Monitoring and evaluation

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This gateway guide is designed to point readers to the most useful, credible and up-to-date resources available on the internet in relation to monitoring and evaluation in a development context. It was prepared by Andrew McDevitt in June 2009 and updated in June 2010. Suggestions are welcome at: enquiries@gsdrc.org.

Contents:

• General resources
         - Multilateral agencies
         - Research and innovation
         - Resource portals
         - Networks and professional development
• Selected thematic resources
         - Humanitarian
         - Health and HIV/AIDS
         - Human rights and gender      
• Blogs
• Journals

General resources

Multilateral agencies

• Network of Networks for Impact Evaluation (NONIE)
  NONIE comprises the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (OECD/DAC) Network on Development Evaluation , the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), the Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECGNet), and the International Organisation for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE). NONIE aims to build an international research effort for impact evaluations, and provide its members with opportunities for learning, collaboration, guidance, and support. The website includes NONIE Guidance on Impact Evaluation, a collection of working papers and links to other impact evaluation databases and key resources.
• OECD-DAC Evaluation Resource Centre (DEReC)
  DEReC is a one-stop-shop for key evaluation publications. Users can search for relevant evaluation material by publisher, sector or country of focus. The OECD-DAC is also host to the Network on Development Evaluation (DCDNDE) which brings together evaluation managers and specialists from OECD development cooperation agencies and multilateral development institutions. The Network hosts a number of key publications and information on past workshops and future events.
• United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG)
  UNEG brings together the units responsible for evaluation in the UN system. It aims to strengthen the objectivity, effectiveness and visibility of evaluation across the UN and provide a forum for members to share experiences and information, discuss the latest evaluation issues and promote simplification and harmonisation of reporting practices. The UNEG website includes guidance on norms and standards for evaluation in the UN system, a country level evaluation database, and a wide range of UN publications on M&E.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Evaluation Resource Center (ERC)
  ERC is an on-line information management system, which facilitates UNDP's effort to strategically plan and effectively use evaluations for accountability, management for results, and knowledge management. Users can search for evaluation reports, terms of reference and summaries by theme, type and region/country. 
• The Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECGNet)
  ECGNet is dedicated to harmonising evaluation work among multilateral development banks. It aims to share lessons from evaluations, harmonise performance indicators and evaluation methodologies, and build the capacity of development bank staff and borrowing member countries to conduct evaluations. The website includes news, good practice standards reports, and a variety of documents on evaluation operations.
• World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG): Evaluation Capacity Development
  This section of the World Bank’s IEG focuses on developing capacity to build government M&E systems. It includes M&E tools, methods and approaches, diagnostic guides, guidelines on developing action plans and institutionalising M&E, lessons from experience, and country case studies.
• World Bank PovertyNet: Impact Evaluation
  This website contains a wide range of resources designed to assess and improve the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing poverty. It includes detailed guidance on methods, techniques and tools for M&E, a selection of key readings (including the "Doing impact evaluation" working paper series), and information on training events. The website also links to the World Bank’s Development IMpact Evaluation (DIME) Initiative, which conducts comparative analysis of results in different settings to inform future policy and programme design.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB): Independent Evaluation
  The ADB’s Independent Evaluation Department focuses on evaluation capacity development. The website includes ADB evaluation guidelines and methods, a wide range of resources on evaluation and information on training and events. It aslo hosts the ADB's Evaluation Information System (EVIS) database which contains lessons, findings, and recommendations from past evaluations
• The Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System (GIVAS)
  Although not yet operational, the United Nations in collaboration with the World Bank has committed to developing a Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System (GIVAS). GIVAS will aim to compile real time data and analysis from a variety of reliable sources covering multiple dimensions of vulnerability that will help the international community respond to global crises in a more effective and timely fashion.

Research and innovation

• Monitoring and Evaluation (MandE) News
  MandE News focuses on methods of monitoring and evaluating the progress and outcomes of development aid programmes. The website, run by Rick Davies, features a number of innovative M&E methods, including the Most Significant Change (MSC) technique, the Basic Necessities Survey (BNS), Hierarchical Card Sorting (HCS), Evolving Storylines, and Network Models. The website also includes a news email list, information on events, training and jobs in M&E, and Rick’s blog 'Rick on the Road'.
• International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
  Launched in 2008, 3ie aims to enhance development effectiveness through the promotion of evidence-based policy making. It seeks to improve the lives of poor people by collecting and summarising evidence of what works, when, why and for how much. Among other things, the website includes a growing collection of publications, a database of evaluations and a roster of evaluation experts. 3ie also funds innovative research on evaluation.
• GSDRC: Monitoring and Evaluation Topic Guide
  This topic guide from the GSDRC provides an overview of literature on monitoring and evaluation of development activities. It includes short summaries of key texts, and links to the original documents.

Resource portals

• Participatory Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (PPM&E) Resource Portal
  The PPM&E portal, run by Wageningen International, includes a large collection of resources on participatory monitoring and evaluation, including theories, methodologies and approaches, tools and methods, and publications on M&E in a range of thematic areas.
• Australian Development Gateway: Monitoring and Evaluation Approaches and Issues
  This section of the Australian Development Gateway presents a range of resources on M&E approaches, principles and methodologies.
• Zunia Knowledge Exchange: Monitoring and Evaluation
  This section of the Zunia Knowledge Exchange portal has a regularly updated selection of news and resources on M&E.

 Networks and professional development

• International Organisation for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE)
  IOCE is an alliance of regional and national evaluation organisations (associations, societies and networks) from around the world that works to build evaluation capacity in developing countries, foster the cross-fertilisation of evaluation theory and practice, and address international challenges in evaluation. Some of the key regional members of the alliance include:   
  - African Evaluation Association (AfrEA)
  - European Evaluation Society (EES) 
  - Francophonie: Le portail francophone de l’évaluation 
  - Programme for Strengthening Capacity for Monitoring and
    Evaluation of Rural Poverty Alleviation Projects in
    Latin America and the Caribbean (PREVAL)
  - Red de Seguimiento, Evaluacion y Sistematización en
    America Latina y el Caribe (ReLAC)
  - Association For Stimulating Know How (ASK) South Asia -
    Evaluation Division
• International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS)
  IDEAS is an independent association of evaluation professionals, which aims to refine knowledge, strengthen capacity, and expand networks for development evaluation. The website contains a wide range of resources including material from IDEAS conferences, case studies, reports, M&E tools and performance indicators, training material and glossaries of evaluation terms.
• Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
  J-PAL is a network of researchers which works to ensure that policy is based on scientific evidence. The website contains a large collection of publications exploring the impact of poverty reduction policies, as well as information on randomised trials and datasets from project evaluations.
• The African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results (AfCop)
  AfCop is a virtual community of over 400 members working for African governments, civil society, and as independent experts, to improve development management. The website contains an e-library with managing for development results (MfDR) tools and publications, as well as various discussion groups. AfCop is part of a wider initiative on MfDR led by the World Bank, which has produced a Sourcebook on Emerging Good Practice in Managing for Development Results.
• The Asian Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results
  The Asian Community of Practice (CoP) on Managing for Development Results (MfDR) is a virtual learning network that promotes learning and knowledge exchange among Asian public managers, organisations, executing agencies and MfDR practitioners. The Asian CoP has produced a book on Asian experiences of MfDR.
• Impact Alliance: Impact Assessment
  The Impact Alliance is a global action and learning network committed to strengthening the capacity of individuals and organisations to generate deeper impact within their communities. The website includes a good selection of publications on impact evaluation.
• International Development Research Centre (IDRC): Evaluation
  The IDRC’s Evaluation Unit works with staff and partners to strengthen the use, influence and quality of evaluation. The website contains a large collection of publications, including a series of evaluation highlights, findings, guidelines, tools and methodologies. It also features a set of resources on Outcome Mapping and links to the Outcome Mapping Learning Community.

Selected thematic resources

Humanitarian

• The Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP)
  ALNAP is a network of humanitarian organisations aimed at improving humanitarian performance through learning and accountability. To this end, ALNAP has developed training modules and guidance material to provide evaluators with the specialist knowledge and techniques for evaluating humanitarian action, including an evaluation reports database, a series of meta-evaluations of the humanitarian sector, and a quality proforma.
• Groupe URD
  Groupe URD is a non-profit research institute which works on evaluations, methodology and training with the aim of improving practices within the humanitarian sector. Among other things, Groupe URD has developed the ‘Quality COMPAS', a quality assurance method specifically designed for humanitarian aid.

Health and HIV/AIDS

• MEASURE Evaluation
  Funded by The US Agency for International Development (USAID), MEASURE Evaluation is a cooperative agreement which develops, implements and facilitates innovative methods for and approaches to improving health information systems, M&E, and data use. The website contains a range of publications and tools and provides access to training and networks on decision-making in the health sector.
• Global HIV M&E Information
  Global HIV M&E Information, led by the US Government and UNAIDS, is a one-stop-shop for global HIV/AIDS M&E-related information. The website includes resources, downloadable documents, interactive training calendars, toolkits, digital libraries, news, and access to networks for M&E professionals.
• Strategic Information (SI) and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Field Officer Programme 
  This website also developed by the US Government and UNAIDS provides regularly updated information and materials on strategic information and M&E of international HIV/AIDS-related programmes.

Human rights and gender

• Human Rights Impact Resource Centre
  The Human Rights Impact Resource Centre provides access to a broad range of information and expertise on human rights impact assessment (HRIA). The website includes an introductory guide to HRIA, a toolsets database, and a substantial collection of publications related to human rights impact assessment.
• Africa Gender and Development Evaluation Network (AGDEN)
  AGDEN is a network of evaluators which aims to strengthen gender and rights-based participatory monitoring and evaluation in Africa. The website contains a range of resources, including statistics, evaluation findings, tools, indicators and methodologies.
• Gender Evaluation Methodology for Internet and ICTs (GEM)
  This website from the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) presents the Gender Evaluation Methodology for Internet and ICTs (GEM). GEM is a guide to integrating a gender analysis into evaluations of initiatives that use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for social change. The website also links to the GEM Practitioners Network (myGEM), a network of individuals and organisations who want to learn more about gender and ICT evaluations.

 
Blogs

• Eldis Community: Results-based M&E Group 
  This dynamic discussion group brings together development practitioners dedicated to evaluation capacity building.
• Genuine Evaluation
  In this blog, Patricia Rogers (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology), and Jane Davidson (Real Evaluation Ltd.) share their ideas about real, genuine, authentic, practical evaluation.
• AEA365: A Tip-a-Day by and for Evaluators 
  This blog sponsored by the American Evaluation Association (AEA) aims to highlight tips, resources and lessons learned for evaluators. Its goal is to feature a post a day from and for evaluators around the globe.
• Design, Monitoring and Evaluation
  This blog from Larry Dershem (Save the Children) discusses project design, monitoring and evaluation in the Middle East, Caucasus & Central Asia Region.
• EvaluationWiki
  EvaluationWiki is an editable, freely-available compendium of up-to-date information and resources on the science and practice of evaluation.
• Empowerment Evaluation
  This blog from David Fetterman (Fetterman & Associates) discusses empowerment evaluation practice, theory, and current debates in the literature.

Journals

• Journal of Development Effectiveness
• Evaluation: The International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice
• Evaluation Review
• American Journal of Evaluation
• New Directions for Evaluation
• Evaluation and Program Planning
• Evaluation Exchange

New additions