Data for Development Project: Development Objective 3 (DO3) Baseline Evaluation

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Mendez England & Associates (ME&A) has been contracted by USAID to implement the Tanzania Data for Development Task Order which forms part of USAID Tanzania’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy. The purpose of the Data for Development Task Order is to provide services that strengthen the production and analysis of high quality data. USAID Tanzania is working with implementing partners, including EDI, and strategic local partners such as the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), to improve development outcomes in Tanzania with evidence-based decision making.

The activity consists of three components:

• Improved Evaluation, Assessment, and Research Services;
• Strengthened Performance Monitoring and Reporting;
• Building of Internal and External Capacity.

An assignment under the Data for Development Task Order was to implement the “Baseline Study of Selected Indicators for Development Objective 3 (DO3) – Effective Governance Improved” – which was led by NORC at the University of Chicago.

EDI was responsible for the data collection and administering a household survey across the 13 regions of Tanzania where the DO3 activities have been implemented. The sample size was 9,632. EDI’s myriad responsibilities included: full project planning and scheduling, obtaining local permissions, review of survey instruments, translation of survey instruments from English to Swahili, development and translation of training materials as well as organisation and co-facilitation of training, recruitment of field supervisors and enumerators, logistic support, reporting and delivery of the final, complete and cleaned data set.

The structure of the Tanzania Development Objectives are as follows:

The Development Hypothesis for DO3 is: ‘If citizen demand is made more effective, government delivery of services is improved, and government accountability is increased, then democratic governance will be more effective.’

• When citizens hold their own government accountable, they are more confident that their needs will be effectively met and are more inclined to actively participate and mobilise their own resources to collaborate. Development partners can focus resources on socio-economic development with greater confidence to use country systems.
• The focus of this Development Objective will be to ensure that women and youth have a voice and participate effectively in shaping development, reforms, and governance.
• To measure progress in the achievement of this Development Objective, it is fundamental that Tanzanian citizens are able to access and use quality data and information.
• Increased government accountability and improved service delivery will be reinforced by open data and evidence-based planning and decision-making.
• As stated in Tanzania’s Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plan, governance is constrained by a lack of political competition, a nascent civil society, limited government capacity, minimal public accountability, and limited access to information. Women and youth are particularly disadvantaged in these areas.

PROJECT UPDATE

Fieldwork was completed in June 2018.

USAID Tanzania, 2014, Country Development Cooperation Strategy, October 3, 2014 – October 3, 2019, Tanzania’s Socio-Economic Transformation toward Middle Income Status by 2025 Advanced.  Accessed here: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PBAAE273.pdf