10-10-2024
Radical improvements to monitoring and evaluation frameworks are needed if the government is to implement successful initiatives, says a new Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) report.
Published today, Mission-led growth: a monitoring framework for large-scale government initiatives, outlines a simplified approach to aligning policy and funding with effective measurement and analysis. The framework supports transparency and accountability, helping policymakers better understand the impact of public spending.
CIPFA’s recommendations – drawn from case study research on the previous UK government’s approach to addressing regional inequalities – will allow the current Labour government to integrate robust monitoring mechanisms into its mission-led growth strategies.
Previous governments have struggled to effectively allocate funding, but the government can apply this benchmarking framework to keep on track:
- Collect and standardise comprehensive data: Ensure consistency and comparability across regions and policy areas, enabling effective tracking of progress and identification of gaps.
- Allocate transparent funding: Promote accountability through detailed, timely reporting on the criteria used for award decisions, building trust among stakeholders and ensuring equitable resource distribution.
- Benchmark and evaluate: Utilise tools like the CIPFA Nearest Neighbours Model to compare performance across different regions and policy initiatives, providing a clearer picture of relative progress and areas needing improvement.
- Implement performance scorecards and dashboards: Facilitate the visualisation of complex data and its comparison, helping to identify progress, areas of concern, and opportunities for improvement.
Owen Mapley, CIPFA Chief Executive, said:
"The government has inherited a fragmented approach to addressing regional inequalities after successive administrations neglected comprehensive evaluation and accountability.
“The four reforms we propose would tackle these problems to promote an evidence-based mindset and encourage stakeholder buy-in from the start. Embedding this monitoring and evaluation framework early on is essential if the government is to achieve its ambition.”
Jeffrey Matsu, CIPFA Chief Economist and report co-author, said:
"With widening gaps identified between the best and worst performing local authorities in productivity, health and education, the need for targeted government action is clear.
“CIPFA’s case study research sets out actionable steps to facilitate transparency, accountability and measurable outcomes. Our report offers a framework for monitoring and evaluating the progress of large-scale government initiatives, with recommendations to deliver more effective mission-led growth.”
Notes to editor
- The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy is a UK-based international accountancy membership and standard-setting body. We are the only such body globally dedicated to public financial management.
- For more information, please contact press@cipfa.org