Analytical capacity for improved prioritisation and M&E

A great deal has been written about the importance of achieving prioritisation in public sector planning, and even more has been written about how this could be done, but most of the latter work focuses on the theory of how this is to be achieved (the assumed characteristics of a successful prioritisation system, the suggested components of a performance management system, etc.). Twende Mbele commissioned a literature review focusing on two areas:

• approaches, processes and tools that could support more effective plan prioritisation and budget alignment; and
• the utilisation of monitoring and evaluation systems and information to support better prioritisation and alignment.

A review of literature – drawn from a wide range of disciplines – suggests that there are a number of factors that are positively correlated with long-term and sustainable improvements in the process of prioritisation as well as monitoring and evaluation in the public sector.