Guidance for a Monitoring and Evaluation System for Italy’s Universal Civil Service

7. Strengthening human, financial, and institutional capacities, mechanisms and policy learning

The M&E function requires resources and technical capacity

Building and maintaining a monitoring system requires appropriate mechanisms and financial, human, time, and technical resources (Kusek and Rist, 2004[24]; OECD, 2022[3]). This requirement extends to both the UCS and the specific entities involved.

Technical capacity must encompass the ability to construct indicators, collect and process relevant data, consume, and translate M&E information and results. It also requires statistical and IT know-how. Building such capacity within government structures, but also in smaller entities, is a long-term effort. On some occasions, external technical assistance and training may be required to aid in these tasks. Such support should strengthen government and entities’ capacities to create, implement, and use indicators and data.

Making use of M&E results is vital for improving effectiveness, which is why it is fundamental to foster learning within and between organisations. Such learning would allow the UCS and other entities to adjust their objectives, structures, and processes, and improve interventions accordingly. Mutual learning also encourages inclusive ownership, promotes locally-led problem solving, and guarantees sustainability.

Human resources available for M&E in the DGSCU are currently limited, due to a general shortage of staff and an insufficient organisational structure, which make it impossible to have staff exclusively allocated to the M&E function. The situation varies at the entity level. The size and type of entities are important factors to consider, as the staff in smaller organisations may have to carry out multiple activities with lower options to specialise in specific functions, such as M&E. On the other hand, larger entities often count with advanced internal M&E structures. These differences do not necessarily reflect the quality of the overall programmes/projects themselves.

Recommendation 6: Strategically invest in institutional capacity and policy learning

In order to strengthen the M&E function, it is recommended that UCS authorities strategically invest in institutional capacity and policy learning. In this process, UCS authorities are advised to:

• Allocate sufficient human, financial and technical resources for M&E activities by:

  • Strengthening M&E capacities at the UCS level: for the deployment of a comprehensive M&E, the DGSCU would benefit of a specific team dedicated to the M&E function, endowed with sufficient human and financial resources.

  • Strengthening M&E capacities at the entity level: the UCS could consider allocating a specific budget for entities to conduct quality M&E activities.

  • Allocating specific funds in the UCS budget for the implementation of the evaluations (preferably, by external experts), as per evaluation plan when available.

• Strengthen awareness, institutional capacity, and use of M&E for policy improvement, supporting a cultural change. The M&E should not be seen as a mere “tick-box” exercise but as a commitment to learning and adapting. In this respect, it will be important for the DGSCU to:

  • Develop guidelines, training materials, webinars, and other relevant tools to raise awareness and enhance the institutional and technical capacity for the deployment of M&E activities and the use of related evidence both at the UCS and at the entity level.

  • Consider seeking technical/expert assistance and establishing collaborations with M&E experts to support the processes of i) upgrading and expanding the UCS M&E system, and ii) selecting specific actions to implement the recommendations provided in this report in the short- and in the longer-term.

  • Establish follow-up mechanisms to respond to the results of evaluations, by defining a course of action where relevant, and assigning responsibilities for implementing and tracking recommendations (OECD, 2022[3]).

• Facilitate policy learning and promote knowledge‑sharing among UCS stakeholders. The dissemination of M&E results, coupled with the exchange of experiences, innovative solutions, and best practices, can significantly enhance accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness of the UCS. To harness these benefits, UCS authorities could consider creating a community of practice as a forum for policy learning and M&E. Such community of practice could take the form of regular virtual meetings, providing a dynamic space for UCS entities to engage in peer-to-peer learning and collaborative discussions. By doing so, it would also facilitate bottom-up contributions, so that insights from entities are shared and potentially integrated into policy improvements. Community of practices are becoming increasingly common in the M&E function. Examples are available in the literature and in methodological repositories – see for instance Serrat (2017[49]) or the BetterEvaluation knowledge platform (Better Evaluation[50]).