People's participation in monitoring and evaluation of rural development programs: concepts and approaches

Two methods are used to elicit the participation of rural people ("stakeholders") in the monitoring and evaluation of development programs: the Stakeholder based evaluation [SBE], and the participatory assessment monitoring and evaluation [PAME]. The difference is in the degree and stage of the involvement of stakeholders. The SBE pertains to a larger perspective where all possible stakeholders are identified and involved; the PAME involves mostly the direct and indirect beneficiaries of a program. The advantages and limitations of the stakeholder approach are discussed as well as the concept, the benefits and the focus of PAME [see also Davis-Case (1990; 1989 in this bibliography]. Although the use of PRA methodologies is not discussed, the article systematically explores the same set of questions, concerning the relative merits of certain approaches (or tools) to Participatory M&E, that are likely to be raised in the PRA literature.