Results Management and Results Measurement—Both Needed to Achieve

Development Outcomes

Ray C. Rist

The World Bank

Washington, D.C.

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Successful Development Requires An Effective and Efficient Public Sector

• But of course, easier said than done: Consider just these six dimensions and their challenges

- Strengthening/Reforming Existing Administrative Systems- Building in Accountability- Providing Transparency- Delivering Fundamental Public Goods- Ensuring the Rule of Law- Allocating Resources Effectively

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Results-Based Management Is A Powerful Tool To Support The

Transformation of the Public Sector

1. Shifts from an input-activity-output focus to a focus on the outcomes of public sector actions and initiatives

2. Responds to elected officials and the publics demands for accountability

3. Stresses knowledge and learning through continuous improvements

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4. Emphasizes effective resource allocations

5. Provides information to help answer the “so what” question of intended government actions

6. Also helps developing countries assess if they are using their scarce resources most appropriately

7. But recognize this is a political process with technical dimensions – not vice versa

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The Power of Measuring Results • If you do not measure results, you can not tell

success from failure• If you can not see success, you can not

reward it• If you can not reward success, you are probably

rewarding failure• If you can not see success, you can not learn from it• If you can not recognize failure, you can not correct

it• If you can demonstrate results, you can win

public support

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But What’s Different About This Type of Management?

• Traditional management focuses on implementation– This involves tracking inputs ($$, resources,

strategies), activities (what actually took place) and outputs (the products or services produced)

– This approach focuses on monitoring how well a project, program or policy is being implemented

– Often used to assess compliance with workplans and budget

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Results-Based Management

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Outcomes • Intermediate effects of outputs on clients

Outputs • Products and services produced

Activities• Tasks personnel

undertake to transform inputs to outputs

Inputs • Financial, human, and material resources

Goal(Impacts)

• Long-term, widespread improvement in society

Imp

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Binendijk, 2000

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Ten Steps to Designing, Building and Sustaining a Results-Based Monitoring and

Evaluation System

Conducting a Readiness

Assessment

Agreeing on Outcomes to Monitor and

Evaluate

Selecting Key Indicators to

Monitor Outcomes

Baseline Data on

Indicators—Where Are We Today?

Planning for Improvement — Selecting

Results Targets

Monitoring for Results

The Role of Evaluations

Reporting Your Findings

Using Your

Findings

Sustaining the

M&E System Within Your Organization

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 108

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Reasons to Do Results-Based M&E

• Provides crucial information about public sector performance

• Provides a view over time on the status of a project, program, or policy

• Promotes credibility and public confidence by reporting on the results of programs

• Helps formulate and justify budget requests• Identifies potentially promising programs

or practices

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Reasons to Do Results-Based M&E (cont.)

• Focuses attention on achieving outcomes important to the organization and its stakeholders

• Provides timely, frequent information to staff• Helps establish key goals and objectives• Permits managers to identify and take action to

correct weaknesses• Supports a development agenda that is shifting

towards greater accountability for aid lending

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Moving to Results Based Management is a Global Trend

• Governments are improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery by increasing their accountability to their citizens (citizens as clients)

• Governments are setting outcomes for public sector programs with explicit theories of change

• Governments are now monitoring performance against these outcomes

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Moving to Results Based Management is a Global Trend

(cont’d)

• Governments are now evaluating why outcomes are being achieved or not

• Managers are judged by their programs’ performance, not their control of inputs

• Governments are establishing links between policy formulation, budget, and financial management

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International Experience

Evidence suggests ten key elements are essential to making a transformation:

1. A clear mandate to do so2. Presence of strong leadership at senior levels

of government3. Building a system that produces reliable

information 4. Evident rationale and incentives for change5. Links to budget/resource allocation processes

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Key elements (continued)

6. Involvement of civil society

7. Pockets of innovation and use of pilots

8. Keep the system relatively simple and user friendly

9. Explicit theories of change—clarity on assumptions of attribution

10. Monitor both implementation progress and results achievement.

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Developing Countries Have Important Challenges In Building and Using

Results-Based Management

1. Difficulties in defining goals and strategies that link national, regional and local governments by sector

2. Increasing weaknesses apparent in government administrations further from the center

3. Weak or no links between performance and a public expenditure framework

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Challenges (continued)

4. Weak or no incentives for Government managers to change from wanting to control inputs (whoever has the most toys wins!)

5. Government systems lack sufficient administrative and organizational structures to use M&E information for planning, management, and resource allocation decisions

6. Lack of capacity to design, create, and maintain credible information systems

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Fundamental questions (continued)

4. What management framework exists in government to oversee introduction of M&E system?

5. What has to happen for M&E information to be linked to budget/resource allocation decisions?

6. Is M&E information being collected (inside or outside of government) to assess government performance on any dimensions?

7. What is existing capacity – both institutional and technical?

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Getting Started…

Some Policy Considerations

1. Single or multiple M&E systems

2. Piloting (Or not?)

3. Scope of introduction- whole of government- sector specific

4. Who is the champion and what is the level of political capital available to expend

5. Managing expectations on what can be delivered