The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is an independent unit within the World Bank Group; it reports directly to the Bankandapos;s Board of Executive Directors. IEG assesses what works, and what does not; how a borrower plans to run and maintain a project; and the lasting contribution of the Bank to a country's overall development. The goals of evaluation are to learn from experience, to provide an objective basis for assessing the results of the Bank's work, and to provide accountability in the achievement of its objectives. It also improves Bank work by identifying and disseminating the lessons learned from experience and by framing recommendations drawn from evaluation findings. This feed will keep you updated on all of IEG's resources, including new evaluations, publications and websites. http://www.worldbank.org/ieg/rss/feed.xml December 2 2011 9:12:21 -0400 FeedForAll v1.0 (1.0.2.0) In the complex environment of international development, it is important to look into what interventions work best and areas of improvement. This video outlines the need for the development community to discuss how to integrate new development players; better coordinate work on the ground; and establish stronger accountability lines among donors, governments, donor constituents, and citizens of recipient countries. Visit IEG's website to view the video. http://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/content/ieg/en/home.html December 2 2011 9:12:21 -0400 Over the past decade, the international community launched a series of global initiatives to accelerate progress toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals. These initiatives entailed commitments to provide more aid and efforts to strengthen aid effectiveness; efforts culminated in the Paris Declaration of 2005 that formalized five principles of aid effectiveness. This evaluation addresses Bank efforts to advance two of the Paris Declaration principles—harmonization and alignment. These are the key tenets of donor coordination falling primarily under the responsibility of donors (including the Bank) and have been considered central to strengthening aid effectiveness. http://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/content/dam/ieg/pubs/donor_harmonization.pdf December 2 2011 9:12:21 -0400 The U.S. government's long history of concern with accountability and oversight continues and evolves in new directions. The last two decades have seen an increased interest in outcomes-based performance monitoring and evaluation. New legislation, greater emphasis on transparency and results, and the introduction of initiatives all have brought performance measurement more prominence. The current administration has introduced additional initiatives addressing performance-based management and promoting program evaluation, so that more advances may be seen. Still, there are a number of ways in which the U.S. government can improve its use of M and E to increase the effectiveness of its programs. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTOED/EXTEVACAPDEV/0,,menuPK:4585748~pagePK:64829575~piPK:64829612~theSitePK:4585673,00.html December 2 2011 9:12:21 -0400