Limited Use of Evaluative Evidence in Public Policy, Planning and Voluntary National Review (VNR) Development - Policy Brief
January 2023 This policy brief is a succinct summary of findings from the discussion paper titled VNRs and SDG evaluations in Anglophone Africa and Latin America: A mapping of common challenges and emerging good practices (2022) by DEval and CLEAR-AA and CLEAR-LAC. The policy brief is important because it recomme…
Executive Summary
The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a development tool, with a detailed follow-up and review
mechanism, guided by a global indicator framework and prominently positioned in Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs).
Within this context, however, program evaluation only plays a minor role. This policy brief analyses the position of
program evaluation in public policy, development planning and VNR development processes of eight countries in Africa
and Latin America. The brief is based on a discussion paper produced jointly by the German Institute for Development
Evaluation (DEval), the Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results-Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA) and the Centre
for Learning on Evaluation and Results-Latin America and the Caribbean (CLEAR-LAC) in 2022. This paper found that
program evaluation is marginalized in VNR development, a key international tool for assessing UN member nations’
progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through document analysis and key informant
interviews in the sampled countries, the paper finds that the marginal position of program evaluation vis-à-vis VNR
development is linked to a combination of structural and operational issues. These include lack of internalization
and entrenchment of the SDGs in public policy and planning cycles and/or processes of governments; lack of focus
on the VNR process by evaluation stakeholders; the VNR development guidelines’ quantitative bias; and emerging
evaluation practice in certain countries. This brief concludes by recommending five remedial policies for addressing
the marginalized position of evaluation in VNRs.
1 Twende Mbele, formerly with CLEAR-AA
2 German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval)
LIMITED USE OF EVALUATIVE EVIDENCE IN
PUBLIC POLICY, PLANNING AND VOLUNTARY
NATIONAL REVIEW (VNR) DEVELOPMENT
Recommendations for governments,
evaluation communities and ECD stakeholders
POLICY BRIEF
About this brief
This Policy Brief is a succinct summary of findings from a recently completed
research study on the role of evaluations in the development of country
voluntary national review reports (DEval, CLEAR-AA and CLEAR-LAC. 2022.
“VNRs and SDG evaluations in Anglophone Africa and Latin America: A mapping
of common challenges and emerging good practices”. German Institute for
Development Evaluation, Bonn. The policy brief proffers recommendations on
how to create an enabling environment for a greater role of evaluation reports
and evidence in VNR development.
Suggested Citation: Dlakavu, A.and Hoffmann, D. 2023. “Limited use of
evaluative evidence in public policy, planning and Voluntary National Review
(VNR) development. Recommendations for governments, evaluation
communities and ECD stakeholders.”Centers for Learning on Evaluation and Results
ANGLOPHONE AFRICA
Financial support from:
January 2023
This policy brief is a succinct summary of findings from the discussion paper titled VNRs and SDG evaluations in Anglophone Africa and Latin America: A mapping of common challenges and emerging good practices (2022) by DEval and CLEAR-AA and CLEAR-LAC. The policy brief is important because it recommends five remedial policies for addressing the marginalised position of evaluation in VNR development. The recommendations are targeted and government policymakers, parliaments, evaluation stakeholders, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and Evaluation Capacity Development (ECD) institutions.
Report NameLimited Use of Evaluative Evidence in Public Policy, Planning and Voluntary National Review (VNR) Development – Policy BriefPartnerDEval, CLEAR-AA and Twende Mbele.AuthorsDirk Hoffmann and Ayabulela Dlakavu CategoriesEvidence Use, Publications, Twende, Twende Mbele Share