Establishing, Monitoring, and Refining an Evaluation Policy at the Department of State

By: Gordon Weynand
April 3, 2018

When the Department of State began implementing its first department-wide policy on evaluation in 2012, it did not do so in a vacuum.  The Department engaged with key congressional and partner stakeholders on how best to advance our evaluation efforts, including participating in early discussions on what was to become the Foreign Aid Transparency and … Continue reading Establishing, Monitoring, and Refining an Evaluation Policy at the Department of State

Driving Home the Point: Lessons from MCC’s Roads Projects

By: Casey Dunning, Shreena Patel, and Seth Steinhoff
March 26, 2018

MFAN and The Lugar Center’s recently released study emphasizes the need to translate evaluations into learning for better development impact. One of the report’s recommendations specifically calls on agencies to “work to cluster and synthesize evaluations findings by sector.” With Lessons from MCC’s Investments in Roads, MCC has done just that, drawing on experience from road projects … Continue reading Driving Home the Point: Lessons from MCC’s Roads Projects

Kudos to OMB for Strong Evaluation Guidelines, What’s Next for Implementation?

By: Lori Groves Rowley and Nora O'Connell
March 19, 2018

As mandated by the bipartisan Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2016 (FATAA; P.L. 114-191), last month the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued guidance to foreign aid agencies regarding the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of assistance programs. While we and the community remain deeply concerned about drastic budget cuts to … Continue reading Kudos to OMB for Strong Evaluation Guidelines, What’s Next for Implementation?

MFAN Community Rejects President’s Proposed FY19 Budget Cuts for State Department and USAID

By: Madeline Hartlieb
March 5, 2018

On February 12th, the Trump Administration released the President’s Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request recycling much of last year’s drastic and disproportionate cuts to the State Department and USAID. The proposed cuts of 30% threaten U.S. national security, weaken our global standing, and reverse bipartisan progress that has reformed our development policies and modernized our … Continue reading MFAN Community Rejects President’s Proposed FY19 Budget Cuts for State Department and USAID

MFAN Co-Chairs Letter to General McMaster on National Security Strategy

By: George Ingram, Tessie San Martin, and Connie Veillette
February 2, 2018

Download a formatted version of the letter here. *** January 31, 2018 Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear General McMaster: We are writing as the Co-Chairs of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN), a coalition of foreign policy … Continue reading MFAN Co-Chairs Letter to General McMaster on National Security Strategy

Dots Unconnected: The Trump Administration National Security Strategy and American Foreign Assistance

By: James Kunder
January 25, 2018

What are those who care about the role of U.S. foreign assistance in the world to make of the Trump Administration’s National Security Strategy, recently released by the White House? On one level, this important document, mandated by Congress and generally viewed as an administration’s highest order statement of defense and foreign policy, can be … Continue reading Dots Unconnected: The Trump Administration National Security Strategy and American Foreign Assistance

Five Criteria for Redesign to Succeed in the Field

By: Susan Reichle and Patrick Fine
January 24, 2018

As we begin 2018, the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are reportedly putting the finishing touches on their proposals for a major “redesign” of our foreign affairs institutions. Hopefully, the reorganization will equip State and USAID to respond to the seismic shifts agitating the international landscape, trends that simultaneously create opportunities … Continue reading Five Criteria for Redesign to Succeed in the Field

Year in Review: Reform Takes Center Stage

By: George Ingram, Tessie San Martin, and Connie Veillette
December 14, 2017

As 2017 draws to a close, the Trump Administration is reviewing redesign proposals submitted by the State Department and USAID, Congress is completing its Fiscal Year 2018 funding negotiations and beginning the FY2019 process, and the MFAN community is actively engaging to ensure aid effectiveness priorities are reflected in both processes. Last year, with the … Continue reading Year in Review: Reform Takes Center Stage