On Wednesday 7 August EPRC hosted a presentation by Iolanda Anselmo, Programme Evaluation Coordinator at the Evaluation Unit of the Department for Economic Development and Cohesion at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development. The subject of the presentation was the Obiettivi di Servizio, a performance framework implemented through Italian Cohesion policy in the 2007-2013 period in the Mezzogiorno regions.
Her discussion focussed upon the design and implementation of Cohesion policy programmes in the context of results-based programming. In particular, the presentation raised some pertinent questions regarding the efficacy of indicators able to complement clear intervention logic, the selection of projects consistent with expected results as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of performance enhancement mechanisms (rewards and sanctions) in strengthening performance orientation.
The presentation slides of the seminar are available here. A paper will soon be available. A comprehensive, though not up to date, analysis can already be found here.
The seminar was the culmination of Mrs. Anselmo's three-week stay at EPRC as visiting scholar.