Why can we not demonstrate the difference that Norwegian aid makes? An evaluation of the results measurement system and practice

We assess why the Norwegian aid administration is not able to document its results. We find that the system is not designed to provide the necessary documentation for results assessments, the staff are not trained in a way that would ensure adequate competence, the quality assurance functions are only sporadically used to promote results measurement and technical advice and support functions are not structured in a way to make them useful to staff. Moreover, among the system components that actually do promote and support evaluability, very few are used appropriately in practice. We conclude that poor implementation of the current system, lack of leadership and staff incentives are key factors that can explain the inadequate results' documentation.