Evaluating Local Governance
In 2015, the Government of Malawi announced a Public Sector Reform agenda that included changes needed to increase accountability and transparency throughout the government. The agenda creates an opportunity for reform that could improve local services for average Malawians. Through a USAID-funded project titled UBALE, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) aims to engage local governments to improve their capacity to serve the local communities, particularly through training sessions for local government committee members.
Pulte Institute monitoring and evaluation specialists worked with Jaimie Bleck, Ford Family Assistant Professor of Political Science, to evaluate the program. In doing so, they worked closely with CRS and its partners to evaluate the efficacy of the training sessions. Researchers also sought to determine if the committee members’ use of uniforms impacts how the community responds to them. Finally, the Pulte Institute researched the perception of gender and leadership to better inform the cultural context of the project, particularly as it relates to women’s willingness to take on leadership roles.
Related News:
Grant from Catholic Relief Services will help to evaluate local governance in Malawi