Learning to Make All Voices Count - Leveraging Complexity-Aware MEL to Pursue Change in Complex Systems


Global Integrity, in collaboration with Making All Voices Count, has compiled material from the Learning to Make All Voices Count program, in which they worked with six partners in five countries, and supported their efforts to develop and apply an adaptive, learning-centered approach to strengthening subnational citizen engagement in their contexts. There is a focus on complexity-aware MEL as a crucial component of this approach. 

This resource and the following information was contributed by Michael Moses.

Authors and their affiliation

  • Michael Moses, Global Integrity
  • Sue Soal, Independent Consultant

Year of publication

2017

Type of resource

Discussion paper

Key features

Key documents include:
 
Final Report:

Policy Briefs:

Case Stories:

Some of this material might of interest to those exploring how MEL can be used to strengthen efforts pursue change in complex systems. For a full report on the project, including what we learned about the relationship between complexity-aware MEL and effective adaptation, see here. For an analysis of the factors that enable/constrain effective adaptive management, check out this brief. Additional materials, including partner case stories
, and more, are also available.

Who is this resource useful for?

  • Evaluation users
  • Evaluators
  • Those involved in evaluation capacity strengthening 

How have you used or intend on using this resource?

These resources were developed with a view towards generating useful guidance for practitioners interested in exploring how to support effective learning and adaptation in complex systems. They provide granular examples, and deeply evidenced lessons, on whether and how adaptive processes, including complexity-aware MEL, can support change processes in complex systems.

Why would you recommend it to other people?

The resources provide richly illustrated case stories of complexity-aware MEL in action, and explores whether/how MEL can inform real time efforts to learn and adapt in complex systems. They therefore provide guidance and lessons to those interested in pursuing systems change, including with respect to the role that MEL systems might play in such efforts, and do so in an easily intelligible, engaging way.

Sources

Citation for Final Synthesis Report:

Moses, M. (2017) Learning to Make All Voices Count: Lessons and reflections on localising the Open Government Partnership, Making All Voices Count Research Report, Brighton: IDS