Evaluation Department Content

EVALUATION DEPARTMENT CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ��3 REPORT 5/2016 1. INTRODUCTION ��4 1�1 Background and purpose ��4 1�2 Methodology��4 1�3 Structure of the report ��6 2. SECTOR CONTEXT ��7 3. OVERVIEW OF NORWAY’S ENGAGEMENT ��12 3�1 History and progression of Norway’s involvement over time ��12 3�2 Key elements and activities ��12 4. FINDINGS ��17 4�1 Nature and scope of the engagement ��17 4�2 Decision-making process and rationale for engagement ��18 4�3 Timing of the engagement ��20 Annex 3: Case study on 4�4 Relevance of the engagement and Norway’s comparative advantages ��21 4�5 Achievements and challenges Norway's Engagement in of the engagement ��22 4�6 Perceived drivers of change ��26 Global Efforts to Improve 4�7 Sustainability of the engagement ��28 5. CONCLUSIONS ��30 Maternal and Child Health ANNEX 1: Timeline ��32 ANNEX 2: List of documents ��35 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ��42 Commissioned by the Evaluation Department Carried out by FCG SIPU International AB (SIPU) Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Written by Anne L� Buffardi, Research Fellow, ODI SEPTEMBER 2016 This report is the product of its authors, and responsibility for the accuracy of data included in this report rests with the authors alone� The findings, interpretations, and conclusions presented in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Norad Evaluation Department� Norad Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation www�norad�no post-eval@norad�no September 2016 Photo: Ken Opprann (cover) ISBN: 978-82-7548-835-8 2 EVALUATION DEPARTMENT REPORT 5/2016, ANNEX 3 // EVALUATION OF NORWAY’S SUPPORT FOR ADVOCACY IN THE DEVELOPMENT POLICY ARENA Acknowledgements The author is grateful to Lars Grønseth, Senior Adviser in Norad’s Department for Global Health, Education and Research, for serving as the focal point for this case study, and to each of the interviewees for their time and thoughtful insights� Balbir Singh and his colleagues in the Evaluation Department at Norad provided valuable guidance and support to the team throughout the evaluation� This work was funded by Norad� Additional thanks to Amanda Taylor and Katie Skagerlind for their excellent research assistance, Hannah Caddick for her graphics support and Sara Skare for her help with translation and understanding of institutional context� 3 EVALUATION DEPARTMENT REPORT 5/2016, ANNEX 3 // EVALUATION OF NORWAY’S SUPPORT FOR ADVOCACY IN THE DEVELOPMENT POLICY ARENA Introduction 1.1 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE peace and security); and 4) an analysis of • the design and management of a portfolio This report aims to assess the rationale for key trends and patterns across the four areas� of advocacy activities and nature of Norway’s engagement in global The case studies contribute to the four efforts to improve maternal and child health,1 evaluation questions (see synthesis report), 1.2 METHODOLOGY the outputs and outcomes of this engagement including insights into the factors driving Each case study was allocated 14 days� and the main factors driving the achievement the effectiveness and sustainability of the Given the purpose of the evaluation and or non-achievement of desired change� advocacy outcomes� the time available, they are not exhaustive accounts of these very broad issue areas It is part of a broader evaluation of Norway’s The aim of the overall evaluation is to identify or Norway’s engagement� Rather, they seek advocacy engagement from 2005 to 2014, and understand the role of the main factors to take advantage of existing information, conducted between July 2015 and March that determine the achievement of desired supplemented by a select number of interviews 2016� This evaluation has four main compo- advocacy outcomes, with a particular focus with key actors who could provide insights into nents: 1) a summary of Norway’s main advoca- on the role and contribution of the Ministry of decisions and processes that have been less cy engagements based on an analysis of the Foreign Affairs (MFA), Norad and their external well documented� Norwegian Agency for Development Coopera- partners in management of the advocacy tion’s (Norad’s) database; 2) thematic over- engagements and the contribution of the This report is based on a review of 73 docu- views of 11 issue areas (both presented in decision-making process� ments: 24 ministerial statements, reports the inception report in October 2015); 3) and speeches, 15 reports, three previous more detailed case studies of four of these The evaluation will be used as evidence to Norad-commissioned evaluations and 31 issue areas (illicit financial flows, maternal inform managerial decisions on policy advocacy articles from the grey and academic literature, and child health, education and women, programming, in particular: a review of organisation and initiative websites and semi-structured phone interviews with 1 Norway’s engagement around this issue focused initially on chid • the timing – that is, at what point in the 23 key informants� Documents were identified health, later expanded to include maternal health and followed the broader field to subsequently include newborn health and, most recently, reproduc- policy process makes most sense to engage through searches on the Norwegian govern- tive and adolescent health� For simplicity, and to reflect Norway’s core • the choice of institutional ‘channel’, or the focus, we refer to maternal and child health throughout, rather than RMNCAH, although their efforts have covered the broader continuum� way Norway could exert its influence 4 EVALUATION DEPARTMENT REPORT 5/2016, ANNEX 3 // EVALUATION OF NORWAY’S SUPPORT FOR ADVOCACY IN THE DEVELOPMENT POLICY ARENA ment’s website2, Pubmed and Google Scholar non-governmental organisations (NGOs), three evaluation questions and emergent themes� using search terms: “Norway”, “Norwegian” were from multilateral and two from bilateral The Norad focal point reviewed individual or “Stoltenberg” together with “MDG 4”, agencies, two were from academia, one was case studies to identify any major gaps or “MDG 5”, “health MDGs”, “maternal health” from a foundation and one was from the private misinterpretations� and “child health”� Of the speeches, ministerial sector� Except for the two informants from statements and news reports related to academia, all other key informants (91%) The approach draws on principles of Outcome Norwegian support for maternal and child had been involved directly in global efforts� Harvesting (Wilson-Grau and Britt, 2012)� health, we reviewed the five most relevant Several interviewees were currently working Rather than focusing on what an organisation results for each search combination� for different organisations to when their does, Outcome Harvesting focuses on what engagement began – initially working for a has been achieved and then identifies factors For interviews, we employed a purposive multilateral organisation and subsequently associated with these changes� This approach sampling strategy, identifying individuals moving to an international NGO (INGO) acknowledges that multiple pathways can lead who were knowledgeable about the issue and/or to a national government, for example� to multiple outcomes, and helps identify and evaluation questions and who represented This movement highlights the sustained unplanned or unexpected changes� a range of viewpoints� Norad provided initial involvement of key individuals over time and suggestions of potential interviewees; this the variety of types of institutions involved� The evaluation synthesis report discusses the was supplemented by recommendations from Compared with the other issue areas covered limitations of assessing advocacy and of our others in order to provide a more balanced in the overall evaluation, key informants for overall approach� Specific to this case study, perspective� Most respondents were serving this case were more geographically dispersed, responses may be affected by recall bias, since in senior positions – heads of departments, based in 10 cities on three continents� initial decisions and activities took place a senior advisers or members of international decade ago� A large, dispersed and diverse boards� Of the key informants, 10 (43%) were Interviews, lasting approximately 30–45 network of actors are involved in global health: from Norway, eight (35%) were affiliated with minutes, were conducted by phone and Skype the number of people interviewed comprises the Norwegian government, six were from and followed a standardised guide, adapted a very small proportion

Load more