RE: Making more use of local institutions in evaluation | Eval Forward

Dear Colleagues,

          Very many thanks for taking the time to respond and for sending your comments and experience.

          Needless to say, I had hoped to hear of some successful experience involving a university, but perhaps that was unrealistic optimism.

          The comments from Lewis N. Kisuku in the Democratic Republic of the Congo gave a good idea of the situation in that country. The problems described would be common to many countries, both in Africa and elsewhere. His comments on contributions from university staff were in line with those of Isha Miranda from Sri Lanka. Why should the work of universities or their members frequently be characterised as theoretical and their reports as long and often late? Perhaps it is a lack of the commercial sense, a lack of pressure and the fatal desire for perfection.

          Very good to hear a positive and happy result from The Gambia sent by Paul L. Mendy.  This seems to show what can be done with close collaboration between local consultants and staff of the financing agency.

          The basic problem and starting point is how to acquire good data. This should be a local responsibility, not undertaken through a few hurried visits by an international specialist who has just flown in.

          If the data is locally collected how can it be assured to be impartial, unbiased and objective? There are likely to be pressures to both under and over report results. Also, there will be a temptation for enumerators to dream up results for project participants not on their farms but in some road-side coffee shop. Pressures to “enhance” or modify the results and the subsequent evaluation will continue up to and beyond the delivery of the evaluation report to the financing agency. It is clearly difficult for a private commercial company or individual to resist all these pressures – and much easier for an institution. 

          Let us hope that as a result of the increase in pressure for local involvement in evaluation as a result of Covid there could be more interest from universities.

          Such an interest would be good for evaluation as well as very good for the universities and their students.

          Many thanks again for taking part in the discussion.

John Weatherhogg