Institutionalising M&E in South Africa: The M&E

programme of the Public Service CommissionPresentation to the Fifth Conference of the Latin America and the Caribbean

M&E Network, Bogota, Colombia, 5 November 2009

By

Indran A. Naidoo

Deputy Director-General: Monitoring and Evaluation

Public Service Commission: South Africa

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OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

Introduction

Bedrock for M&E: The RSA Constitution

Evolution of M&E in the country

M&E strategy to improve influence

Status of M&E (Receptive and developing context)

Partnerships to entrench influence

Key Imperatives and response

Introduction: Breaking with the past and defining the

future

The PSC has redefined itself from its original establishment in 1912, based

on the British Civil Service Commission.

In 1998 it moved away from appointing and designing policy, to

“investigating, monitoring and evaluating” public administration.

It has institutionalised M&E by forming partnerships across the academic,

professional, political and social spectrum, working with the research,

academic, non-governmental and civil society sector and evaluation

associations (at al levels) to implement its good governance imperative.

It has translated the imperatives of government (reduce poverty and

inequality, address corruption and service delivery and improve government

performance) into M&E strategies that ensure that the results of these

areas are under public scrutiny.

M&E in the country seeks to support social, administrative and political

transformation , and as such has become a leader for M&E in the country.

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The Constitutional basis for M&E

Good governancetransparency, accountability,

learning, democratic enrichment

M&E interventions via a differentiated M&E programme

Chapter 10 of the RSA ConstitutionThe role of the PSC in M&E across the 9

principles and values for public administration

EVOLUTION OF M&E SYSTEM

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• Donor driven M&E• Strong M&E from activist civil-society• Establishment of a few M&E units, limited M&E• No overarching M&E strategy, policy or commitment

1994-2000

• M&E policy from Presidency (GWM&E)• Political priority for M&E from President• M&E used to support NEPAD and other assessments• PSC M&E work established• M&E results/reports basis for debates on good

governance

2000-2007

• SAMEA formed, AFREA supported• M&E curricula developed via PALAMA• M&E units established in several departments• Minister for M&E appointed in 2009, key priority

2007- to date

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Modalities to improve influence

Impact upon policy

Formal recommendations Assess impact of policy

Pluralistic methodologies for varied audiences

Cater for differentiated audiencesTrack implementation of

recommendations (assess impact)

Situate M&E within governance debates

Transformation via M&EIncreasing accountability/transparency

via multiple stream influences

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Current status of M&E

• Presidential and Ministerial, Ministers performance contract to President, Programme of Action on website

• Announcement: M&E will be used for accountability

Political support

• Higher levels of compliance with oversight systems of National Treasury and PSC

• Performance Management infrastructure in place, within which HoDs evaluated, budgets assessed, compliance with various governance standards undertaken

Administrative use

• Capacity needs outstrip supply, units in place, but not sufficiently experienced or capacitated

• Strong links with AFREA, SAMEA built to enhance practice

• Development of a community of practice in the country

As a discipline

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PARTNERSHIPS M&E initiatives need partners from professional organisations

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Imperative and M&E responses

Results/EffectsContextBackbone

Constitutional and political

support for M&E

Appetite for performance

results

Programme of Action (Website)

M&E reports used to advocate views,

advance opinions

Political, civic, media,

international

Raised performance consciousness

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Imperative and M&E responses

Results/effectsContextBackbone

Performance Management

Policy in departments

HoD Evaluation

Focus on KRA

Cascade performance management

ethos

Organisational Performance Assessment

Rating of departments

(PSC and other)

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Imperatives and M&E responses

EffectsContextBackbone

Democratic imperatives

Media freedom, multiparty

democracy

Government scored regularly

Transparency raises consciousness about governance issues

AccountabilityCitizens use hotline to

report issues

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Entrenching M&E: Departmental

Audience (Management )

• Thrust: Improve compliance with 9 CVP and accountability

• Secondary: increase transparency and org learning

Tools

• PS M&E System: value – indicator logic – method for data gathering and appraisal – scoring – recommnd.

• Periodic implementation – 3 year cycle

Results

• Draft to management and staff, debate

• Finalise with management letter and schedule of recommendations for implementation

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ENTRENCHING M&E: INDIVIDUAL

Leadership

• Assess HoD to advise Ex Authority

• Outcome: Accountability for performance

Tools

• Performance Agreement against actual performance

• Performance qualified and quantified against Key result areas (KRAs) and Core Management Competencies (CMCs)

Results

• Public data on performance of HoD

• Fact sheets on results and compliance

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ENTRENCHING M&E SOCIETAL

Citizens experience of

servicedelivery

• Batho Pele (People First) surveys,8BPP

• Results back to departments

Inspections

• Announced and unannounced visits of service delivery sites

• Results back to executive

NACH

• Data assessed from toll-free, multilingual, 24/7/365 facility – of inputs from callers ito service delivery and corruption

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SOCIETAL

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Reinforcing mandates

• Partnering with M&E Professionals (AFREA, SAMEA, IDEAS,NONIE etc)

• Partnering with Ass. Of African Public Service Commissions, African Union, NEPAD, APRM

ACADEMIA

• Co-present courses on anti-corruption and M&E (support IPDET)

• Have work peer reviewed, round-tables, journal contributions

Media

• Host programmes, radio call-in, debates, multi-lingual forums

Multiplying influences

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Accountability

Organisational learning

Enlightenment

ACCOUNTABILITY

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• NACH

• Citizens Forums

• Izimbizo

Citizenry

• M&E

• FinancialDisclosures

• PAs

• FinancialMisconduct

Departments

• Briefing sessions

• Annual and depart-mental budgetanalyses

• Consideration ofstrategic plans andannual reports

Parliament

ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING

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Inspections

• Education

• Home Affairs

• SAPS

• Health

Round tables

• SOPS

• Financial Misconduct

• Conflicts of Interest

• Blacklisting

Hearings

• Disability

• Grievances

• Complaints

ENLIGHTENMENT New knowledge gained through research published in reports

• State of the Public Service reports have been published since

2004

• Thematic focus since 2006

Reports leading to new insights influencing

policy19

2009 State of Readiness of the Public

Service for 2010 and beyond

2008 A Mid-term review of Public Service

Transformation

2007 Promoting growth and development

through an Effective Public Service

2006 Assessing the capacity of the State

to deliver

M&E; from process to products

National Antì-corruption hotline

Investigations

Transversal M&E System (governance

audit)

Citizen M&E

Evaluation of Heads of Department

Releasing reports that have national

importance

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Conclusions

Links of M&E to the reform and modernisation process

Location of the M&E function

Institutional design and its impact on M&E decision-

making process

The impact of institutional design and decision-making

Link of PSC M&E system to sector systems

Sustainability of systems

Incentives for evaluation

Translating process into results

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