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Download Précis of the conference: in English; or Spanish

This volume presents the proceedings of a regional conference held in June 2005. The conference focused on the experience of five leading or promising countries in Latin America: Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Mexico. Several of these countries have achieved considerable success in creating M&E systems and institutionalizing them. The conference participants included senior officials from finance, planning and sector ministries, including those in charge of M&E systems. Experts from donor agencies and academia also provided their perspectives on the progress made by each of the five countries, including the success factors and remaining challenges or barriers facing each country. Lessons from other parts of the world were also flagged, and in particular the experience of the rich countries which comprise the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

It was evident from the country experiences presented that there is no single ‘destination’ for countries in terms of what a well-performing M&E system looks like. Some countries stress a system of performance indicators, while others focus on carrying out evaluations (program reviews or rigorous impact evaluations). And while most countries have created a whole-of-government approach driven by finance or planning ministries, some are more focused on sector M&E systems. One key characteristic of most of the systems that are now at different stages of implementation in the region is that they reflect country-led, rather than donor-driven, efforts to institutionalize M&E.

The shared experience of these countries has led to some collective wisdom about the development of solid M&E systems:

• There is a need to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the main actors, namely the planning and finance ministries, the President’s Office, sector ministries, and Congress. It is also critical to create the right incentives to encourage these stakeholders to assume a greater role in M&E.
  
  
• Strengthening M&E systems is not only, nor even principally, a supply-side issue requiring a ‘technical fix’. For an M&E system to be considered successful and sustainable, the information and findings of M&E have to be utilized intensively by all stakeholders, including sector ministries and, depending on how the system has been devised, civil society.
  
• Conservative ministries and staff may resist efforts to implement M&E systems and to use M&E as a management and budget tool. It is essential to have a high-level of commitment and on-going support from powerful champions at the ministerial and senior official levels.
  
• There is an implicit debate on how to prioritize evaluations -- to focus on 'problem' programs, pilot projects, high-expenditure or high-visibility programs, or on systematic research to respond to questions of program effectiveness.
  

Highlighted Sections:

Chile -- Challenges and Opportunities: in English; or Spanish

Brazil -- Challenges and Opportunities: in English; or Spanish

Colombia -- Challenges and Opportunities: in English; or Spanish

Peru -- Challenges and Opportunities: in English; or Spanish

Mexico -- Challenges and Opportunities: in English; or Spanish

Synthesis of Issues and Experience in OECD Countries and in Latin America: in English; or Spanish

Download complete proceedings from conference website: in English; or Spanish

Download Précis of the conference: in English; or Spanish