PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES IN ALIGNING M&E IMPERATIVES: OBSERVATIONS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

1. PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES IN ALIGNING M&E IMPERATIVES: OBSERVATIONS FROM SOUTH AFRICA Indran Naidoo Deputy Director-General: Monitoring and Evaluation, Office of the Public Service Commission of South Africa 29 June 2011

2. OUTLINE • Country context • Entrenching M&E • Benchmarks for Good Governance • Challenges • Making the shift • Seeks to achieve • Underlying principles • 12 Outcomes • Going forward

3. COUNTRY CONTEXT • Constitutional democracy, middle-income country, population: 49 million, diverse language and culture • Economic giant of Africa, exerts much influence on international governance discourse • Developmental State model to address inequalities and transformation – centrality of government recognised • M&E is Constitutionally entrenched • Recently host of the successful 2010 World Cup

4. ENTRENCHING M&E • There is widespread support for any instruments which improve transparency and accountability • The early democratic period was largely one of setting standards and monitoring compliance – to regulate and modernise the State • Several actors contributed to the commentary on government performance – media, civil society and oversight institutions

5. BENCHMARKS FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE • Standards for good governance for the country are Constitutionally enshrined as 9 values and principles for public administration • The PSC is the Constitutional body responsible for “investigating, monitoring and evaluating” the Public Service (comprising 140 departments in 9 provinces, employing 1,1 million public servants) - motto – Custodian of good governance

6. …EXAMPLE - WEEKLY MEDIA, PRINT, RADIO AND TV

7. THE CONTENT OF THE COMMENTARY … • Key findings emerging from many oversight institutions and reports are: • Compliance levels have improved, but there remains pockets of repetitive poor performance • In some instances, there is administrative compliance with regulation, but the felt benefit at the citizen level has been uneven • Compliance on its own may have created a “gaming management culture”, with disproportionate efforts being place on meeting reporting obligations compared to checking on actual service delivery

8. ...EXAMPLE - ADMINISTRATIVE • Reports on the quality of governance are tabled at management meetings of all departments (rated), for engagement, and management action tracked and reported on • Departments are expected to comply with advice on the adjudication of grievances • Policy impact is assessed – example, Poverty alleviation programmes, rural development

9. CHALLENGES • Recognition that compliance, and a focus on outputs, albeit important may not adequately citizen to State intention and promises. • The same issues are repeated by oversight institutions – creating a perception of oversight ineffectiveness and scepticism • This means a candid reflection on the current systems to infuse a new thrust to oversight – the genesis of the outcomes approach, typified by the observation “a school as an output does not necessarily generate quality education (the desired outcome)”

10. MAKING THE SHIFT • Cabinet since 2005 began developing a Government wide M&E System - a system of systems. • Key features were agreement of outcomes, outputs, key activities, inputs, delivery forums and delivery agreements and performance contracts between president and Ministers • A set of 12 Outcomes in 2010 was approved - set the strategic agenda for government. It addressed the theory of change, intervention logic, indicators and targets with baselines.

11. SEEKS TO ACHIEVE • The Outcomes approach seeks to: • improve service delivery by increasing the strategic focus of government • making more efficient use of resources • more systematic M&E • all in order to inform government decisions and promote evidence-based policy making

12. UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES • That there is problem analysis and a clear understanding of the problem • That there is a Theory of Change and what are the Levers of change (Greatest impact, cause and effect, and build knowledge on what works) • There is an intervention logic • Are clear indicators, baselines & targets and clear basis for monitoring progress and evaluating results

13. Develop and implement detailed inputs, outputs, activities, metrics and roles and responsibilities Development of high level outcomes, outputs, activities and metrics Ruling Party election Manifesto: 5 priority areas Establish Implementation Forum MTSF: 10 strategic priorities Step 1 Done Negotiate detailed inputs, activities, metrics and roles and responsibilities 12 strategic outcomes (based on consultation process) Step 3 Delivery Agreements between stakeholders • Performance Agreements with Minister(s) • Based on outcomes • High level outputs, indicators, targets and activities per outcome • Implementation Forum to produce Delivery Agreement per outcome Coordinate implementation Step 4 ongoing Monitor and evaluate Step 2 Done Feed back loop to annual revisions of Delivery Agreements

14. 12 OUTCOMES • Quality basic education • A long and healthy life for all South Africans • All people in South Africa are and feel safe • Decent employment through inclusive economic growth • Skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path • An efficient, competitive and responsive economic infrastructure network • Vibrant, equitable, sustainable rural communities contributing towards food security for all • Sustainable human settlements and improved quality of household life • Responsive, accountable, effective and efficient Local Government system • Protect and enhance our environmental assets and natural resources • Create a better South Africa, a better Africa and a better world • An efficient, effective and development oriented public service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship

15. OUTCOME 12 ILLUSTRATED • Outputs • Service Delivery Quality and Access • Human Resource Management and Development • Business Processes, Systems, Decision Rights and Accountability • Corruption Tacked Effectively • Indicators (for output on service delivery quality and access) • % improvement in user satisfaction • Distance travelled to obtain a government service reduced • % reduction in waiting times • Value for money M&E Feedback loop • Key activities (for output on service delivery quality and access) • Improve front‐line service supervision • Inputs required (for output on service delivery quality and access) • Funding, capacity building support

16. IMPLEMENTATION OF 12 OUTCOMES Administrative level Departments Technical Implementation Forums Technical Clusters DGs Implementation Forums Ministerial Clusters Executive level Cabinet Committees Cabinet

17. MONITORING OF IMPLEMENTATION • The objective is to institutionalise regular monitoring of implementation of the Delivery Agreements. • The revised POA will be based on the final Delivery Agreements (the high‐level outputs and metrics per outcome) • Aim is to increase strategic focus in comparison to former POA • Implementation Forums will: • Monitor implementation of the Delivery Agreements and unblock blockages • Prepare quarterly progress reports against Delivery Agreements, for the relevant Cabinet Committees and Cabinet • Adopt similar approach taken in Government’s management of the preparations for the World Cup • Quarterly progress reports against POA will also be placed on website

18. SUMMARY OF IMPROVEMENT PLAN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT • Effective spending on the right priorities (outcomes approach) • Delivery Agreements for 12 outcomes • Monitoring of implementation of Delivery Agreements • Building M&E capacity in Government • Comprehensive expenditure reviews • Getting basic administration right • Appropriate location of decision powers • Clarity regarding mandates and roles and responsibilities • Performance monitoring of individual institutions • Internally‐focused implementation support programmes by the centre of government • Improving interaction between government and citizens, communities and stakeholders • Tackling corruption • Multi-agency initiative to address corruption in procurement • Improve internal departmental investigations and disciplinary processes • Improve coordination of anti-corruption work of various agencies • Amendments to legislative and regulatory frameworks • Review of spatial land use legislation • Review of frameworks for recruitment, competency assessments, Performance management and discipline • Review of Treasury Regulations • Panel to identify unnecessary red tape DEFINED BY FOUR PILLARS, EACH A KEY ENABLER OF OVERALL SUCCESS IN BUILDING A MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SERVICE

19. PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES • The Presidency M&E thrust behoves all oversight institutions to shift towards outcome monitoring and evaluation. • A more qualitative and diagnostic narrative – with intervention is required • Review is underway to align oversight systems where possible, and present a more coherent approach to oversight • Work is labour intensive, and has helped to significantly heighten M&E in the country

20. GOING FORWARD • The PSC shall co-host the 3rd South African Monitoring and Evaluation Conference between 5-9 September 2011, themed: M&E for outcomes, answering the “So what?” • See www.psc.gov.za and www.samea.org.za • The PSC shall also co-host the International Conference on National Evaluation Capacity between 12-14 September 2011, see www.undp.org • Questions

21. THANK YOU