Policy Briefs
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Our Policy Briefs are based on evidence from research or evaluations is meant to engage with various issues which have policy implications.
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Item Limited use of evaluative evidence in public policy, planning and Voluntary National Review (VNR) development.(2023) Dlakavu, A; Hoffmann, DThe UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a development tool, with a detailed follow-up and review mechanism, guided by a global indicator framework and prominently positioned in Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). Within this context, however, program evaluation only plays a minor role. This policy brief analyses the position of program evaluation in public policy, development planning and VNR development processes of eight countries in Africa and Latin America. The brief is based on a discussion paper produced jointly by the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval), the Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results-Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA) and the Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results-Latin America and the Caribbean (CLEAR-LAC) in 2022. This paper found that program evaluation is marginalized in VNR development, a key international tool for assessing UN member nations’ progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through document analysis and key informant interviews in the sampled countries, the paper finds that the marginal position of program evaluation vis-à-vis VNR development is linked to a combination of structural and operational issues. These include lack of internalization and entrenchment of the SDGs in public policy and planning cycles and/or processes of governments; lack of focus on the VNR process by evaluation stakeholders; the VNR development guidelines’ quantitative bias; and emerging evaluation practice in certain countries. This brief concludes by recommending five remedial policies for addressing the marginalized position of evaluation in VNRs.Item Should the COVID-19 lockdown social relief of distress grant be made permanent?(CLEAR-AA, 2022-01) Mathebula, Jabulane; Fish, Tebogo; Masvaure, SteveItem M&E Capacity-strengthening approaches and their measurement in Anglophone Africa – A policy perspective(CLEAR-AA, 2020-08) Chirau, Takunda; Masvaure, Steven; Kiwekete, AngelitaItem Parliament, Participation and Policy Making(CLEAR-AA, 2020-06) Pabari, Mine; Odhowa, Ahmed HassanIn 2010, with the enactment of the new Constitution, Kenya adopted a presidential system of government which strengthened the role of the legislature in the legislative process and reduced the influence of the executive. Legislative authority comprises of the national parliament (the National Assembly and the Senate) and County Assemblies for the county level of government. Public participation is a core pillar and principle of governance under the Kenya Constitution. Public participation is defined by the National Assembly as, “the process of interaction between an organisation and the public with the aim of making an acceptable and better decision”(The Clerk of the National Assembly, 2017). Public participation in the governance process is guided by various provisions of the Constitution and numerous statutes including the Public Finance and Management Act1, The County governments Act2, The Access to Information Act3 and the Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Act4. The Parliamentary standing orders set out the procedures for lodging a petition by a member of the public.Item A meta-analysis of South African education interventions(CLEAR-AA, 2017) CLEAR-AA; ZANEX FoundationThis aim of this meta-analysis is to explore the various contextual factors and design features that influence the magnitude of the effects reported in education impact studies. The meta-analysis investigates investors and policy-makers with a synthesis of 15 years of learning, in order to inform new programming, and improve efforts to address education challenges.Item The National Evaluation Policy landscape in Africa: A comparison(CLEAR-AA, 2018) Takunda, Chirau; Cara, Waller; Caitlin, Blaser MapitsaThis policy brief examines key elements of national evaluation policies among selected African countries with a view to inform policy-makers on good practices for the development of such policies. This brief draws from a comparative study conducted by CLEAR-AA in 2018 of the status of national evaluation policies of South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Kenya.