Questions of Rural Development: thoughts on project monitoring and evaluation Scientific Track: Rural Development

Abstract

Keith J Virgo

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is an essential component of rural projects but for different reasons, depending on the stakeholders – whether funding agencies, project management, implementers or beneficiary communities. M&E methods can be used to: ensure correct project design, verify beneficiary benefits, identify and correct implementation procedures, monitor project expenditure and to evaluate the project on completion. Used sensibly, it can be of value in allaying political interference, in influencing policy and in guiding designs of future projects. However, M&E is time consuming and is often given low priority by project implementing teams. This paper seeks to identify the relevance and appropriateness of the questions that are posed by M&E and how they can influence the effectiveness of rural development projects. Examples are drawn from personal experience and anecdotal evidence from projects around the world over the last 40 years. It will look at how the questions can produce anomalous results, influence social attitudes to monitoring, limit the value of M&E in conflict zones, affect the reliability of community monitoring or create time stress on interviewees. It will also examine the value of logical frameworks and evaluation frameworks. The paper will also look at new digital techniques to improve the efficiency of field surveys. The paper is intended to be thought-provoking, rather than a detailed scientific treatise on monitoring and evaluation systems. How can questions affect outcomes?

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