The Editor, Sir:

The Honourable Prime Minister Bruce Golding has assigned Minister Daryl Vaz to monitor and evaluate major projects in Jamaica to avoid the huge overruns experienced under the previous administration in this area. Vaz is an excellent choice; as he is well known for his efficiency and effectiveness with regards to such matters. However, which of the following M & E systems will he be using?

Performance indicators are measures of inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts of government activities. Rapid appraisal methods are quick, low-cost ways to gather the views and feedback of beneficiaries and other stakeholders. These views provide rapid information for management decision making, especially at the activity or programme level.

Rapid evaluation involves a formal review of a government activity or programme. Impact evaluation focuses on the outcomes and impacts of government activities. Rapid evaluation methods can be used to estimate impact, but more sophisticated methods of impact evaluation can provide much more reliable and persuasive findings.

Desk reviews

Comprehensive spending reviews are a type of policy evaluation. These entail desk reviews of issues of inefficiency and programme duplication.

M & E can provide unique information about the perfor-mance of government policies, programmes, and projects. It can identify what works, what does not, and the reasons why. M & E also provides information about the performance of a government, of individual ministries and agencies, and of managers and their staff.

I am, etc.,

Dr. CHARLES DEMONTAQUE

Stafford University

c/o 101 Weybrige Road

Addlestone Road, Surrey

United Kingdom