Thematic Evaluation Study of ADB Support for Enhancing Governance in its Public Sector Operations(Complete Report)

Abstract

ADB’s support for enhancing governance, through both its public sector management operations and its support in core operational areas, will remain vital. While its experience demonstrates the difficult and high-risk nature of governance operations, the record shows steadily improving performance and many examples of high-impact programs and projects. The evaluation stresses the need for ADB’s continued governance support, for development effectiveness in the region and in serving its mission. Achieving better results will require improvements in direction, diagnostics, and delivery. ADB would want to improve its country- and sector-level governance related diagnostics, sharpen its corporate-level guidance for crosscutting public sector management oriented operations, and design and deliver interventions that carefully consider the countries’ governance contexts, public sector management capacities, and political commitment. The evaluation acknowledges the tough challenge inherent in working on governance and getting good results from it, but highlights the potential payoffs of deeper efforts made.