Analytical Capacity for Improved Prioritisation and M&E

This policy brief, derived from a literature review for Twende Mbele, examines the gap between strategic planning and implementation in the public sector, specifically regarding the lack of coordination between plans, budgets, and the processes of prioritisation and alignment.

• While strategic planning is widely adopted in the public sector to define goals through environmental analysis, there is a frequent disconnect between these plans and their actual implementation, especially concerning the budgets needed to execute them.
• Public sector plans often fail to address how choices are made when fiscal resources are limited (prioritisation) or how these choices are coordinated across the sector (alignment). Furthermore, the link between existing monitoring, evaluation, and performance management systems and the goals of prioritisation and alignment remains unclear.
• Existing literature on public sector prioritisation focuses heavily on theoretical frameworks and the assumed components of successful systems, leaving a shortage of systematic research on practical efficacy and its specific relevance to Southern Africa.

APA

Ledger, T., & Meny-Gibert, S. (2019). Analytical Capacity for Improved Prioritisation and M&E. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/policy-brief-for-improved-prioritisation-and-me/

Chicago

Ledger, Tracy, and Sarah Meny-Gibert. Analytical Capacity for Improved Prioritisation and M&E. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2019. https://pari.org.za/policy-brief-for-improved-prioritisation-and-me/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ledger |first1=Tracy |last2=Meny-Gibert |first2=Sarah |title=Analytical Capacity for Improved Prioritisation and M&E |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=8 April 2019 |url=https://pari.org.za/policy-brief-for-improved-prioritisation-and-me/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ledger2019analytical, author = {Ledger, Tracy and Meny-Gibert, Sarah}, title = {{Analytical Capacity for Improved Prioritisation and M\&E}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://pari.org.za/policy-brief-for-improved-prioritisation-and-me/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }