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Home»GSDRC Publications»M&E methods for local government performance

M&E methods for local government performance

Helpdesk Report
  • Anna Louise Strachan
March 2018

Question

What data collection methods can be used to understand tangible and intangible domains of change in a small number (n=6) of local government areas in Papua New Guinea that are likely to indicate progress or not towards change in service delivery and economic development?

Summary

A range of methods can be used to monitor and evaluate whether a programme/workstream has contributed to change in local governance, service delivery and economic development, and to generate understanding and knowledge that can be shared with others to support better governance, service delivery and economic development in a decentralised government system.

This report looks at the following methods, providing an overview of their strengths and weaknesses as highlighted in the literature on monitoring and evaluation methods:

  • Political Economy Analysis
  • Social Network Analysis
  • Positive Deviance
  • Qualitative Comparative Analysis
  • Outcome Mapping
  • Contribution Analysis

The methods covered in this report share several commonalities:

  • They tend to require highly skilled individuals to implement the methodology
  • They are often time consuming
  • They often involve high financial costs

There is a relatively large body of literature on these methods, consisting both of peer-reviewed journal articles and grey literature. However, the body of literature analysing these methods in the context of evaluation is smaller, particularly in the context of local governance.

Particular emphasis was placed on gender and inclusiveness during the literature search; however most of the literature on the methods included in this report is gender blind.

file type icon See Full Report [PDF - 500 KB]

Suggested citation

Strachan, A.L. (2017). Methods of monitoring and evaluating local government performance. GSDRC Helpdesk Research Report. Birmingham, UK: GSDRC, University of Birmingham.

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Outputs supported by FCDO are © FCDO Crown Copyright 2021; outputs supported by the Australian Government are © Australian Government 2021; and outputs supported by the European Commission are © European Union 2021

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