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Guidance for mid-term evaluations
Guidelines on the Mid-Term Evaluation of the Rural Development Programmes
In response to the findings of a survey carried out in the first half of 2009 (see below) and a needs assessment of the Member States conducted by the Evaluation Helpdesk during 2008, "Guidelines on the Mid-Term Evaluation of Rural Development Programmes" [PDF
] were published in July 2009. These guidelines are intended to support the
The guidelines complement the Community evaluation guidelines (Guidance note B of the Handbook on CMEF by providing further support about key aspects of the MTE process, in view of contributing to a consistent approach across the EU-27.
The Guidelines recommend that three main steps should be completed in carrying out a MTE. These are: preparation, implementation and dissemination of results (see figure 1 below).
The MTE Guidelines mainly cover aspects related to the preparation of the MTE, however some key considerations in relation to the implementation and dissemination of results are also identified.
Read the "Guidelines on the MTE of Rural Development Programmes" [PDF
]
Explanatory Notes to the Common Evaluation Questions & Recommendations on Mid-Term Evaluation Reporting
The explanatory notes are designed to provide complementary information to the Handbook on the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework in order to operationalise the Common Evaluation Questions. The document includes explanations about the use and purpose of the evaluation questions, shows the approaches for answering them and provides additional clarifications concerning the structure of the MTE report.
Read the "Explanatory notes to the Common Evaluation Questions & Recommendations on Mid-Term Evaluation Reporting" [PDF
]
Comparing approaches for the evaluation of National Rural Network Programmes:
National Rural Network Programmes and National Rural Networks are both subject to EU monitoring and evaluation procedures at programme and EU-level. As the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF) does not contain specific provisions for network evaluations, several basic issues need to be tackled by evaluators: What are the specificities in evaluating networks? Which intervention logic can be used? Which indicators, evaluation questions and methods are the most appropriate for networks?
The Evaluation Helpdesk of the Evaluation Expert Network has developed a working paper "Evaluation of National Rural Network Programmes", which summarizes the outcomes of a workshop on this topic held in Brussels in May 2010. It documents the approaches of Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain for the evaluation of their National Rural Network Programmes, compares the indicators and evaluation questions and shows the evaluation methods envisaged during the mid-term evaluation.
Read the "Working Paper on The Evaluation of National Rural Network Programmes" [PDF
]
Preparing for the Mid-Term Evaluation of the Rural Development Programmes - A Survey of the Member States
In the first half of 2009, a survey was carried out in the Member States to better pinpoint their progress towards organising the MTE, the challenges they face in doing this and related needs. The target of the survey was 88 RDPs (the national rural network programmes and the national framework programmes were excluded), of which 72 RDPs responded. The findings of this survey, underpinned the drafting of the content of the above-mentioned MTE Guidelines.
Preparing for the Mid-Term Evaluation of the Rural Development Programmes - A Survey of the Member States [PDF
] published in July 2009
Further reading
Rural Evaluation News No 3, July 2009, article "Preparations for the Mid-Term Evaluations in 2010"