A FRAMEWORK FOR
MONITORING & EVALUATING
LOCAL SOLUTIONS
Bianca Vitarello & Paul Mussoni
Scope of Work


Question
How can USAID Africa Bureau measure the
effectiveness of using the local system for
development (local solutions)?
Deliverable
M&E Framework for assessing local solutions
interventions
Methodology

Methodology
 12
Key Informant Interviews
 Literature Review

Research Limitations
 Lack
of field worker interviews
 Inability to conduct field research
Local Solutions



The use of local systems to increase development
Local system consists of government, nonprofit, and
for-profit actors
Goal is 30% of all USAID funding disbursed
through local partners by 2015
The Use of Local Systems


FY2012 14.2% of USAID global funding localized
Africa: 9.6%
Percentage
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Total
Africa
Asia
Europe and Latin America Middle East Afghanistan
Eurasia
and
and Pakistan
Carribean
Local Spending in Nigeria
Nigeria Total
Nigeria - Local
Govt
3%
Local
7%
For Profit
12%
Non Profit
85%
Not Local
93%
Local Spending in South Africa
Not Local
52%
Local
48%
Findings





USAID’s “Local Solutions” fits with of a broader
international agenda of local ownership of
development
Local actors must believe a project is in their own
interest and take ownership for long-term success
System-strengthening and capacity-building should be
viewed as separate from the development objective
Strong local systems are networks of government, forprofit, and nonprofit actors that have the capacity and
motivation to effectively collaborate to a common goal
The benefits of using the local system are long-term
Findings




Organizational capacity-building is the ability of an
organization to achieve its own objectives and to learn
and adapt over time
The desired development outcome is context-specific
and needs to be determined on a project-by-project
basis
Project evaluations must consider the needs of the
intended beneficiaries
Governments must improve environment for businesses
and civil society to function with local systems
Local Systems Objective


Strategic Objective: Local system actors have the capacity and
motivation to effectively collaborate on the common goal of the
project.
Example Outcomes:

O1: Local system actors believe that their own interests are better
served through collaboration.


O2: Local government improves environment for civil society to
function.


I1: Percent of local actors who believe project served interest of their
organization
I2: Change in the NGO Sustainability Index Score
O3: Other project-specific capacity-building outcomes

I3: Project-specific indicator chosen during design phase
Monitoring Local Systems



Local system capacity building will need to be
monitored continuously to assess the progress of
local partners.
Surveys every 6 months to maintain contact
Annual review of numerical indicators
Evaluating Local Systems

Evaluations need to be conducted 3 & 5 years after
the termination of USAID funding.
 Surveying
of project partners
 Key informant interviews of local partners
Service Delivery Objective


Strategic Objective: Local system actors contribute to
sustainable development outcomes.
Outcomes:
 O1:
 I1:
Local beneficiaries receive intended services
Percent of local beneficiaries who say they receive services
 O2:
Local beneficiaries satisfied with the quality of
intended services
 I2:
Percent of local beneficiaries who say they are satisfied with
the quality of the intended services
 O3:
 I3:
Project-specific objectives
Project-specific indicators
Monitoring Service Delivery


Development outcomes will need to be monitored on
a continuous basis similar to the local systems
monitoring
Surveys every 6 months to maintain contact
Evaluating Service Delivery



Evaluations need to be conducted 3 & 5 years after
the termination of USAID funding
Surveys
Focus Groups
 What
did beneficiaries find useful about the project?
 Focus on the lowest-receiving end of society
Conclusions & Recommendations
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Conduct more research to adjust framework to African
context.
Include both capacity-strengthening and development
activities and a corresponding M&E framework in the
design phase.
Conduct surveys at the outset of the project to establish
baselines and conduct follow-up surveys and
evaluations three and five years after the end of
USAID funding.
Keep contact with local organizations and beneficiaries
in order to maintain relationships before conducting
evaluations.
Be patient; the benefits of using local systems will likely
not be apparent in the short term.
Questions?