Monitoring and Evaluation

One of the ways MCC is changing the conversation about foreign assistance is a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) approach that starts with tracking performance on processes and outputs at the beginning of a compact and then continues to track high-level outcomes and impacts at the end of a compact in order to concretely assess how its activities affected poverty and economic growth. View the economic rate of return analyses that were used to estimate these aggregate estimated impacts, and details on the impact evaluations that will measure the achievement of these results.

Policy on Monitoring & Evaluation

Property Rights and Land Policy Results

74,448

stakeholders trained

311,905

land rights formalized

329,662

parcels corrected or incorporated in the land system

All figures as of December 10, 2016.

Progress Towards Results Across Compacts To Date

There is already significant progress towards long-term impacts. Above are the latest results in five key sectors—Agriculture and Irrigation, Education, Property Rights and Land Policy, Roads, and Water and Sanitation—demonstrating milestones achieved and people reached. More detailed information on these and other higher-level outcomes to track progress towards changes in income are collected at the country level. In all of these sectors, MCC plans to track not only outputs, but also outcomes and impacts across compacts. Those higher-level results materialize as compacts mature and will be published as soon as they are available.

By Country Program

Country Program	Related Documents
Albania Threshold Program
Armenia Compact	Armenia Post-Compact Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Table of Key Performance Indicators
Benin Compact	Benin Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Table of Key Performance Indicators
Burkina Faso Compact	Burkina Faso Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Burkina Faso Table of Key Performance Indicators
Cabo Verde Compact	Cape Verde Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Cabo Verde Compact II	Cabo Verde II Table of Key Performance Indicators Cape Verde II Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
El Salvador Compact	El Salvador Monitoring and Evaluation Plan El Salvador Table of Key Performance Indicators
El Salvador Investment Compact	El Salvador II Compact Table of Key Performance Indicators El Salvador II Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
Georgia Compact	Georgia Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Georgia I Table of Key Performance Indicators
Georgia Compact II	Georgia II Compact Table of Key Performance Indicators Georgia II Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
Ghana Compact	Ghana Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Ghana Table of Key Performance Indicators
Honduras Compact	Honduras Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Indonesia Compact	Indonesia Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Indonesia Table of Key Performance Indicators
Jordan Compact	Jordan Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Table of Key Performance Indicators
Jordan Threshold Program
Kenya Threshold Program
Kyrgyz Republic Threshold Program
Lesotho Compact	Lesotho Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Lesotho Table of Key Performance Indicators
Liberia Compact	Liberia Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
Madagascar Compact	Madagascar Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Malawi Compact	Malawi Compact Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Malawi Table of Key Performance Indicators
Malawi Threshold Program
Mali Compact	Mali Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Mali Table of Key Performance Indicators
Moldova Compact	Moldova Compact Table of Key Performance Indicators Moldova Post- Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Moldova Threshold Program
Mongolia Compact	Mongolia Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Table of Key Performance Indicators
Morocco Compact	Morocco Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Morocco Table of Key Performance Indicators
Mozambique Compact	Mozambique Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Table of Key Performance Indicators
Namibia Compact	Namibia Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Namibia Table of Key Performance Indicators
Nicaragua Compact	Nicaragua Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Nicaragua Table of Key Performance Indicators
Philippines Compact	Philippines Compact Table of Key Performance Indicators Philippines Post-Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Philippines Threshold Program
Senegal Compact	Senegal Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Senegal Table of Key Performance Indicators
Tanzania Compact	Tanzania Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Tanzania Table of Key Performance Indicators
Tanzania Threshold Program
Uganda Threshold Program
Ukraine Threshold Program
Vanuatu Compact	Table of Key Performance Indicators Vanuatu Compact Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Zambia Compact	Zambia Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Zambia Table of Key Performance Indicators
Zambia Threshold Program

By Sector

MCC aggregates results in key sectors to measure progress in those areas across Compacts.

Sector	Related Documents
Agriculture	Agriculture and Irrigation Sector Common Indicator Report
Education	Education Sector Common Indicator Report
Energy	Power Sector Common Indicator Report
Health
Property Rights and Land Policy	Property Rights and Land Policy Common Indicator Report
Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation	Water and Sanitation Sector Common Indicator Report

In all of these sectors, MCC plans to track not only outputs, but also outcomes and impacts across Compacts. Those higher-level results materialize as compacts mature and will be published as soon as they are available.

Our Approach

In order to fulfill MCC’s commitment to tracking results all the way through high-level impacts on poverty and economic growth, M&E is integrated into all phases of compact operations—from compact development through implementation. The diagram below demonstrates how this takes place and how the results that are tracked become part of a feedback loop that is used to improve performance during a compact and to apply lessons learned to future compacts.

Integrating M&E in Compact Operations

A chart illustrating the integration of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) into MCC Compact operations.

Every country’s approach for assessing progress towards results is outlined in its compact M&E Plan, the central tool for monitoring and evaluating the compact’s activities. Development of the M&E Plan begins during compact development, and it is completed around the start of compact implementation. The M&E Plan is developed collaboratively by the MCA and MCC and is sometimes modified during the life of the compact to reflect changes in program circumstances or when new information is available. Every country reports quarterly against its M&E Plan.

Monitoring Compact Performance

As a federal agency, MCC is committed to the principles of performance measurement mandated under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), and applies this same focus on results to its compact programming. MCC monitors progress towards compact results on a regular basis using performance indicators that are specified in the M&E Plan. The M&E Plan specifies indicators at all levels so that progress towards final results can be tracked at every step. Lower level indicators (process and output level) and their targets are typically drawn from project and activity work plans. Higher level indicators and their targets are often, though not always, directly linked to the economic rate of return analysis that was conducted to estimate the impacts of the investment and are drawn from the benefit streams of that analysis.

Every quarter each MCA submits an Indicator Tracking Table (MS Excel file) that shows actual performance of each indicator relative to the baseline level that was established before the activity began and the performance targets that were established in the M&E Plan. See some of the key performance indicators and their accompanying data by country. MCC reviews this data every quarter to assess whether results are being achieved and integrates this information into project management decisions.

Data for performance monitoring and reporting comes from baseline and follow-up surveys, project implementers and other entities. MCC strongly supports comprehensive, quality data collection conducted by local resources and frequently uses compact M&E funds to invest in surveys fielded both by private firms and national statistical agencies or other government entities.

All collected data, whether from surveys or implementers, undergoes regular data quality checks managed by the MCAs and monitored by MCC to ensure its integrity and accuracy.

Evaluating Compact Performance

Evaluation is a cornerstone of MCC’s focus on results, and is key to measuring impacts during and at the end of a compact. While monitoring a compact’s performance against indicators and targets is important, it is not sufficient to fully assess its effectiveness, particularly on poverty and economic growth. MCC therefore supports a variety of evaluation types to complement performance monitoring and deepen the analysis of data gathered to measure results at higher levels.

Generally, two types of evaluations are conducted:

Mid-Course Evaluations

The term “Mid-Course Evaluation” is used at MCC to describe a wide range of possible evaluations and assessments that draw on both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Mid-course assessments are not required for all projects. However, MCC may decide to conduct such an assessment as necessary. MCAs also sometimes conduct mid-course evaluations or special studies for a variety of purposes. Usually, these are to review progress during implementation, compile lessons learned and provide a qualitative context for interpreting monitoring data. Mid-course evaluations can also be used to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of implementation during the life of the compact.

Final Evaluations

MCC supports final evaluations to systematically and objectively assess the design, implementation and results of completed programs and values them both for accountability and internal learning purposes. These evaluations are typically concluded after a compact ends, though design and implementation of these types of evaluations sometimes starts as early as the compact development phase. MCC always tries to use the most rigorous method possible when conducting final evaluations. Thus, wherever possible, MCC conducts impact evaluations to measure the changes in individual, household or community income and well-being and rigorously attribute them to project interventions. Where a rigorous impact evaluation is not possible, MCC uses other quantitative methods to assess these medium- to long-term outcomes.

Our Impact