Mid-term Evaluation of the Local Development Plan for Urban and Rural Areas

Background

The PDLZUR promotes and encourages community participation and local organizations management of projects, with local responsibility towards comprehensive development; for this, it has the commitment and support from the Municipal Government and from some public and private institutions of districts 4, 7-14, 9, 11 and 12 of El Alto city.

Purpose/objective

The purpose of the Mid-Term Evaluation was as follows: Evaluate the extent of progress in achieving the proposed objectives, providing information and analysis to enhance the implementation of the PDLZUR projects in the Plan’s second five-year period (2014-2018).

Methodology

The evaluation was conducted during the first four months of 2015. For the field work, which was carried out between 2 March and 7 April, various field work teams were organised to conduct the interviews, focus groups and surveys of the different stakeholders. The evaluation approach adopted was impartial and integrated, enabling judgments to be expressed about the impacts and results that appear to have been achieved so far due to the implementation of the PDLZUR, as well as aiming to contribute to learning for future improvements. In order to achieve optimum results from the evaluation process, it was decided to combine two innovative methodologies: the Appreciative Inquiry model and the Theory of Constraints. The methodology designed included a qualitative and a quantitative component and incorporated gender and diaconal work as cross-cutting themes.

Key findings

Pertinence and relevance

• As for pertinence and relevance, there is a direct relationship between PDLZUR implemented projects with local public policies – established in the Municipal Development Plan –, making it relevant for the local context. PDLZUR design was conceived to support Municipal Management, working in those areas where it is difficult for the Municipal Government to provide appropriate assistance.
• It is important to note that cross-cutting themes, such as, gender, environment, and diaconia deliver added value to PDLZUR intervention strategy, for example, the diaconal program contributed to the recovery and dissemination of values by conducting activities with church leaders and neighbours.

Effectiveness

• The PDLZUR lacks budget management discipline since activities do not follow an efficient planning route; all periods under analysis exceeded the re-formulated budget. Although this situation lies on the non-timely delivery of physical and financial data on behalf of the Municipal Government, it is important to take actions to improve planning and financial programming mechanisms.
• It was noted that “cost effectiveness” for productive and social investments reach 68.7% of PDLZUR budget, distributed in Economic, Human, and Diaconal Development Programs. Operation expenses – 30% including administrative costs – is pretty high, being necessary to consider this situation the following phase of the Plan so a higher percentage is used for target-population.
• As for monitoring and evaluation, there is no a general logical framework to organize the different programs and projects, nor are there general indicators for processes and outcomes; thus, have a comprehensive monitoring of the Plan on behalf of Management levels.

Effectiveness

• Despite planning and monitoring constraints, the main goal is being achieved. The latter because PDLZUR’s comprehensive approach allowed the empowerment of beneficiary people and families, for instance, micro-business and agriculture projects contributed to increase families’ economic incomes, contributing to family wellbeing. Likewise, actions conducted to promote human development promote access to health services while – also – a better use of education resources is being fostered.

Sustainability

• An element to consider is the “Regulation for Maintenance and Preservation of Infrastructure and Education Equipment”. The Local Organizational Management Project carried-out actions to promote the involvement of social actors, who, by participating in Operations Committees and School Councils, got empowered and enhanced their sense of ownership. Capacities building and improvement of skills became an important factor for outcomes’ sustainability.

Recommendations

• It is important to implement a relations strategy with new municipal authorities; this because the municipality is going through a transition process that may result into the re-shaping of municipal vision and policies.
• It is recommended that the follow-up and monitoring system develops tools and indicators to measure the gradual advance of PDLZUR, both in the mid and long-term, to identify possible distortions and ways of addressing them.
• It is necessary to conduct a periodical analysis of target Districts status; thus, determine if established goals have been achieved; this to provide assistance to new areas that may need MANB’s support.
• It is recommended to design process and outcome indicators to facilitate the appropriate monitoring of goals and outcomes fulfilment – as stated in the Intervention Strategy.
• It is necessary to consider the possibility of including Organizational Programming and Axel as a crosscutting theme for PDLZUR.