Title: United We Stand. Evaluating, Cooperating, and other Unlikely Stories of Evaluation Capacity Building in Italy
1United We Stand. Evaluating, Cooperating, and
other Unlikely Stories of Evaluation Capacity
Building in Italy
- Martina Bolli, Silvia Ciampi, Francesco Giordano
Laura Tagle - Italys National Evaluation System
2Content
- Cohesion policy in Italy long-term background
contrasting directions - The Italian evaluation policy
- Efforts (unlikely) achievements plus some
drawbacks
3COHESION POLICY IN ITALY LONG TERM
BACKGROUND CONTRASTING DIRECTIONS
42007-2013 - Evaluation as one of the pillars of a
(much needed) renewal of Italys regional policy
- Citizen-centered policies
- Strong focus on essential servicesrather than on
procedures expenditure - Emphasis on local knowledge
- Responsibility to regional governments
- Links with national policies
- Greater importance to administrative capacity
5The regional ( cohesion) rural development
policy in Italy
- Intentionality of territorial goals
- Additionality vis-à-vis ordinary policy
- Resources come from EU National funds
-
6Levels of programming a complex framework
- National umbrella strategies for regional
rural development policies - 7 Ministries develop their own programs
- Each of the 21 Regions develops
- its multi-sector strategy
- 5 Programs (each program is funded by one source)
- Naturally, each of the 5 programs is usually
managed by a separate Directorate - Programs end up being bureaucratic constructs
rather than guides for action
7Over time, silos have been created
- Ministry for economic development
- Ministry for agriculture
- Ministry for labour Other departments
- EU Regional Fund
- National funds
- EU Social Fund
- EU Rural Development
8.Beyond silos
- 2007-2013 intentional efforts to bridge gaps
introduce policy dialogue among and within
authorities in a new perspective
9At the same time, EU regulations ask for separate
programmes by EU source of money ( within Italy
the momentum for integration dwindles)
- The National Strategy for 2007-2013 tried to make
the various sources of funding work together
through common - Programming
- Implementation
- Monitoring
- Surveillance
- Evaluation
1021 Regions (70) 6 Ministries (30)
Centre-North 15 South 85
3bln to be given to Southern Regions on the
basis of performance in waste, water, education
and social services
- Regional development strategy
- Between 2007 2010 lower national resources
(other than national cofinancing) - different distribution North-South
- the instruments needed to implement
nationally-relevant innovations (among which
greater integration) dwindle
11The Italian evaluation policy
12Evaluation capacity building/1
- From EU evaluation requirements towards a
national policy - Institutional building
- Creation of Evaluation Units within executive
branch of Regional authorities - Network of Evaluation Units
- Specialized
- Regional and Rural Development policies only
- Both demand supply side
- Improve regional authorities ability to Demand
for Use evaluations - Improve Evaluation Units ability to Manage and
Conduct evaluations
13Evaluation capacity building/2
- Organized guidance support (National Evaluation
System) - Enabling approach
- No rigid prescriptions
- Reputational mechanisms
- Legitimize support innovators at regional level
14Evaluation policy /1
- Nationally-funded interventions must be
evaluated--not only those funded by EU - Objects
- effects of a well-defined (however complex)
intervention or group of interventions on a
problem, a social group, or an arearather than a
bureaucratic construct (e.g., a multisectoral
programtipically operating on a large area,
affecting millionsof people) - across bureaucratic borders the evaluation
object may have been financed by more than one
source - selectivity choose to answer defined questions
about crucial controversial issues
15Evaluation policy/2
- Each Region drafts an Evaluation Plan
- What is evaluated (and what is not)
- Who (internally or externally) performs each
evaluation - When
- Organization of evaluation function
- Resources (human and financial) devoted to
evaluations
16The National Evaluation System
- UVAL Ministry of Economic Development
(Coordinates) - INEA Ministry for Agricultural, Food and
Forestry Policies - ISFOL Ministry of Labour
- Department for Equal Opportunities
- Evaluation Units of Regional Authorities
- Its composition shows a clear intention to work
together across silos - involving Regions in a federal function
17The National Evaluation System Each component
differs from the others
- Central units
- Have differing rules, interpretations, goals,
tasks status - Regional evaluation units
- Conduct or manage evaluations
- but also provide project selection, planning,
knowledge management to the Region - Have background and skills closer to regional
fund policies (or national funds) rather than
rural development or active labour policies
18Efforts (UNLIKELY) achievements PLUS some
drawbacks
19A federal function performed across silos by
central regional units
- Common guidance - include adjust for differing
rules, traditions, goals - Personalized support to Regions (all managing
authorities together) - Ensure quality evaluation of evaluations (....)
- Observe processes disseminate information
(jointly) - Facilitate dissemination (conference-like
meetings, workshops, create maintain eval
database www.dps.tesoro/valutazione.it)
20Some results
- All Regions developed an Evaluation Plan
http//www.dps.tesoro.it/uval_linee_valutazione.as
p10 - Evaluations have been launched
- and even completed 50! (in addition to the
mandatory ex post evaluations of rural
development) - and a lofty 60 available on the internet
- Evaluation units (established between 2000
2002) have started conducting internal
evaluations - Still far from perfection but
21Why we are happy anyway
- Activities started (and 50 concluded) even though
- (or just because?) there are no enforceable
requirements (no sanctions) - there is still strong inertia in the system
- old evaluations fulfilled needs of managing
authorities, national coordinators, and
Commission rapporteurs - restricted market with marriages between
managing authorities evaluators - still little pressure from social partners
general public - Innovations go together evaluations seem to be
used as an instrument by Regions willing to
improve - Innovations implemented where there has been more
support from central state (not only on
evaluation)
22Thank you
- Laura.tagle_at_tesoro.it
- s.ciampi_at_isfol.it
- Valutazione.uval_at_tesoro.it
- Please send us feedback at these e-mail addresses