improving learning – five recommendations herta tödtling-schönhofer, metis shaping the future of...
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Improving Learning – Five Recommendations
Herta Tödtling-Schönhofer, Metis
Shaping the Future of the ESFWorkshop 1: Learning
Brussels, 23rd and 24th June
Social systems and tools to trigger learning and change
Communicationactors
MS social system for employment + social
inclusion
ESF programmes
Learning
European policy system
No causal chain
Policy objectives
funds and rules
Recommendation 1: Clearly distinguish evaluation from learning
MS social system for employment + social
inclusion
Policy objectivesfunds and rules
ESF programmes
Learning
European policy system
Learning Evaluation
Self-observation Accountability
Optimisation
M&E are useful and necessary
– To monitor progress in programme and manage the funds
– To demonstrate output and results
– To assess effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, Community Added Value of European and national funds
– To support policy learning about programme management and use of public funds (avoiding risks, failures, de-committment....governance)
As M&E needs to be linked to accountability (fear to fail!) there is an intrinsic contradiction with learning processes
Monitoring and evaluation ….
M&E support single-loop learning and first order change
Problem
Strategy and activities
Success
Failure
Strategy and activities
Success
Failure
For improving the tool „programme“Trial and errorChange within a given framework and paradigmSetting of standards and the investigation of deviations
ARE WE DOING THINGS IN THE RIGHT WAY?
Double loop learning supports second-order change
Problem
Success
Failure
Definition of the problem
Strategy and activitiesStrategy and
activitiesStrategy and activitiesStrategy and
activities
Options
Self-observation and reflection of actions Revision of structures, processes, methods
ARE WE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS?
Second order change refers to transformation, discontinuity and a change in paradigm
context
Double loop learning
Meta Learning = „Learning of learning“
HOW TO WE DECIDE WHAT IS RIGHT?
Recommendation 2: EC should provide a platform for social innovation
MS social system for employment + social
inclusion
Policy objectivesfunds and rules
ESF programmes
Learning
European policy system
Platform for learning on
social innovation
At European level
– Capacities for exploring social innovation
– Initiate learning within the EC (e.g. a learning group on social innovation involving other DGs)
– Mutual learning/peer review on social innovation, policy learning, organisational change within public administration
– Support learning culture and provide a counterweight to accountability culture
At national level
– Capitalisation of previous ESF programmes (EQUAL, Art 6!)
– Inventory of social innovation (who, what, ....) and exchange of experiences needs bottlenecks....
– Vision and strategy development for ESF 2014+
Create learning systems for social innovation
How can we ensure that learning takes place and that social innovations/experiments/pilots are not constantly repeated as experiments but taken over and implemented?
How can we ensure transferability of innovation at reasonable level?
Which tools would be appropriate for the evaluation of the innovation in the social field and – by extension – social innovation?
In which instruments can we include experimental design for innovations (exploring whether or how they work) – at a small scale, for specific types of social innovation
Questions for learning systems
R 3: EC should provide separate instruments for experimentation
MS social system for employment + social
inclusion
Learning
European policy system
ExperimentationInnovation
Mainstream programmes have to show success, i.e., produce visible results, avoid de-commitment minimize risk
Innovation, learning and testing of new solutions need the possibility to fail
Difficult to integrate both paradigms into one programme framework
Specific instruments (separate from mainstream) are more appropriate to provide impulses (against the mainstream) for including new themes, new actors, new processes
A plea for specific European instruments
R 4: MS and MA need to build learning mechanism into their programmes
MS social system for employment + social
inclusion
Learning
European policy system
ESF programmes
MS…Member StatesMA…Managing Authorities
Partnerships are an important tool for
– Learning and innovation
– Dissemination and transfer of results
– Sustainability and mainstreaming
Further mechanism
– Self-evaluation in projects (with guidance and support)
– Invest in methods for transfering experiences
– Create a learning culture in ESF programmes (needs leadership and courage) organisational learning
Learning mechanism
R 5: Mainstreaming innovation needs more attention and support
MS social system for employment + social
inclusion
Learning
European policy system
ESF programmes
Mainstreaming is highly relevant to transform experimental design and experiences into standard practices
Requirements for successful mainstreaming
– Incorporation of key stakeholders in the partnerships
– Commitment and ownership by political stakeholders
– Leadership
– Clear identification of the kind of information needed
– Consideration of the link between a project (development partnership) and the national policy structures
– Mainstreaming plans developed early in the project lifecycle
– Support of TA with regard to operational aspects of mainstreaming
– National platforms (thematic working groups)
Mainstreaming innovation + learning
Thank you for your attention!
DI. Herta Tödtling-SchönhoferMetis Gmbh Donau-City-Strasse 6A-1220 [email protected]+43 1 997 1570 13