Thesis (M.M. (Public Policy))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Public and Development Management, 2013. / Globally, there is an increasing emphasis on results-based monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems. The emphasis on M&E systems is driven by the need to: promote good governance; improve government’s performance and public accountability; comply with international donor funding requirements; achieve the millennium development goals; and respond to economic and social pressures experienced by countries. A readiness assessment is considered a critical first step and the foundation of results-based M&E system. In light of limited evidence, the aim of this study was to examine the state of readiness of the Limpopo Department of Health (LDOH) to implement the new results-based M&E policy framework. The research approach selected for this study was qualitative in nature, and provided a systematic inquiry of the state of readiness of the LDOH for the implementation of the new results-based M&E policy framework. The study employed in-depth interviews and document analysis to obtain information, in order to bring rich insights, meaning, values and holistic views to the study questions. A key finding that emerged from the study is the existence of an enabling legislative and policy environment for the implementation of the results-based M&E system. However, there are several factors that mitigate against the successful implementation of the results-based M&E system. These included sub-optimal leadership and accountability; structural weaknesses with high vacancy rates and unclear roles and responsibilities; lack of integrated management information and M&E systems; inadequate infrastructure and resources; and problems with M&E culture, capacity and skills development. The overall conclusion of the study is that the LDOH is not ready to implement a results-based M&E system. Key recommendations include dedicated resources (finances, staff, etc.) for implementation, strong leadership at political and management level, strengthening capacity and systems; and focus on the establishment of an integrated results-based M&E system, without neglecting processes and the organisational culture.

Thesis (MPAM.(Public Administration)) --University of Limpopo, 2021 / The study investigated the impact of Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System on the performance of government. Cloete (2009) postulates that in 2005, the Executive of the State approved the Government-wide M&E System (GWM&ES) as a broad framework to examine monitoring and evaluation of activities in all government departments with a view to guaranteeing effective executive decision-making in support of execution; advisory evidence-based resource apportionment; on-going policy development; as well as review. This study specifically investigated the impact of the Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System to enhance performance in the Office of the Premier in Limpopo provincial government. The common thread according to majority of the scholars and review reports on this system as shown in the literature review of this study is that government’s major challenge is that it is has become ineffective and, in the process, fails to attain the objectives it has set itself to achieve. This is largely on account of the absence of a clear-cut and coherent systematic mechanism that could enable the public sector to evaluate its performance and identify the factors which contribute to its service delivery outcomes and overall performance. In the same vein, the those charged with the responsibility to help assess the performance of government are unable to draw causal connections between the choice of policy priorities, the resourcing of those policy objectives, the programmes designed to implement them, the services delivered and their ultimate impact on communities. In this study the qualitative research methodology was adopted which was utilised to gather data. The findings of this research identified certain factors which undermine the impact of GWM&ES on government performance; the limitations to fully comprehend and integrate the system within the planning processes and above all implement the required institutional arrangements and/or mechanisms so that there is a visible impact and enhancement of the planning regime and service delivery capacity of the various institutions of the state. Although work has since begun in this regard, including the establishment of the Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in The Presidency, an inadequate institutional merger of the M&E and Planning branches in the Office of the Premier in Limpopo in particular, remains an impediment. Following the analysis of the data collected, of which was sufficient to suffice, the study concludes by proposing a set of measures to ensure that the Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System has the necessary impact towards enhancing the performance of the Office of the Premier, and by extension, the entire government because the system is not only limited to one institution of the state, but also integrative by design. These measures include, amongst others, that the Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System, as a system of systems, should be fully comprehended, adopted and implemented in government. This will inevitably produce the requisite results in terms of strengthening and improving evidence-based planning, policy development and budgeting, and thereby improve the performance of government, and in particular, the Office of the Premier in Limpopo. A replica study in other areas is further recommended to enhance the implementation of the system