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Research on the current state of PRS monitoring systems

Literature review of Poverty Reduction Strategies monitoring systems

Authors: H. Lucas; D. Evans; K. Pasteur; R. Lloyd
Publisher: Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK, 2004

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This report reviews recent literature on the monitoring of Poverty Reduction Strategies. It discusses four challenging issues: institutional arrangements; the role of non-government organisations; implementation and intermediate output monitoring; using results.

The main findings from this study are:

  • severe capacity constraints are not sufficiently acknowledged. International agencies should be less ambitious about what can be achieved and in what time frame
  • the "technical secretariats", responsible for implementing monitoring, are of central importance. Their need for analytical skills is widely acknowledged, but expertise in data management, communication and marketing are also necessary
  • building cooperation between ministries and agencies responsible for producing data is proving difficult. Success often depends on the status, capabilities and personalities of key people, not on formal mandates and frameworks
  • unless countries have strong local monitoring systems, it is hard to see that building local PRS monitoring capacity should be an immediate priority, given the magnitude of this task
  • there is often confusion about the role of civil society in government monitoring systems. It is important that all stakeholders are aware of the involvement offered and that sufficient thought is given to the capacity, information access and influence required for civil society to perform their role
  • the "chains of causality" between policies and outcomes remain problematic. This leads to problems in identifying appropriate intermediate indicators. Given scarce resources, a focus on monitoring budget allocations - linked to a small set of basic provision indicators - may be a reasonable and realistic starting point
  • administrative data provide essential information, but often not of sufficient quality for PRS monitoring. It is worth exploring possibilities for combining them with other sources to generate "best estimates"
  • demand for PRS monitoring information, other than to meet donor requirements, is often very weak. Monitoring systems must include marketing and communication activities to build this demand.

[authors' abstract]