Evaluation2 – Evaluating the national evaluation system in South Africa: What has been achieved in the first 5 years?

African Evaluation Journal

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Evaluation2 – Evaluating the national evaluation system in South Africa: What has been achieved in the first 5 years?
 
Creator Goldman, Ian Deliwe, Carol N. Taylor, Stephen Ishmail, Zeenat Smith, Laila Masangu, Thokozile Adams, Christopher Wilson, Gillian Fraser, Dugan Griessel, Annette Waller, Cara Dumisa, Siphesihle Wyatt, Alyna Robertsen, Jamie
 
Subject Public management evaluation; national evaluation system; evaluation system; South Africa; cost-effectiveness; M&E, evaluation capacity development; institutionalisation; evaluation use; evidence use
Description Background: South Africa has pioneered national evaluation systems (NESs) along with Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Uganda and Benin. South Africa’s National Evaluation Policy Framework (NEPF) was approved by Cabinet in November 2011. An evaluation of the NES started in September 2016.Objectives: The purpose of the evaluation was to assess whether the NES had had an impact on the programmes and policies evaluated, the departments involved and other key stakeholders; and to determine how the system needs to be strengthened.Method: The evaluation used a theory-based approach, including international benchmarking, five national and four provincial case studies, 112 key informant interviews, a survey with 86 responses and a cost-benefit analysis of a sample of evaluations.Results: Since 2011, 67 national evaluations have been completed or are underway within the NES, covering over $10 billion of government expenditure. Seven of South Africa’s nine provinces have provincial evaluation plans and 68 of 155 national and provincial departments have departmental evaluation plans. Hence, the system has spread widely but there are issues of quality and the time it takes to do evaluations. It was difficult to assess use but from the case studies it did appear that instrumental and process use were widespread. There appears to be a high return on evaluations of between R7 and R10 per rand invested.Conclusion: The NES evaluation recommendations on strengthening the system ranged from legislation to strengthen the mandate, greater resources for the NES, strengthening capacity development, communication and the tracking of use.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor Dr Ian Goldman, former Head of Evaluation, Department of Planning, M&E (DPME), now Advisor on Evaluation and Evidence Systems, CLEAR Anglophone Africa, ian.goldman@wits.ac.za, +27825508460 Carol Nuga Deliwe, Chief Director: Strategic Planning Research and
Date 2019-08-28
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Survey/interview/case study
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/aej.v7i1.400
 
Source African Evaluation Journal; Vol 7, No 1 (2019); 11 pages 2306-5133 2310-4988
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/400/647 https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/400/646 https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/400/648 https://aejonline.org/index.php/aej/article/view/400/645
 
Coverage South Africa 2010-2018 —
Rights Copyright (c) 2019 Ian Goldman, Carol N. Deliwe, Stephen Taylor, Zeenat Ishmail, Laila Smith, Thokozile Masangu, Christopher Adams, Gillian Wilson, Dugan Fraser, Annette Griessel, Cara Waller, Siphesihle Dumisa, Alyna Wyatt, Jamie Robertsen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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