Context indicators
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Definition A context indicator is a datum which provides simple and reliable information describing a variable relative to the context. It gives information about a situation and its evolution in a country, or an area relevant to the assistance policy.
Indicators are designed by national statistical services and in the context of specific programmes. National statistical services, many donors and international organisations have co-operated to establish standard indicators, to ease comparisons over time and between geographical areas.
These indicators are often designed to highlight the specificities of a local context without, however, enabling the evaluator to make a comparison between countries (for example, information by comparison of the level of the indicator in another country) or get a global and normative view of the country's situation. What use can be made of context indicators?
Context indicators are usually displayed in the introductory chapter of the evaluation. They deal with:
In certain cases and countries, the emphasis may be put on particular sectors or issues (for example, poverty analysis, conflict analysis). To portray the country's level of assistance Context indicators also describe the nature of the assistance provided to the country. They should indicate the type of assistance, the amounts disbursed, the sector-based allocation of assistance and the European Commission's activity, compared with that of other donors. To answer evaluation questions Context indicators can also be used to answer evaluation questions which need a preliminary presentation. They facilitate the understanding of the country's situation for the readers. The following table shows a selection of indicators which are internationally comparable. Tanzania's situation is compared with the situation of a group of 7 African countries considered to be similar: Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria and Zambia.
Source: World Bank * Progress is assessed from the most positive (++) to the most negative (--) evolution with respect to the indicator's evolution over the last 3 to 10 years How are context indicators selected, collected and used during an evaluation? A good indicator should:
European Commission indicators DG Dev indicators for the appraisal of country assistance performance The indicators used for the appraisal of country assistance performance by the European Commission's DG Dev have been constructed with the assistance of various donors, including the European Union Member States, the World Bank, the UNDP and the OECD/DAC).
The construction and implementation of such indicators target two goals and require the monitoring of two distinct series of indicators, in order to:
EUROSTAT data EUROSTAT provides Member States with numerous data on several topics which are partly expressed by indicators and ranked into short-term (balance of payments, consumer prices, etc.), long-term (economy and ecology, the business structures, etc.) and structural factors (employment, general economic background, environment, etc.). Moreover, EUROSTAT holds data on trade flows between European Union Members and the rest of the world. United Nations indicators Indicators related to the Millennium Development Goals For the Millennium Goals, the levels to be targeted and 48 Indicators Development Goals have been identified. They are available on the websites of the United Nations and the World Bank. They deal with more than 200 countries, and their methodologies and their precise definitions are presented to ease their understanding and use. These indicators focus more on outcomes than inputs.
Common Country Assessment indicators In 1997, the United Nations decided to create a system of Common Country Assessment (CCA). In this system, the CCA is used as a tool for analysing the country's development situation and identifying the main development challenges. Development index The United Nations database is one of the most developed in the world. Approximately 200 indicators have been developed. Human Development Report Each year, the UNDP publishes its Human Development Report, which includes a large proportion of the United Nations indicators. World Bank indicators International Development Association indicators The International Development Association has recently presented in "IDA Results Measurements System: Progress and Proposal, April 2003" a series of indicators aiming at improving the monitoring of the countries' development outcomes, and particularly for countries benefiting from a Poverty Reduction Strategic Programme. International Comparaison Program Founded in 1968, the International Comparison Program is a statistical system used to produce data by country. These data facilitate international comparisons based on prices, expenses value and purchasing power parities. Purchasing Power Parities (PPP) are monetary conversion rates which express the purchasing powers of various currencies in a common unit. In other words, PPPs can determine how much national currency is needed to buy the same amount of goods and services in any countries. In that sense, PPPs are monetary conversion rates which erase price differences between countries. OECD indicators In its statistic portal, OECD offers a range of precise and updated information about its member countries, from which indicators can be constructed. This descriptive information covers sector-based, social and economic fields. Other sources Transparency International indicators Transparency International seeks to provide reliable quantitative diagnostic tools regarding levels of transparency and corruption, both at global and local levels. NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International publish reports on a large number of countries dealing with human rights and other important issues. What are the preconditions for its use?
What are the advantages and limitations of the tool?
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