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Evaluating Country Programmes
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Client focus and strategic selectivity
The forementioned World Bank study recommends that country evaluations
increase their client focus and strategic selectivity. Strategic selectivity involves
prioritising Bank activities using criteria of potential, likely and additional impact.
The same argument applies to evaluations. Country evaluations should be organised
around a number of key issues and areas of interest to both the country and
the institution and should avoid trying to cover too wide a range of issues, sectors
and instruments that could have the effect of diluting the impact. Evaluations
should be brief and organised around key elements that affected the outcome of
the strategy and assistance programme.
Evaluations should attempt to increase their client focus and strategic selectivity.
Extent of evaluation
A description of the different possible types of country evaluations was provided
earlier to illustrate the possible extent and coverage of the exercise. In ideal
circumstances, institutions would attempt to carry out a full and extensive CAE for
each of its major country clients, but given resource, data and other constraints,
they need to be more selective in their approach. Clearly it is possible to carry out
simpler types of evaluations, assessing the relevance of a strategy in meeting the
institution’s objectives and priorities and whether overall project performance was
satisfactory. However, while this is useful in terms of feedback and lessons learned,
these simpler evaluations do not provide much in terms of the value, impact or success
of the assistance to the country.
Rather than attempting simpler, less informative evaluations, institutions should attempt to
carry out as broad and informative an evaluation as they can, given their resource, data and other
constraints.
Cost considerations
Administrative resources being limited, it is important that they be used to
evaluate Bank activities as efficiently and effectively as possible. There are potentially
many levels of analysis and activities that could come under CAE. Therefore,
in order to minimise costs, institutions must be selective as to the level of analysis
and number of activities they wish to cover. Resources allocated for evaluation must
be commensurate with the level of analysis and extent of coverage chosen. As
experience is gained in undertaking these evaluations, it will be possible to
reduce costs over time. The World Bank has reduced costs by shortening the
country assessment review (CAR) process through focusing only on current and
relevant issues and on the introduction of the country assessment notes (CAN).
The so-called “quick and dirty” approach to country assistance evaluation permits
to raise issues that could be studied in greater detail if necessary, using additional
resources.
OECD 1999