In step four we will learn about:

1

2

Public policy.

Establishing indicators.

How will you track progress?

STEP FOUR

Public policyIt’s a document that articulates a long term commitment.

A policy translates a political vision into practical steps of implementation.

A national government usually develops policies for different economic/social development areas such as health, education and employment.

They are usually accompanied by an implementation plan, indicators (to help track progress) and a monitoring and evaluation plan. Without these practical elements, the policy is only symbolic.

As Accountability Advocates, there are many opportunities to influence these national policies: from the initial design of the development plan, through to monitoring the progress of its implementation and evaluation, through to the formal review processes.

KEY TERMS

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What is an indicator?

INDICATORS

Indicators are what we measure, in order to track progress towards a goal.

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A

GROUP DISCUSSION

Why are indicators important and how can we use them?

“Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”

One of the targets in this goal (16.7) is:“to ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.”

Two indicators will tell our country how we’re progressing against that target. One of them is to monitor the “proportions of positions (by age group, sex, persons with disabilities and population groups) in public institutions (national and local legislatures, public service, and judiciary) compared to national distributions.”

EXAMPLE ONE – GOAL 16

“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

One of the targets in this goal is:“By 2030, increase the number of youth and adults with relevant skills for employment.”

Two indicators will tell our country how we’re progressing against that target. One of them is to monitor the “Percentage of youth/adults with ICT skills.”

EXAMPLE TWO – GOAL 4

Quantitative Indicators: Numerical. Can be informed by national census or household surveys.

Qualitative Indicators: Based upon gathering people’s opinions, experiences or perceptions e.g. “Youth Voices in a Post-2015 World.”

Perception indicators: A type of qualitative indicator. Aims to get a population’s perception on a topic or issue under study.

Outcome indicators: Indicate how close we are to achieving the goal or target.

Disaggregated indicators: Provide information on important demographic categories, such as age, sex, or location.

TYPES OF INDICATORSNational monitoring: Responsibility of national each government. Follow national standards -not internationally comparable. Mix of official and non-official data sources.

Global monitoring: Set to global standards. Generally applicable to all countries.

Regional: Target specific local priorities a platform for sharing knowledge.

Thematic: Specialist indicators for particular communities.

Think: Do they go far enough to measure progress for young people?

Develop your own indicators for your country.

This will help to shine a light on areas that are left out of your country’s official national monitoring.

COMPLIMENTARY INDICATORS

1. Decide which targets to measure.2. Brainstorm indicators and prioritise.3. Apply the indicator criteria.4. Set a baseline.

ACTIVITY

Developing your own indicators

RECAP

Identified existing indicators.

In step four we have:

Developed our own indicators.

Established a baseline.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.

This publication ‘Accountability in action training’ reflects the views of the author, and the Commission

cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

This project is led by Restless Development and draws together a consortium of youth-led and youth-focused organisations from around the world.

Together they have a wealth of experience in supporting young people to play a leading role in governance and accountability.