The power of participatory monitoring and evaluation: insights from south-west China

Abstract

This article examines the capacity-building experiences of two research teams in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in south-west China who used participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) to strengthen their development research, particularly in the area of natural-resource management (NRM). The authors describe their efforts to incorporate PM&E practices in their work. The process proved challenging, despite political and economic changes in China that aim to allow more space for local voice and decision-making power in the management of natural resources and other village affairs. Institutionalising PM&E has still a long way to go and will require more field practice, greater integration in the processes of organisational development, and stronger connections with agendas of political change.

Acknowledgements

The research in Yunnan and Guizhou was supported by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, the Ford Foundation, and the International Development Research Centre. The ideas and views expressed are those of the authors only. We thank our colleagues at KIB, GAAS, and IDRC as well as project partners in Guizhou and Yunnan for their contributions to our research and writing.