Independent Office of Evaluation

IFAD’s approach to Evaluation Capacity Development Emerging practices for peer-to-peer collaboration in China and Ethiopia

IndividualLevel

InstitutionalLevel

SystemicLevel

Elements of IFAD’s peer-to-peer approachSu

pply

Dem

and

Capacity friendly

evaluation

Contextual analysis (political

economy)

Peer review (guidelines, products)

Knowledge sharing, dialogue

Training, mentoring

Collaborative evaluations

Networking, peer-to-peer

learning

Independent Office of Evaluation

Institutional Partners

• Institutional cooperation as starting point for ECD• China: Statement of Intent with Ministry of Finance

of the Peoples Republic of China• Ethiopia: Planning and Programming Directorate

(PPD) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries; Ethiopian Agriculture Transformation Agency (ATA); Ethiopian Evaluation Association (EEvA)

→Entry point through formal cooperation partners

Independent Office of Evaluation

Contextual analysis

• Evaluation Capacity Mapping provides contextual analysis• China : Cross-sectoral ministries (e.g. MOF) have evaluation

functions, but limited capacity to guide sectors; sector guidance mainly on M less on E; institutional independence of evaluation not given; some individual capacities and nascent network, e.g. education;

• Ethiopia : Very little tradition of evidence-based policy development; GoE commitment on M&E system and adoption of results-based approach; EEvA established, developing the Ethiopian Evaluation standard; Lack of systematic data management system, technical skills and adequate human capacity financial resources and dedicated budget

→Evaluation Capacity Mapping helps to position cooperation within the political economy of evaluation; adds important systemic dimension to ECD

Independent Office of Evaluation

Collaborative evaluation

• Participation of partners in field work and debriefing, less in design• For CPEs, IOE preparatory mission to identify key questions with in-country

stakeholders; draft approach paper with them for comments• Balancing IOE independence with partner involvement• China: Partners from MOF and MOA joined project evaluation mission; worked

on selected evaluation question• Ethiopia: MoA PPD staff participation in the evaluation of the Poverty Investment

Framework; pilot ex ante impact evaluation by ATA• Opportunity to enhance evaluation practice, pilot innovative methods• Useful for IOE to engage partners in evaluation practice; triangulate perspectives

on project success and failures→Evaluation practice is an integral part of evaluation capacity building→Enhanced depth of exposure would require change of IOE evaluation

practice: e.g. Participation in design as an opportunity to unpack the theory of change underpinning the evaluation; larger team with more national evaluators; all requires additional resources.

Independent Office of Evaluation

Peer review

• Mutual review of guidelines and standards for learning and to strengthen credibility of evaluation standards, guidelines and products

• China: MOF China guidelines for IOE comments• Ethiopia: Development of Ethiopia evaluation standards

supported by IOE• IOE guidelines shared with partners→Process of reviewing guidelines as opportunity to reflect

on evaluation practice, enhance common understanding of evaluation principles and mobilise support from evaluation peers; successful process can be a key element of institutional capacity building

Independent Office of Evaluation

Training and Knowledge Sharing

• China: Methodology workshop in July 2014 in Beijing (in conjunction with CPE China)

• SHIPDET Spring 2015 (Shanghai)- Well attended formal training, mainly targeted at evaluators and evaluation

managers at the Provincial Departments of Finance- Useful event to present IFAD’s approach to project evaluation- Interest to learn more about complex evaluations, e.g. country programme

evaluations and synthesis

• Ethiopia: ECD Workshop on 6th Nov.2015- IOE sponsored (from SDC funds) participation of  Government of Ethiopia

official in 2015 IPDET in Canada

→ Strengthening individual evaluation skills and knowledge as integral part of ECD

→ Skilled personnel may become evaluation champions

Independent Office of Evaluation

Overall Lessons

• ECD activities are not cost-neutral• Need to have an appropriate institutional partner in the

concerned country to champion ECD • Greater appreciation of the Independence of evaluation

through ongoing dialogue• Evaluation often perceived as control; less seen as learning

opportunity to improve performance• Practical evaluation cases can demonstrate the utility of

evaluation and that investing in evaluations generates benefits greater than its costs

• ECD is a process that stimulates interest and demand; increases usefulness, credibility and rigour on the supply side