NOTICE: The Mekong Economics Hanoi Office has now moved to a new address since February 2010: 9B Ngo Yen The (Lane), Nguyen Thai Hoc Street , Dong Da District, Hanoi , Vietnam
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Baselines, Impact Evaluations and M&E

“Donors, developing country leaders and implementers of development programs face a dilemma: Everyone wants to ensure that donor and public monies are spent on programs that work, but measurement of impact is rare – and good quality measurement is rarer still. As a result, there is an evaluation gap. Program designers benefit little from accrued experience about what works, and developing country governments and their donor partners have little basis upon which to defend the wisdom of their investments or make adjustments if needed.”
(http://www.cgdev.org/section/initiatives/_active/evalgap/about/)

Project design and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are integral components of the project lifecycle (see chart below). MKE provides specialised services in the different stages of the project lifecycle – from project design, collection of baseline information, to project M&E and final impact evaluations.

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Project Design

MKE has supplied project design and specification services for numerous ODA donors in the Greater Mekong sub-region. Project design work carried out by MKE includes:

  • Scoping and Design of MPDF Phase III – Component 1 (in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam, 2006)
  • Increasing Knowledge and Capacity for Active Economic Integration at the Local Level – Design of Project Document (AusAID, 2004)
  • Developing the Private Sector in Lang Son Province – Design of Project Document (AusAID, 2003)
  • Upgrading the Capacity of Vietnamese Local Authorities in Rural Areas – Project Design (Government of the Netherlands, 2003)

Baselines

MKE has conducted baseline studies in Vietnam, Cambodia and Timor-Leste. A profile of a recent MKE baseline study in Timor-Leste is provided below.

Profile of MKE’s 2006 Timor-Leste Project

During 2006, MKE has worked with the UNDP, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the National Statistics Department in Timor-Leste in implementing a baseline study and poverty profiling and monitoring for the Ainaro and Manatuto Community Activation Project (AMCAP) and the Oecussi Ambeno Community Activation Project (OCAP).

MKE designed and implemented a survey of 1,400 households, local leaders and self-help groups to build a baseline database that incorporates MDG indicators and enables poverty profiling.

MKE has also worked with the Timor-Leste National Statistical Department (NSD) and UNFPA to produce poverty maps of Timor-Leste (using secondary data, including the 2004 Census). MKE established functional monitoring systems for the projects and carried out training for AMCAP and OCAP staff on M&E techniques.

Effective capacity building was integral to the implementation of MKE activities in Timor-Leste. Local people were hired to conduct the survey in each district, and three Dili officials joined MKE in Hanoi to participate in data analysis and producing the maps. Consequently, interest in and ownership of project outputs was enhanced.

A list of all projects for which MKE has undertaken baseline surveys is presented on MKE’s Surveys page.

M&E

M&E of ODA projects during the implementation phase is important to ensure that project objectives are being met and that project activities are being satisfactorily carried out. MKE has provided monitoring and evaluation (M&E) services for a number of ODA projects in the Greater Mekong sub-region. These include:

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Impact Evaluations

MKE has carried out numerous impact evaluations of ODA projects in the Greater Mekong sub-region. MKE uses both qualitative and quantitative techniques to carry out impact evaluations. Impact evaluations carried out by MKE include:

  • 2nd Mid-term Evaluation for EC-ASEAN Intellectual Property Rights Co-operation Programme (with Agriconsulting, for EC project, 2006)
  • Impact Assessment of Fisheries Sector Program Support: Review of SUFA and SUMA impact (with CopenhagenDC and IAK AGRAR, for DANIDA project, 2006)
  • Impact Assessment of Fisheries Sector Program Support: Review of SIRED and SEAQIP impact (with CopenhagenDC and IAK AGRAR, for DANIDA project, 2006)
  • Joint Evaluation of General Budget Support (with University of Birmingham, for DFID project, 2004)
  • Impact Evaluation and Operational Review of Microfinance Programme (Save the Children US, 2003)
  • Alternative Aid Instruments in Vietnam (DFID, 2003)
  • Poverty Impact of Public Irrigation Expenditures (World Bank and ADB, 2003)
  • The Impact of Finnish Development Aid in Forestry and Rural Development (University of Helsinki, 2002)
  • Socio-Economic Impact of the Bai Bang Paper Mill Project (partnered with CIE, SIDA project, 2000)