WHAT IS CLEAR?

April, 2010

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Overview

• Program: A five-year global program launched in January 2010, including bilateral and multilateral donors and the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank Group; Program housed in IEG

• Rationale: Increasing demand for performance measurement and accountability

• Objective: Strengthen competitively selected existing academic institutions or think tanks to provide capacity development services in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and results-based management (RBM) to government and civil society

• Governance Structure: Board (the decision-making and oversight body), Regional Advisory Committees, and Secretariat (housed at IEG).

• Funding: Donor funds, managed by IEG; IEG’s and Bank units’ (Africa, South Asia, and Latin America) in-kind and budget contributions; centers’ own contributions and revenues

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Context• Increasing demand for evaluation knowledge

Internal, within countries:– Increasing pressure for transparency (access to information), value-for-money, and accountability– Decentralization, public sector reforms – Civil society engagementExternal, from development agencies:– Greater emphasis on using country systems (Paris Declaration; Accra Agenda for Action); shift to

financing based on results• Limited supply of relevant, cost-effective, and sustained evaluation capacity development

servicesNeed for:– Customized but cost-effective capacity development services– Peer-to-peer learning and exchange of knowledge– A range of opportunities to learn and apply practical and policy-relevant monitoring and

evaluation approaches, build systems for M&E– Regionally accessible capacity development services

Program Components

• Global (small) – implemented by Secretariat at IEG– Capacity-building streams for selected Centers (courses on Performance-

based budgeting, Impact Evaluation, Rapid Reviews, Evaluation Systems and Policies, Other)

– Peer-to-peer learning among Centers– Technical assistance on Centers’ work program

• Regional (big) – implemented by centers based in regional institutions• Each center develops its own work-program, responding to the regional contexts,

demand, and needs• Training• Knowledge Services (e.g., research, support to networks)• Advisory Services (e.g., engagement in evaluations, technical assistance for government

agencies’ evaluation system design)

– Multi-regional activities organized by centers themselves – Coordination with other related initiatives (e.g., 3IE, statistical capacity

building)5

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Results Expected

• Regionally based recognized centers providing relevant, cost-effective, and customized services to government and civil society on a sustainable basis

• Greater awareness, practice, and implementation of high quality M&E in the centers’ client countries

• Part of IEG’s results framework under “outcomes and influence”

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GovernanceCLEAR’s governance structure comprises a Board, a Secretariat, and the centers’

regional advisory committee (RAC)

• The Board currently consists of donors providing $500,000 or more per year to the program, chaired by IEG

• The Secretariat is housed in IEG. The Secretariat implements the Board’s decisions and conducts day-to-day operations of the program

• The Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) is selected by the center, with Board approval. RACs play an advisory role and help the centers develop a work program responsive to regional needs and demands

• Each RAC will comprise about six members representing civil society, a professional association, academia, government, donors, and the Bank

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Regional Component – Selection of Institutions in 2010 and 2011

Selection in Anglophone Africa and South Asia (2010) and Francophone Africa and Latin America (2011), using a two-stage selection process (spanning 6-8 months)

Stage 1– Region-wide open call for expressions of interest– Shortlisting by an independent selection committee– CLEAR Board review of shortlist

Stage 2– Shortlisted institutions invited to submit full proposals, including an assessment of demand

(CLEAR funding for these assessments) – Secretariat site visits – Selection committee assessment and recommendation of top two institutions per region to Board– CLEAR Board selection of center

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Centers Selected in 2010

• Africa - The University of Witwatersrand (WITS) with partners:– Kenya Institute of Administration (KIA)– Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)

• South Asia – JPAL at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR)

Selection process currently underway in Francophone Africa and Latin America (to be finalized in November 2011)

The Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Center in China also part of the program

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Regional Component

Africa Center:

University of Witwatersrand

56 Applications from 17 countries 5 Institutions Shortlisted

East Asia Center: AFDC, Shanghai, China

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Latin America Center:

22 applications from 7 countries

South Asia Center:

J-PAL at the Institute for Financial and Management Research

24 applications from 6 countries 3 Institutions Shortlisted

Francophone Center:

23 Applications from 11 countries

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Africa

Country with institutions presenting applications

Competitive Selection56 Applications Received from 17 countries 5 Institutions Shortlisted

Country with shortlisted institutionsCLEAR Center in Africa

Country with institutions presenting applications

Competitive Selection 24 applications received From 6 countries 3 Institutions Shortlisted

Country with shortlisted institutions

South Asia

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Accomplishments and Looking Forward• Global Component

Annual global forum (first global forum in Paris, June 27-30, 2011)

Forum for peer-exchanges and networking among centers and stakeholders

Capacity Building Streams

– Performance-based budgeting course – piloted in China, AfCoP meeting in Kenya

– Rapid evaluations course being completed (principally for managers of evaluation units)

– “How to” Practical Impact Evaluation course under development. Featured at the conference “Mind the Gap: From Evidence to Policy” in Cuernavaca, Mexico, June 15-17, 2011

– Other courses planned – Evaluation Systems and Policies; Civil Society Approaches to M&E, Others

• Regional ComponentAFDC (China) already operating

Selected centers beginning implementation

Centers being selected in Francophone Africa and Latin America; work to begin in East Asia