Independent Mid-line and End-line Evaluation of the Non-State Actor Component

The World Bank supported Demand for Good Governance (DFGG) project in Cambodia aimed to increase the ability of citizens, civil society organisations (CSOs), and other non-state actors (NSAs) to strengthen their voice, to hold the state accountable, and to make it responsive to their needs. In turn, DFGG intended to enhance the capacity of the state to become transparent, accountable and participatory. PRIA and SILAKA were entrusted by The Asia Foundation (TAF), Cambodia to conduct the mid-line and end-line evaluations of the Non-State Actor Component (NSAC) of DFGG.

Objectives

The objectives of the evaluation were to assess the impact of the Non State Actor Component activities, focusing on:

1. whether project activities have triggered changes in policy or practice;
2. whether monitoring activities have had a positive impact on the performance of state institutions; and
3. results in relation to a range of intermediate outcome indicators that measure increases in social accountability related knowledge and skills of participating CSOs and percentage of sub-grantees whose projects reflect good social accountability practices.

The evaluations also measured how the sub-projects contributed to accountability relationships and collaboration between the state and CSOs, quality of capacity development, and sustainability of social accountability skills.

Geographical spread

Cambodia

Key areas/components

• Organising and facilitating an inception workshop in Phnom Penh with key stakeholders of the project to finalise evaluation questions and methodologies
• Studying a total of 33 DFGG-NSAC projects (20 projects for mid-line evaluation and 13 projects for end-line evaluation)
• Conducting field visits to collect information from project implementing agencies and various stakeholders for 20 projects (10 each for mid-line and end-line evaluations)
• Analysing secondary documents like project proposals, contracts, plans, progress reports, monitoring reports, management notes and other relevant materials for all 33 projects
• Preparing mid-line and end-line evaluation reports specifically focusing on the results and lessons learnt from the implementation of DFGG-NSAC projects
• Sharing the results of the mid-line and end-line evaluations with implementing CSOs and other key stakeholders

Key outputs

• Organised an inception workshop to finalise the evaluation framework and methodology
• Prepared four sets of questionnaires-cum-interview guides in accordance with the evaluation framework and questions
• Conducted a total of 27 mixed (women and men) FGDs and 25 FGDs with only women
• Prepared mid-line evaluation report focusing on the result areas, namely, (i) enabling changes in policies, practices, and behaviours, (ii) enhanced performance of state institutions, particularly focusing on improved service delivery, (iii) enhanced participation and capacities of citizens, (iv) enhanced capacities of CSOs, and (v) improved relationships and lessons learnt
• Prepared a consolidated report for the mid-line and end-line evaluations
• Prepared four case studies cum learning note
• Organised and facilitated two sharing workshops in Phnom Penh – one to share the findings from the mid-line evaluation and the other to share the findings from the end-line evaluation

Year/period

2012-2013

Client

The Asia Foundation, Cambodia and the World Bank, Cambodia