Measuring progress: The Integrated Support Framework (ISF)

One of the main takeaways from implementation in the first pilot countries was that, in order to build true ownership over the dialogue process, one cannot predetermine its outcomes from the outset. It turned out to be an impossible exercise for our partners to develop a guiding logical framework at the start of the dialogue process. However, a results and monitoring framework was still necessary to keep track of the dialogue process - by both the Dialogue Host and the donor supporting it. The Integrated Support Framework is a response to this need, as it provides an accurate snapshot of the dialogue process as well as its different results and outcomes.

Types of insight provided by the ISF

Building on the three tiers or orientations of the approach – policy, process and partnership – the ISF provides an overview of:

Issues of concern

The issues of concern and the ways in which they are currently being addressed by the policies in place, which entails mapping the policy and regulatory landscapes, identifying the main points of contention and keeping track of the solutions that are being proposed along the process.

Key stakeholders

The key stakeholders lay at the centre of the ISF because the so-called “political will” is a matter of agency, which needs to be analysed and disaggregated so as to understand the different levels of influence and exposure to the policy reform, as well as their interests and incentives for change and, once the Roadmap for Reform is agreed upon, their respective capacity gaps when it comes to implementing what has been collectively agreed.

Types of indicators

The three types of indicators that have to be collectively agreed by the stakeholders at the end of each of the three phases: the policy indicators (resulting from the participatory assessment of the policy at stake), the process indicators (reflecting the degree of engagement of the actors taking part in the consensus-building phase) and, finally, the partnership indicators (that should illustrate the new joint initiatives and collaboration dynamics that have emerged from the dialogue process).

Therefore, the different columns of the ISF allow the Dialogue Host to follow the different phases of the process and the evolution of the stakeholders’ attitudes and positions, thereby pointing at commonalities, potential commitments or opportunities to broker agreements amongst the actors involved.

In other words, the ISF is not just a reporting tool that can provide donors with, but a crucial tool when it comes to identifying potential gridlocks and conflicting visions, as well as real windows of opportunity, thus helping donors and implementing agencies to design and coordinate programmes and assistance measures in a way that ensures their alignment with locally-led processes of reform.

	Policy	Process	Partnership
Topics	Policies, laws & programmes	Points of contention & potential synergies	Partnership opportunities
Stakeholders	Influence & exposure	Interests & incentives	Needs & capacity gaps
Indicators	Policy indicators	Process indicators	Partnership indicators