2005 Annual Report on Operations Evaluation

The 2005 Annual Report on Operations Evaluation (AROE) focuses on the country because it is the main unit of account for monitoring, managing, and evaluating performance. It examines Country Assistance Strategies (CASs) for how well they link country goals, CAS outcomes, and Bank programming. It also examines how Bank information from M&E systems is actually used to manage the performance of Bank country programs. Finally, the report takes stock of the measures taken since the 2003 and 2004 Annual Reports on Operations Evaluation to strengthen the results focus in monitoring and evaluation. A review of Country Assistance Strategies conducted for the 2005 AROE found that most attempted to link country development goals with CAS outcomes and Bank interventions. These linkages were better developed in education, health, and the environment than in other disciplines. These particular CASs included performance measures to track progress toward achieving goals and outcomes. However, many of these measures lacked baselines, specific targets, or both, limiting their effectiveness for monitoring, management, and evaluation.