c9501d3e5274a3ca568e783/Better_Data_Better_Decisions_-_Data_Landscape_Study_Study.pdf ER - TY - RPRT TI - Valuing peace: delivering and demonstrating mediation results - Dilemmas & options for mediators AU - Wadley, Ian T2 - Mediation Practice Series AB - Essential points for practitioners and donors • Mediation offers a cost-effective and proven method for resolving armed conflict. Between 1985 and 2015, 75 per cent of armed conflicts in the world were resolved through agreement rather than by force. In most cases these processes will have involved third party facilitation or support. • Professional mediators understand the high stakes involved in their work to prevent, mitigate and resolve armed conflict. In addition, they and their financial supporters are increasingly required to demonstrate ‘value-for-money’ to ensure continued funding. • However, traditional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) methods are not well suited to this task, typically imposing artificially linear project models on a dynamic conflict situation, as well as compliance reporting that moves attention away from real value. • Traditional M&E methods tend to focus on documenting the past and generating vast amounts of data, rather than enabling timely adaptation of the project in the present. • Traditional M&E approaches rely heavily on external evaluation consultants. Even in the best of cases this may interfere with the mediation process and impose a heavy time burden on the project team, leading to low acceptance of traditional M&E approaches by mediation practitioners. • In contrast, an ideal M&E approach for mediation should deliver useful insights in even the most dynamic and sensitive mediation environments, impose a light reporting burden, and be readily accepted by mediation teams. It should protect discretion and trust, enable rapid adaptation, and also provide some assurance that donor funds are being well spent. CY - Geneve DA - 2017/11// PY - 2017 PB - Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue UR - https://www.hdcentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/HDC_MPS7_EN-REV2-WEB.pdf Y2 - 2023/08/15/07:40:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Strengthening the results chain: Synthesis of case studies of results-based management by providers AU - Zwart, Rosie AB - This paper presents an analysis of evidence from seven case studies of results-based management by development co-operation providers. Analysis of themes from the case studies reveal six interrelated challenges which providers face in their efforts to manage for the results of development co-operation. The six challenges are: linking results to development goals, ensuring the purpose of results systems is well-defined, weighing up the benefits of aggregating and attributing results from standard indicators, enabling country ownership, using performance information alongside results information, and building and embedding a results culture. Providers continue to adopt a range of approaches to pursue a focus on results and there are many examples of good practice. The case studies suggest that in a complex development landscape some providers are prioritising the use of aggregated results information for domestic accountability, communication, and performance management over their use for learning and policy direction. In this context, the paper argues that in agency-wide results frameworks development co-operation results are often detached (or de-contextualised) from development results and discusses the implications of this, including the use of standard indicators to measure aggregated outputs. The paper uses case study evidence to discuss and suggest practical ways providers can build and maintain a strong results focus which enables analysis, insights and learning, and has achievement of development outcomes as its objective. DA - 2017/08/17/ PY - 2017 DP - Crossref LA - en M3 - OECD Development Policy Papers PB - OECD SN - 7 ST - Strengthening the results chain UR - https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/strengthening-the-results-chain_544032a1-en Y2 - 2019/03/08/09:37:10 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Policy experimentation and innovation as a response to complexity in China’s management of health reforms AU - Husain, Lewis T2 - Globalization and Health AB - There are increasing criticisms of dominant models for scaling up health systems in developing countries and a recognition that approaches are needed that better take into account the complexity of health interventions. Since Reform and Opening in the late 1970s, Chinese government has managed complex, rapid and intersecting reforms across many policy areas. As with reforms in other policy areas, reform of the health system has been through a process of trial and error. There is increasing understanding of the importance of policy experimentation and innovation in many of China’s reforms; this article argues that these processes have been important in rebuilding China’s health system. While China’s current system still has many problems, progress is being made in developing a functioning system able to ensure broad population access. The article analyses Chinese thinking on policy experimentation and innovation and their use in management of complex reforms. It argues that China’s management of reform allows space for policy tailoring and innovation by sub-national governments under a broad agreement over the ends of reform, and that shared understandings of policy innovation, alongside informational infrastructures for the systemic propagation and codification of useful practices, provide a framework for managing change in complex environments and under conditions of uncertainty in which ‘what works’ is not knowable in advance. The article situates China’s use of experimentation and innovation in management of health system reform in relation to recent literature which applies complex systems thinking to global health, and concludes that there are lessons to be learnt from China’s approaches to managing complexity in development of health systems for the benefit of the poor. DA - 2017/08/03/ PY - 2017 DO - 10.1186/s12992-017-0277-x DP - BioMed Central VL - 13 IS - 1 SP - 54 J2 - Globalization and Health SN - 1744-8603 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-017-0277-x Y2 - 2019/03/15/10:31:27 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Case studies of results-based management by providers: Canada AU - OECD DA - 2017/07// PY - 2017 DP - Crossref LA - en M3 - OECD Development Cooperation Policy Papers PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd.org/dac/results-development/results-based-approaches/ Y2 - 2019/03/08/09:37:10 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Case studies of results-based management by providers: World Bank Group AU - OECD DA - 2017/07// PY - 2017 DP - Crossref LA - en M3 - OECD Development Cooperation Policy Papers PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd.org/dac/results-development/results-based-approaches/ Y2 - 2019/03/08/09:37:10 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Beginner’s Guide to Political Economy Analysis (PEA) AU - Whaites, Alan AB - Over the last two decades aid agencies and academics have been on a journey of lesson learning and adaptation in relation to `politics.’ This journey has been driven by a determination to improve impact in all areas of development, but for some time it was particularly associated with work on public sector reform. Now, however, there is an increasing expectation that Political Economy Analysis (PEA) should be part and parcel of designing and implementing any programme or activity (and a brief history of the meandering journey of development actors on PEA can be found in The Policy Practice’s Briefing Paper 11 – see below). DFID in the UK is fairly typical among large development organisations in running an excellent course on political economy analysis, complete with 200 pages of resources and various online videos and case studies (and this type of course is recommended for those who want to take their exploration of PEA further). Even so, PEA is not just for those who have `done the course and bought the T-shirt,’ it is something that can be absorbed and implemented quickly by everybody. Indeed, the growth of interest in PEA is a reminder that this can look like a complex and daunting field and so this guide aims to offer an entry-point for all those who want to use PEA in their own work. In doing so, this guide borrows from the best materials that are available while also adapting some approaches by incorporating wider ideas on politics and institutions. This guide affirms that there should never be an official `orthodoxy’ for PEA and so the emphasis here is on questions, prompts and ideas to help thinking and practice. There is also an attempt to clarify jargon wherever needed, while recognising that The Policy Practice (TPP) and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) have produced a more complete glossary of PEA terminology. The note will instead focus on `the essentials’ of PEA as they relate to the following questions:  Why do we do political economy analysis, and what is it?  What kinds of issues and ingredients are often included in a PEA?  How do we make sense of the different varieties of PEA?  What tools are out there to help us conduct a PEA?  What is thinking and working politically? CY - London DA - 2017/07// PY - 2017 PB - National School of Government International UR - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/766478/The_Beginner_s_Guide_to_PEA.pdf Y2 - 2021/01/04/11:56:54 ER - TY - RPRT TI - RFI-521-17-000015 - Improving Governance in Haiti Program (IGHI) AU - USAID CY - Port au Prince DA - 2017/06/28/ PY - 2017 PB - USAID UR - https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=295067 Y2 - 2017/06/28/16:45:19 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning, monitoring and evaluating: achieving and measuring change in adaptive programmes AU - Callaghan, Sarah AU - Plank, Georgia T2 - Synthesis Paper, 5 DA - 2017/05// PY - 2017 DP - Google Scholar PB - DFID-LASER Programme UR - http://dfidlaser.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Synthesis-paper-6-MEL-1-June-2017-FINAL.pdf Y2 - 2017/09/13/09:22:45 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Case studies of results-based management by providers: New Zealand AU - OECD DA - 2017/05// PY - 2017 DP - Crossref LA - en M3 - OECD Development Cooperation Policy Papers PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd.org/dac/results-development/results-based-approaches/ Y2 - 2019/03/08/09:37:10 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Case studies of results-based management by providers: Sweden AU - OECD DA - 2017/05// PY - 2017 DP - Crossref LA - en M3 - OECD Development Cooperation Policy Papers PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd.org/dac/results-development/results-based-approaches/ Y2 - 2019/03/08/09:37:10 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Case studies of results-based management by providers: Switzerland AU - OECD DA - 2017/05// PY - 2017 DP - Crossref LA - en M3 - OECD Development Cooperation Policy Papers PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd.org/dac/results-development/results-based-approaches/ Y2 - 2019/03/08/09:37:10 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Case studies of results-based management by providers: The Netherlands AU - OECD DA - 2017/05// PY - 2017 DP - Crossref LA - en M3 - OECD Development Cooperation Policy Papers PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd.org/dac/results-development/results-based-approaches/ Y2 - 2019/03/08/09:37:10 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Case studies of results-based management by providers: United Kingdom AU - OECD DA - 2017/05// PY - 2017 DP - Crossref LA - en M3 - OECD Development Cooperation Policy Papers PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd.org/dac/results-development/results-based-approaches/ Y2 - 2019/03/08/09:37:10 ER - TY - SLIDE TI - Connecting the Dots: Systems Practice & Political Economy Analysis T2 - Local Systems Community A2 - Walker, Tjip A2 - Jacobstein, David AB - This slide deck, from a presentation to the Local Systems Community by Tjip Walker and David Jacobstein, shows various ways in which assessing the political economy of a context and understanding that context through the lens of systems thinking can reinforce each other. Effective systems practice should be grounded in the incentives and power dynamics of a particular local system; thinking and working politically requires understanding the systems dynamics of an issue or sector. DA - 2017/03// PY - 2017 LA - en UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/library/connecting-dots-systems-practice-and-political-economy Y2 - 2021/01/04/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Putting theory into practice: how DFID is doing development differently AU - Wild, Leni AU - Booth, David AU - Valters, Craig CY - London DA - 2017/02// PY - 2017 PB - ODI UR - https://www.odi.org/publications/10729-putting-theory-practice-how-dfid-doing-development-differently Y2 - 2017/03/16/00:00:00 KW - IMPORTANT ER - TY - RPRT TI - ADS 201 Additional Help- Whole-of-Project Evaluation AU - USAID CY - Washington DC DA - 2017/01/23/ PY - 2017 PB - USAID UR - https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/201.pdf Y2 - 2017/02/13/16:22:14 ER - TY - RPRT TI - USAID ADS 201 - Program Cycle Operational Policy (Update 1/23/2017) AU - USAID AB - The Program Cycle is USAID’s operational model for planning, delivering, assessing, and adapting development programming in a given region or country to advance U.S. foreign policy. It encompasses guidance and procedures for: 1) Making strategic decisions at the regional or country level about programmatic areas of focus and associated resources; 2) Designing projects and supportive activities to implement strategic plans; and 3) Learning from performance monitoring, evaluations, and other relevant sources of information to make course corrections as needed and inform future programming. CY - Washington DC DA - 2017/01/23/ PY - 2017 PB - USAID UR - https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/201.pdf Y2 - 2017/02/13/16:22:14 ER - TY - RPRT TI - DFID Smart Rules: Better Programme Delivery - version VII (2017.04) AU - DFID AB - Smart Rules provide the operating framework for the Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) programmes. CY - London DA - 2017/// PY - 2017 PB - DFID ST - DFID Smart Rules UR - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-smart-rules-better-programme-delivery Y2 - 2017/06/09/00:00:00 KW - IMPORTANT KW - Practice ER - TY - BOOK TI - Transformation, politics and implementation: smart implementation in governance programs A3 - Kirsch, Renate A3 - Siehl, Elke A3 - Stockmayer, Albrecht AB - Working in environments characterised by a high degree of uncertainty, uncontrollability and unpredictability, development agents try to organise complex realities into manageable units. What principles influence the decision on adequate approaches and necessary steps? Through theoretical considerations and nine case studies, the GIZ traces implementation processes and identifies underlying guiding principles which provide the flexibility and adaptability that is necessary for acting in complex contexts. Main findings show that an adaptive and reflexive management structure is crucial for successful implementation. Quick iteration and tight feedback loops facilitate adaptation and reorientation. Contextsensitive knowledge and constant monitoring create a space for learning and innovation. A joint vision for the future which is used for orientation purposes and can be modified according to new findings and developments fosters fruitful cooperation. CY - Baden-Baden DA - 2017/// PY - 2017 DP - Gemeinsamer Bibliotheksverbund ISBN ET - 1. Auflage SP - 367 LA - eng PB - Nomos SN - 978-3-8452-8051-6 978-3-8487-3738-3 ST - Transformation, politics and implementation UR - http://frankfurter-gruppe.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Smart-Implementation-E-Book.pdf ER - TY - CHAP TI - FOCEVAL – Promoting Evaluation Capacities in Costa Rica:: Smart(er) Implementation with Capacity WORKS? AU - Storm, Sabrina T2 - Transformation, Politics and Implementation A2 - Kirsch, Renate A2 - Siehl, Elke A2 - Stockmayer, Albrecht T3 - Smart Implementation in Governance Programs AB - The National Monitoring and Evaluation System of Costa Rica and its corresponding laws were established during the 1990s. Since then, the country has endeavored to implement monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities as part of its public policy framework. Nevertheless, hardly any systematic evaluations had been conducted, and monitoring activities had been reduced mainly to the institutional self-reporting of implementation compliance. Persisting regional disparities and growing levels of inequality among the population raised the level of pressure on the government to present reliable information on the effectiveness of public interventions. Hence, results-oriented evaluations were promoted by some Costa Rican departments as DA - 2017/// PY - 2017 DP - JSTOR ET - 1 SP - 175 EP - 194 PB - Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH SN - 978-3-8487-3738-3 ST - FOCEVAL – Promoting Evaluation Capacities in Costa Rica UR - https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv941tdt.12 Y2 - 2020/12/11/11:04:10 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Thinking and working politically in large, multi-sector Facilities: lessons to date AU - Teskey, Graham AU - Tyrrel, Lavinia T2 - Governance Working Paper 2 DA - 2017/// PY - 2017 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Abt Associates UR - https://abtassocgovernancesoapbox.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/abt-associates-governance-working-paper-series-issue-no-2-final-171120.pdf Y2 - 2020/03/11/00:00:00 ER - TY - BOOK TI - World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law AU - World Bank CY - Washington DC DA - 2017/// PY - 2017 PB - The World Bank UR - http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2017 Y2 - 2016/08/05/15:40:59 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Science in Adaptive Management AU - Ripley, Matt AU - Jaccard, Sabine AB - ‘Adaptive management’ is all the rage in international development circles. But to avoid yet another buzzword – we need to learn from the experience of natural resource science. DA - 2016/12// PY - 2016 PB - ILO UR - http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_ent/---ifp_seed/documents/briefingnote/wcms_537422.pdf Y2 - 2016/12/13/16:34:45 KW - IMPORTANT ER - TY - RPRT TI - Forget the money: De-linking technical assistance AU - Manuel, Clare T2 - Synthesis Paper, 4 DA - 2016/11/30/ PY - 2016 DP - Google Scholar PB - DFID-LASER Programme UR - http://dfidlaser.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Fourth-synthesis-paper.pdf Y2 - 2017/09/13/09:27:23 ER - TY - RPRT TI - DFID Smart Rules: Better Programme Delivery - version VI (2016.10) AU - DFID AB - Smart Rules provide the operating framework for the Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) programmes. DA - 2016/10// PY - 2016 PB - DFID ST - DFID Smart Rules UR - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-smart-rules-better-programme-delivery Y2 - 2016/09/07/00:00:00 KW - IMPORTANT KW - Practice ER - TY - RPRT TI - Forward Look - A vision for the World Bank Group in 2030 AU - World Bank CY - Washington D.C. DA - 2016/09/20/ PY - 2016 PB - World Bank UR - http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DEVCOMMINT/Documentation/23732171/DC2016-0008.pdf Y2 - 2017/10/10/07:33:43 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Doing Development Differently at the World Bank: updating the plumbing to fit the architecture AU - Bain, Katherine A. AU - Booth, David AU - Wild, Leni DA - 2016/09// PY - 2016 PB - ODI UR - https://www.odi.org/publications/10555-doing-development-differently-world-bank-updating-plumbing-fit-architecture Y2 - 2016/03/24/17:16:42 KW - IMPORTANT ER - TY - RPRT TI - Delivering institutional reform at scale: Problem-driven approaches supported by adaptive programming AU - Manuel, Clare T2 - Synthesis Paper, 2 AB - LASER synthesis papers aim to help donors and other stakeholders better understand why and how to approach investment climate reform programming differently. The papers reflect emerging best practice and lessons learnt on what works and what does not work in doing development differently. The papers have been peer-reviewed by experts in the field including senior advisers at DFID, World Bank, IFC and the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (amongst others). Second synthesis paper - Delivering institutional reform at scale: problem-driven approaches supported by adaptive programming February 2016 Drawing on our experience on the ground, this peer-reviewed paper suggests how problem driven approaches, supported by adaptive programme management can be implemented at scale in relation to donor programming aimed at institutional reform and improving state capability. DA - 2016/08/31/ PY - 2016 PB - DFID-LASER Programme UR - http://www.laserdev.org/media/1163/laser-second-synthesis-paper-delivering-institutional-reform-at-scale-final-feb-2016.pdf Y2 - 2016/09/07/00:00:00 KW - IMPORTANT ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive programming in practice: shared lessons from the DFID-funded LASER and SAVI programmes AU - Derbyshire, Helen AU - Donovan, Elbereth T2 - Synthesis Paper 3 AB - LASER synthesis papers aim to help donors and other stakeholders better understand why and how to approach investment climate reform programming differently. The papers reflect emerging best practice and lessons learnt on what works and what does not work in doing development differently. The papers have been peer-reviewed by experts in the field including senior advisers at DFID, World Bank, IFC and the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (amongst others). DA - 2016/08// PY - 2016 PB - DFID-LASER Programme UR - http://savi-nigeria.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Laser_Savi_Report-online-version-final-120816pdf.pdf Y2 - 2019/06/10/00:00:00 KW - IMPORTANT KW - Practice ER - TY - RPRT TI - Politically smart approaches to donor investment climate programming. A Guidance Note AU - LASER T2 - Synthesis Paper, 1 AB - In order to help enhance the effectiveness of donors and development practitioners on the ground, LASER has produced a range of practical guidance and tools. These are primarily intended for the international development community engaged in designing and implementing investment climate programmes, though can also be used more widely by other stakeholders across sectors. General guidance and tools: Politically smart approaches to donor investment climate programming (and annexes) Revised February 2016 - sets out practical advice on how to adopt a politically smart (which requires being both ‘politically informed’ and ‘politically astute’) approach to programming. The annexes include a traffic light matrix for initial high level analysis; a problem diary template with examples; and an example of a flexible theory of change for adaptive, large scale programming DA - 2016/02// PY - 2016 PB - DFID-LASER Programme UR - http://laserdev.org/resources/practical-guidance-and-tools/ KW - Practice ER - TY - RPRT TI - Monday morning in Kigali: what do you do when you get off the plane? Practical guidance for PDIA practitioners AU - LASER T2 - Synthesis Paper, 1 AB - In order to help enhance the effectiveness of donors and development practitioners on the ground, LASER has produced a range of practical guidance and tools. These are primarily intended for the international development community engaged in designing and implementing investment climate programmes, though can also be used more widely by other stakeholders across sectors. General guidance and tools: Monday morning in Kigali January 2016 - what do you do when you get off the plane? Practical guidance for PDIA practitioners DA - 2016/01// PY - 2016 PB - DFID-LASER Programme UR - http://www.laserdev.org/media/1151/monday-morning-in-kigali-updated-january-2016.pdf Y2 - 2016/09/07/00:00:00 KW - IMPORTANT KW - Practice ER - TY - RPRT TI - Case study: Embedding reform and exiting: LASER’s application of the hourglass approach to achieve sustainable results AU - Manuel, Clare AB - This case study describes how LASER has gone about enabling systemic change and sustainable uptake of reforms that address complex institutional problems in Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somaliland and Uganda. In each of these countries LASER has designed-in a sustainable approach from the start based on: (i) local ownership and leadership of reforms based on developing country (rather than donor) priorities; (ii) use of country (rather than donor programme) systems; and (iii) an understanding that the role of the donor / development practitioner is to support (rather than buy) reform. The case study uses LASER’s hour glass methodology, illustrated with examples from LASER interventions, to show how these principles guide LASER operations every step of the way. DA - 2016/01// PY - 2016 PB - DFID-LASER Programme UR - http://www.laserdev.org/media/1172/laser-case-study-embedding-reform-and-exiting-final.pdf Y2 - 2016/09/07/00:00:00 KW - IMPORTANT KW - Practice ER - TY - JOUR TI - Barriers to Political Analysis in Aid Bureaucracies: From Principle to Practice in DFID and the World Bank AU - Yanguas, Pablo AU - Hulme, David T2 - World Development AB - Politics has become a central concern in development discourse, and yet the use of political analysis as a means for greater aid effectiveness remains limited and contested within development agencies. This article uses qualitative data from two governance “leaders” – the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the World Bank – to analyze the administrative hurdles facing the institutionalization of political analysis in aid bureaucracies. We find that programing, management, and training practices across headquarters and country offices remain largely untouched by a political analysis agenda which suffers from its identification with a small cross-national network of governance professionals. DA - 2015/10/01/ PY - 2015 DO - 10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.05.009 DP - ScienceDirect VL - 74 SP - 209 EP - 219 J2 - World Development LA - en SN - 0305-750X ST - Barriers to Political Analysis in Aid Bureaucracies UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X15001187 Y2 - 2020/10/15/12:21:26 KW - DFID KW - United Kingdom KW - World Bank KW - aid effectiveness KW - foreign aid KW - political economy analysis ER - TY - RPRT TI - Operationalizing the Science of Delivery Agenda to Enhance Development Results AU - Gonzalez Asis, Maria AU - Woolcock, Michael AB - The clear development gains achieved in recent decades should not deflect attention from the scale and type of challenges that remain. The strategies largely responsible for these initial gains have been technical reforms promoting economic growth and logistical systems supplying basic inputs. Today, strategies are needed that focus on enhancing the quality of implementation— for example, ensuring learning and not just building schools and enrolling students. This concern now spans numerous domains of professional practice (especially health) and has entered World Bank discussions framed as the “science of delivery.” At the World Bank, the Global Delivery Initiative (GDI) is an operational manifestation and extension of these ideas. To date, the GDI has prepared a number of different case studies across numerous sectors on ways in which innovative teams solve particular problems during project implementation. On the basis of the initial case studies, the authors outline five key principles of how high-quality implementation occurs and invite others to add to this growing storehouse of knowledge. Specifically, task teams are encouraged to develop “live” case studies by and for their staff, documenting how, in real time, implementation challenges are being met. Projects must “learn” more rapidly and systematically how to solve the myriad range of complex implementation challenges they inevitably encounter, since most of these (by definition) cannot be anticipated ex ante. Delivery challenges of this kind will only intensify in the coming years as citizens demand effective responses to ever-more complex—and contentious—policy domains, such as justice, regulation, and taxation. DA - 2015/10// PY - 2015 DP - openknowledge.worldbank.org LA - en_US M3 - Working Paper PB - Washington, DC: World Bank UR - https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23226 Y2 - 2016/08/05/15:59:23 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Guidelines for writing a case study on implementation (Book Project: Smart Implementation in Governance) AU - Kirsch, Renate DA - 2015/08// PY - 2015 DP - Zotero SP - 18 LA - en PB - GIZ GmbH ER - TY - RPRT TI - DFID’s approach to delivering impact AU - ICAI AB - UK aid, at its best, makes a real and positive difference to the lives and livelihoods of poor people around the world. Ensuring the best possible performance across a large and multifaceted aid programme is, however, a complex management challenge. This report reviews ICAI’s previous 44 reports and looks at how well DFID ensures positive, long-term, transformative impact across its work. CY - London DA - 2015/06// PY - 2015 LA - en-GB PB - Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) SN - Report 45 UR - https://icai.independent.gov.uk/report/dfids-approach-to-delivering-impact/ Y2 - 2019/03/12/15:35:18 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Investment Climate Reform: Doing it Differently AU - Manuel, Clare T2 - Synthesis Paper, 1 AB - LASER synthesis papers aim to help donors and other stakeholders better understand why and how to approach investment climate reform programming differently. The papers reflect emerging best practice and lessons learnt on what works and what does not work in doing development differently. The papers have been peer-reviewed by experts in the field including senior advisers at DFID, World Bank, IFC and the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (amongst others). First synthesis paper - Investment climate reform: doing it differently June 2015 Drawing on our experience in taking a problem-focused approach to investment climate reform, we discuss in this peer-reviewed paper emerging lessons and reflections on what works, both in recent literature and in practical experience. DA - 2015/05// PY - 2015 PB - DFID-LASER Programme UR - http://www.laserdev.org/media/1117/laser-first-synthesis-paper-investment-climate-reform-doing-it-differently.pdf Y2 - 2017/08/14/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Effective Governance. Strategy for Australia’s aid investments AU - DFAT CY - Canberra DA - 2015/03// PY - 2015 PB - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Government UR - http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/effective-governance-strategy-for-australias-aid-investments.pdf Y2 - 2017/08/21/16:04:56 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Cooperation Management for Practitioners: Managing Social Change With Capacity Works A3 - GIZ DA - 2015/// PY - 2015 DP - Open WorldCat LA - English PB - Springer Gabler SN - 978-3-658-07904-8 UR - https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783658079048 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning and Results in World Bank Operations: Toward a New Learning Strategy AU - World Bank AB - This report is the second in a program of evaluations that the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is conducting on the learning that takes place through World Bank projects. Learning and knowledge are treated as parts of a whole and are presumed to be mutually reinforcing. CY - Washington DC DA - 2015/// PY - 2015 PB - IEG , The World Bank ST - Learning and Results in World Bank Operations UR - http://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/evaluations/learning-results-wb-operations2 Y2 - 2017/06/09/13:56:18 KW - IMPORTANT ER - TY - BOOK TI - World Development Report 2015: Mind, Society, and Behavior AU - World Bank AB - Development economics and policy are due for a redesign. In the past few decades, research from across the natural and social sciences has provided stunning insight into the way people think and make decisions. Whereas the first generation of development policy was based on the assumption that humans make decisions deliberatively and independently, and on the basis of consistent and self-interested preferences, recent research shows that decision making rarely proceeds this way. People think automatically: when deciding, they usually draw on what comes to mind effortlessly. People also think socially: social norms guide much of behavior, and many people prefer to cooperate as long as others are doing their share. And people think with mental models: what they perceive and how they interpret it depend on concepts and worldviews drawn from their societies and from shared histories.The World Development Report 2015 offers a concrete look at how these insights apply to development policy. It shows how a richer view of human behavior can help achieve development goals in many areas, including early childhood development, household finance, productivity, health, and climate change. It also shows how a more subtle view of human behavior provides new tools for interventions. Making even minor adjustments to a decision-making context, designing interventions based on an understanding of social preferences, and exposing individuals to new experiences and ways of thinking may enable people to improve their lives.The Report opens exciting new avenues for development work. It shows that poverty is not simply a state of material deprivation, but also a “tax” on cognitive resources that affects the quality of decision making. It emphasizes that all humans, including experts and policy makers, are subject to psychological and social influences on thinking, and that development organizations could benefit from procedures to improve their own deliberations and decision making. It demonstrates the need for more discovery, learning, and adaptation in policy design and implementation. The new approach to development economics has immense promise. Its scope of application is vast. This Report introduces an important new agenda for the development community. CY - Washington DC DA - 2015/// PY - 2015 SP - 234 LA - English PB - The World Bank SN - 978-1-4648-0342-0 ST - World Development Report 2015 UR - http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2015 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Strategic Framework for mainstreaming citizen engagemente in World Bank Group operations AU - World Bank CY - Washington DC DA - 2014/12/05/ PY - 2014 PB - The World Bank UR - http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/266371468124780089/pdf/929570WP0Box380ategicFrameworkforCE.pdf Y2 - 2017/10/10/07:47:18 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - CLA for More Effective Development Programs (video) AU - USAID AB - This presentation features USAID/PPL's Stacey Young discussing the history of learning at USAID; how collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) can enhance development outcomes, and the role of implementing partners in supporting this vision. DA - 2014/10// PY - 2014 DP - YouTube PB - USAID LearningLab UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7x6XdqyZzk&feature=youtu.be Y2 - 2019/05/17/13:51:45 ER - TY - RPRT TI - How DFID learns AU - ICAI AB - Excellent learning is essential for UK aid to achieve maximum impact and value for money. We take learning to mean the extent to which DFID uses information and experience to influence its decisions. Each ICAI review assesses how well learning takes place. Our reports to date indicate a mixed performance. This review seeks to identify the way DFID learns and what inhibits it from doing so consistently. We drew on our reviews, assessed data from DFID’s own surveys and carried out interviews inside and outside the department. Review DFID generates considerable volumes of information, much of which, such as funded research, is publicly available. DFID does not clearly or consistently link this investment to how it can deliver better impact. We made five recommendations and gave an amber-red score. Findings DFID does not clearly identify how its investment in learning links to its performance and delivering better impact. DFID has the potential to be excellent at organisational learning if its best practices become common. DFID staff learn well as individuals. They are highly motivated and DFID provides opportunities and resources for them to learn. DFID is not yet, however, managing all the elements that contribute to how it learns as a single, integrated system. DFID does not review the costs, benefits and impact of learning. Insufficient priority is placed on learning during implementation. The emphasis on results can lead to a bias to the positive. Learning from both success and failure should be systematically encouraged. Recommendations DFID needs to focus on consistent and continuous organisational learning based on the experience of DFID, its partners and contractors and the measurement of its impact, in particular during the implementation phase of its activities. All DFID managers should be held accountable for conducting continuous reviews from which lessons are drawn about what works and where impact is actually being achieved for intended beneficiaries. All information commissioned and collected (such as annual reviews and evaluations) should be synthesised so that the relevant lessons are accessible and readily usable across the organisation. The focus must be on practical and easy-to-use information. Knowhow should be valued as much as knowledge. Staff need to be given more time to acquire experience in the field and share lessons about what works and does not work on the ground. DFID needs to continue to encourage a culture of free and full communication about what does and does not work. Staff should be encouraged always to base their decisions on evidence, without any bias to the positive. CY - London DA - 2014/04// PY - 2014 PB - Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) SN - Report 34 UR - https://icai.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/How-DFID-Learns-FINAL.pdf Y2 - 2021/06/04/10:19:19 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Local Systems: a framework for supporting sustained development AU - USAID CY - Washington DC DA - 2014/04// PY - 2014 PB - USAID UR - https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/LocalSystemsFramework.pdf Y2 - 2017/06/28/16:50:31 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Global Delivery at the World Bank Group AU - GDI DA - 2014/03// PY - 2014 PB - Global Delivery Initiative UR - http://www.worldbank.org/reference/GDI/ Y2 - 2016/08/05/15:49:01 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Capacity WORKS AU - GIZ AB - One of GIZ’s core competencies is understanding how cooperation works in societies, and supporting that process. The kind of process we mean is cooperation between state, civil society and private-sector actors who wish to jointly shape societal changes. GIZ has systematised its knowledge on how to achieve this, and made it available in the Capacity WORKS management model. The model describes how to manage cooperation systems. DA - 2014/// PY - 2014 UR - https://www.giz.de/expertise/html/4619.html Y2 - 2019/01/29/13:54:21 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Capacity Works - online training AU - GIZ DA - 2014/// PY - 2014 PB - GIZ UR - https://gc21.giz.de/ibt/usr/wbt/gc21/public/wbt_capacity_works_en/uk/index.htm Y2 - 2019/05/17/10:43:31 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Adaptive programming AU - Vowles, Pete T2 - DFID Bloggers AB - Staff blogs from the UK Department for International Development. Get real-life perspectives from those on the ground to fight poverty and join in the debate. DA - 2013/10/21/ PY - 2013 UR - https://dfid.blog.gov.uk/2013/10/21/adaptive-programming Y2 - 2017/07/04/09:34:01 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Learning Lab - Collaborate, Learn and Adapt for better development outcomes AU - Learning Lab T2 - USAID AB - CLA is: a component of several missions' CDCSes. a conceptual framework for some principles and operational processes that can enable USAID to become a more effective learning organization and thereby a more effective development organization. an approach to facilitating local participation and capacity and promoting country-led development. For more information on CLA visit: DA - 2013/01/07/T12:01:49-05:00 PY - 2013 LA - und M3 - Text UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org Y2 - 2016/08/05/14:49:47 ER - TY - THES TI - Managing Upward and Downward Accountability in an International Development Project - A Case Study of a World Bank Telecommunications Infrastructure Project in Benin AU - Kolker, Eva AU - Kulldorff, Catharina DA - 2013/// PY - 2013 PB - Master's Thesis, Stockholm School of Economics UR - http://arc.hhs.se/download.aspx?MediumId=2093 Y2 - 2017/06/08/17:32:03 KW - Downward accountability KW - Upward accountability ER - TY - RPRT TI - What about the results? Lessons from long-term process support to strengthen results-based management (RBM) for Swedish framework NGOs operating in Western Balkans AU - Ørnemark, Charlotte AB - The observations and lessons outlined in this report should be seen as a contribution to the on-going learning and reflections in a wider debate on how to assess and monitor results from support to CSOs involved in complex social change processes (as opposed to those involved in more ‘classical’ service delivery and more linear development assistance). These lessons, though directly emerging from the consultancy to provide long-term RBM support to the FOs and their local CSO partners in Western Balkans, also draws on previous experiences and similar lessons from on-going initiatives. In brief, these lessons call for a certain ‘paradigm shift’ in the way we (as development professionals) regard and support RBM for actors involved in less tangible social change processes in highly contested political spaces. Some of these shifts, outlined in more detail in different sections of this report, are summarised below:  From a linear, aggregated cause-and-effect thinking around RBM to one that is linked to human factors and is embedded in systems,  From pushing the burden of reporting down in the system to a clearer division of labour between donors, recipient governments, intermediary agents like framework NGOs (FOs) and implementing CSOs with each actor using its comparative advantage and appropriate role in the RBM process and for its own learning,  From operating in programming and results frameworks where outcomes and impact are largely assumed to be predictable to setting up systems that deal with uncertainty and that capture emerging result patterns through tracking of gradual changes,  From a project/programme perspective to a focus on institutions and systems as actors and arenas for change, where organisations are enabled to act as change agents towards clearly identified processes of social transformation,  From SMART to REAL results frameworks – although SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) principles are always good to keep in mind for the formulation of goals and indicators, the danger of coming up with fictive measuring frameworks calls for a more systematic incorporation of ‘real’ concerns, including making RBM processes rights-based, embedded in local realities (and empowering for those involved), aligned to national reform efforts and national and international human rights commitments, and learning-oriented for all different levels of operations. DA - 2012/09// PY - 2012 PB - NCG ER - TY - BOOK TI - Quality standards for development evaluation AU - OECD AU - Development Assistance Committee AB - Based on a broad international consultative process, the DAC Quality Standards for Development Evaluation are a reference guide to good practice in development evaluation. With a view to improving the quality of evaluation processes and products, and facilitating collaboration, this reference guide lays out standards for each phase of a typical evaluation process: from defining purpose, to planning, designing, implementing, reporting, and learning from and using evaluation results. CY - Paris, France DA - 2010/// PY - 2010 DP - Open WorldCat LA - en PB - OECD SN - 978-92-64-08390-5 UR - https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264167100-ar Y2 - 2019/11/27/12:01:45 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Political Economy Analysis - How to note AU - DFID T2 - Practice Paper AB - Political economy analysis is a powerful tool for improving the effectiveness of aid. Bridging the traditional concerns of politics and economics, it focuses on how power and resources are distributed and contested in different contexts, and the implications for development outcomes. It gets beneath the formal structures to reveal the underlying interests, incentives and institutions that enable or frustrate change. Such insights are important if we are to advance challenging agendas around governance, economic growth and service delivery, which experience has shown do not lend themselves to technical solutions alone. Political economy analysis is not a magic bullet for the resolution of intractable development problems. However, it can support more effective and politically feasible development strategies, as well as inform more realistic expectations of what can be achieved, and the risks involved. It can also contribute to better results by identifying where the main opportunities and barriers for policy reform exist and how donors can use their programming and influencing tools to promote positive change. This understanding is particularly relevant in fragile and conflict-affected environments where the challenge of building peaceful states and societies is fundamentally political. There are an increasing number of political economy tools available to development agencies for a range of analytical and operational purposes. This note brings together this material with a view to explaining the relevance and uses of political economy analysis. It is intended to be used by a wide range of DFID programme managers and advisers, as well as staff in other HMG departments and partner organisations. The main questions it addresses are: 􀂃 what is political economy analysis? 􀂃 how and why does political economy analysis add value to DFID work? 􀂃 what approaches and tools are available? 􀂃 how should the analysis be prepared, undertaken and applied to DFID’s work? 􀂃 how should we work with other development partners and across HMG on analysis? Key messages include: • Political economy analysis is central to the formulation of sound country plans and sector programmes, and can play a key role in risk mitigation and ensuring that donors avoid harmful practices. • Political economy analysis can help to improve development effectiveness by identifying how and where donors should focus efforts to promote positive change. • There are a growing number of operationally relevant tools which can be used to inform development strategies at the country or sector level, or in relation to particular development problems. • Several DFID country offices have used political economy analysis to improve the quality and impact of aid. This experience provides valuable lessons that should be considered when commissioning and undertaking political economy analysis. • Where possible, analysis should be conducted on an ongoing basis with key partners in HMG and the wider development community to encourage shared understanding and joint action. CY - London DA - 2009/07// PY - 2009 PB - DFID UR - http://www.gsdrc.org/docs/open/po58.pdf Y2 - 2021/01/04/12:01:40 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluation and Results Based Management AU - OECD CY - Paris DA - 2009/// PY - 2009 PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/2754804.pdf Y2 - 2019/11/27/11:58:30 ER -