Understanding poverty reduction impacts with innovative monitoring and evaluation

The World Bank O c t o b e r PREMnotes 1 9 9 9 n u m b e r 3 2 Poverty In association with the Human Development Network Understanding poverty reduction impacts with innovative monitoring and evaluation Monitoring and evaluation systems are often the least addressed component of project design and implementation. Yet such systems have considerable potential for enhancing the impact of projects. What makes for effective monitoring and evaluation? Only a handful of World Bank projects can health, nutrition, early childhood educa- Both quantitative provide documented and unambiguous tion, child care, and savings and income information about their impact on poverty. generation. The project is being imple- and participatory Project implementation often proceeds mented by a network of nongovernmen- without an understanding of the baseline tal organizations (NGOs) contracted by methods are needed situation of target groups and of the nature the government to motivate communi- of their problems. As a result most of the ties and provide information to project to assess a project's Bank's implementation completion reports participants (box 1). This network is also do not effectively assess or systematically being used to transmit information to pro- impact on poverty document project lessons. Recently intro- ject managers. The project relies on sys- duced participatory methods for moni- tematic monitoring of inputs and outputs toring and evaluation provide rapid flowing through the organizations imple- assessments, and are used as substitutes for menting the project. In communities, thorough evaluation. But for the most part inputs, outputs, and child outcomes are these methods do not use quantitative monitored continuously and reported to methods--stunting efforts to systematically higher levels of the project's organizational trace a project's impact on beneficiaries. structure--for example, through the lead Some recent Bank projects, however, NGO and to the district coordinating com- include both quantitative and participa- mittee, and finally to the project coordi- tory mechanisms for tracking change and nating office (figure 1). project impact. Uganda's Nutrition and Because the project covers most of the Early Childhood Development Project is regions in Uganda, it necessarily involves one example. The project's monitoring different levels of organization. But the and evaluation strategy includes random project coordinating office and the pro- sampling to document the impact of cer- ject organization have been kept lean, and tain components as well as a monitoring, community participation in planning and evaluation, and information system that monitoring facilitates bottom-up feedback uses ongoing participatory evaluation through established channels. For the most methods to evaluate inputs and outputs. part the layers in the organizational chart The Uganda project is a process-driven, play consultative roles, and not every ele- locally prioritized program involving ment of the project necessarily goes through from the development economics vice presidency and poverty reduction and economic management network  Box 1 Uganda's Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project Uganda's Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Pro- information on good child care practices, including nutri- ject supports the government's National Programme of Action tion counseling and monitoring and promotion of children's for Children, which aims to improve the health, nutritional, and growth. Interventions are promoted through community child cognitive status of children under eight. The project augments workers and child fairs, and reinforced by a mass media com- the ability of parents and communities to care for children by munications program. In addition, mothers and caregivers who teaching new child care techniques and creating opportuni- receive child care counseling are encouraged to form microen- ties to raise incomes. terprise groups to help improve their livelihoods. The $40 million community-based project is delivered through