Pushing the Boundaries of Appliability

Williams, J. Guilfoyle; Irwin, Derek; Russell, Noah A.

doi:10.4324/9781315299877-4

Cited by 1 publication

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“…This can be true even in more recent “complexity-aware” MEL efforts that address how to frame and implement M&E in dynamic contexts where there is little agreement on the development problem at hand and/or little certainty about the solutions for a development problem (e.g., Hummelbrunner & Britt, 2014; Lee et al, 2016; USAID, 2018; Williams & Britt, 2014). This work, which provides both conceptual and methodological guidance on how to address the limitations of more standard performance monitoring efforts in complex contexts, frames such efforts as complementary to, rather than challenges to, existing approaches to M&E. For example, USAID sees such work as “useful when results are difficult to predict due to dynamic contexts or unclear cause-and-effect relationships” (USAID, 2018, p. 1).…”

Section: Guidance For Mande Theories Of Change and The Role Of Vigilancementioning

confidence: 99%

What to Expect When You Don’t Know What You are Expecting: Vigilance and the Monitoring and Evaluation of an Uncertain World

Goble

Carr

Anderson

2022

American Journal of Evaluation

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Complexity and uncertainty are long-standing challenges for global development projects. Coping with both requires flexibility and adaptation, the ability to identify unexpected circumstances, seize opportunities, and respond to threats. Vigilance is critical; it resides within the domains of monitoring, evaluation, and learning. In practice, maintaining vigilance is difficult, partly because effective vigilance has a dual nature. Normal, Type 1 vigilance, is anchored in knowing what to look for. It demands focus and attention to designated indicators. Type 2 vigilance looks for what project preparations failed to anticipate. It demands defocusing and openness; it sits outside contemporary design of monitoring and evaluation as it must question the assumptions in project design and implementation. We consider the role of both types of vigilance in global development and difficulties in maintaining both simultaneously. We identify pathways for improving the practice of vigilance and suggest practical steps in a template for pilot efforts.

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Section: Guidance For Mande Theories Of Change and The Role Of Vigilancementioning

confidence: 99%