Process Tracing the Policy Impact of ‘Indicators’

Abstract

In recent years, a range of new indices, benchmarking and scorecard tools-also known as 'indicators'-have been developed to influence public policy and to promote accountability. While subjected to important technical and political critiques, the policy impact of 'indicators' is often assumed yet rarely demonstrated. Suitable evaluative methods are in their infancy. This article adopts an innovative process tracing analysis to assess the policy impact of the Hunger And Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI) in Bangladesh, Malawi, Nepal, Zambia and globally. We present a rare and empirically rich application of this systematic qualitative evaluative method. We further contribute to the theorisation of 'indicators' by positing a central role for equitable producer-user relations in mediating policy impact, and demonstrate that such relations can overcome significant political critiques on 'indicators'.

Utilising emerging perspectives at the global and regional level to frame multisectoral nutrition governance landscape in Kenya

“…The five recent and widely cited indices to assess MNG are as follows: (i) the WHO Nutrition Governance Index (WHO’s NGI) which ranks governments on their ‘commitment’ (willingness to act) and ‘capacity’ (readiness to act) to improve nutrition, (ii) the Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI) which ranks governments on their political commitment to addressing undernutrition while seeking to measure what governments achieve and where they fail ( 65 ) , (iii) the Political Commitment (for Nutrition) Rapid Assessment Tool which measures a country’s level of political commitment and identifies opportunities to advance food and nutrition on governmental agendas ( 66 ) , and (iv) MNG framework by World Bank which aims at qualitatively assessing enablers and barriers of MNG at the country level ( 45 ) . The recently developed NGI by Tufts University is the first standardised approach to quantifying the MNG in relation to national plans of action to accelerate improvements in nutrition ( 64 ) .…”

What is the food and nutrition security situation of Santa Catarina municipalities? Results of a multidimensional assessment

“…This reality is no different in the context of NFNSP [11]. Given that FNS depends on the political environment and necessitates the implementation of public policies that jointly promote economic growth, rural development, and social protection, local actions that consider the reality of each territory are essential [30].…”

Theorizing how interventions work in evaluation: Process-tracing methods and theorizing process theories of change

“…For example, in an evaluation of how indicators might shape policy, a critical challenge might be in overcoming the opposition of certain actors to change. This could potentially be overcome using either building public support for change, elite shaming, or by leveraging transnational pressures (te Lintelo et al, 2020(te Lintelo et al, : 1316. After assessing which pathway is most plausible in a given context, one or more pathways can be used as the starting point for theorizing more detailed pToCs.…”