Markiewicz, Patrick. Developing Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks. by Anne Markiewicz & Ian Patrick

Markiewicz, Patrick. Developing Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks. by Anne Markiewicz & Ian Patrick

Author:Anne Markiewicz & Ian Patrick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-07-02T16:02:26.610000+00:00


Baselines

A baseline study may be required to support assessment of specific conditions for which performance indicators have been developed. The baseline provides a means to assess change relative to the situation before program commencement. A baseline study provides an analysis using either primary or secondary data, of the situation that existed prior to the intervention, against which future progress can be assessed or comparisons can be made (Kusek & Rist, 2004). It is important that specification of performance indicators with targets based on expected changes over time are in fact developed with reference to a baseline. Despite their potential value for assessing change, baseline data may not be present or may require undertaking special studies. Such special studies may not, however, be supported due to resource constraints or there may be resistance to openly mapping preexisting situations due to their political sensitivity (Bamberger et al., 2012).

Where a baseline does not exist, there are a range of techniques that can be used to attempt to reconstruct baseline data in order to re-create the situation as it was prior to program commencement (Bamberger, 2010). These include accessing retrospective population-level data, analyzing administrative records, drawing on past project reports, undertaking retrospective studies, or conducting interviews or surveys (Bamberger et al., 2012; UNDP, 2009). If retrospectively developing a baseline, it is important to test the accuracy of the data being collected and to eliminate any possible bias that may occur in collecting information after the fact. This bias may particularly apply to retrospective surveys or stakeholder interviews where recall may be prone to inaccuracies.

Ideally, baseline studies should occur concurrently with the development of performance indicators. These studies should align directly with the indicators developed to ensure that the data are available to identify the situation as it existed prior to the program and to support the tracking of progress from the baseline at regular intervals through program monitoring.



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