Assistance to Municipalities in Albania in Implementing Performance Management
Working with local governments in Albania, the Urban Institute helped introduce the following performance management tools: Service Improvement Action Plans for identifying potential service improvement practices and tracking results using selected performance indicators; Trained Observer Ratings involving conditions such as road rideability, street cleanliness, and school health and safety standards; and household surveys for obtaining feedback regarding municipal services as well as national and local government responsiveness. The work resulted in measurable improvements in services such as cleanliness, business registration, street lighting, and school building conditions.
The Urban Institute has carried out similar projects in Armenia, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Georgia, Russia, Rwanda, and Tajikistan.
Performance Management Assistance to Municipalities in Kosovo
The Urban Institute is working with more than 25 municipalities in Kosovo to use performance management to improve services in areas such as public lighting, solid waste collection, road conditions and improving traffic. For example, volunteer students are measuring traffic flows as a baseline for planned improvements and working groups are preparing Service Improvement Action Plans.
Development of Education Performance Information System in Pakistan
The Urban Institute helped transform Pakistan's education management information system into a result-based tool supporting both district and school action plans intended to decrease the number of low-performing schools. The tool uses key performance indicators from a management information system to identify both low-performing schools and conditions needing improvement.
Survey of Citizen Feedback on Local Government Responsiveness and Services in Ethiopia
The Urban Institute worked with the government of Ethiopia to carry out a nationwide survey on citizen perceptions of local services, government transparency, and responsiveness. A Financial Transparency and Accountability Perceptions Survey (FTAPS) covered local government performance in a range of different services, including education, health, water, roads, and solid waste collection. The Urban Institute has worked with national and/or local governments in other countries including Georgia, Ghana, Hungary, and Rwanda to carry out Customer Feedback Surveys/Citizen Report Cards, emphasizing production of actionable data and encouragement of public dissemination of results.
Development of a Practical Guide for Municipalities in Developing Performance Management
For the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Urban Institute prepared a series of performance management recommendations for municipalities. The guide describes an eight-step process, beginning with identifying outcomes and indicators to carrying out data collection, reporting results and using the performance information to improve services. Special attention is given to integrating such efforts with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) being used globally to improve outcomes in such critical areas as health, education, and living conditions. Annexes include sample indicators, sample questionnaires, and other data collection tools.
Assistance to Colombia's Central Government to Improve National and Local Governing-for-Results
For the Colombian government, the Urban Institute reviewed current practices and provided recommendations for improving performance budgeting and performance management processes at both the national and local levels. The recommendations emphasized the need for seeking feedback from citizens, the importance of using (not just reporting) performance data, and the need for training at all levels. Training was provided for government officials regarding development of logic models and use of government results for effective decisionmaking.
The Urban Institute has done similar work with national governments in South Korea and Peru.
Training of International Donors in Performance Monitoring Systems
For the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and project counterparts in host country governments, the Urban Institute has developed training materials and provided training on implementing project/program outcome monitoring systems. Staff learned to use practical methods and thought processes to better identify outcomes and outcome indicators of international development projects, develop data, and understand project outcomes.