• Context of M&E Management
• Historical Development & Experience of Evaluation
• Theories of Change & Programme Logic
• Evaluation Approaches & Models
• Evaluation Designs and Methods
• M&E Indicators
• Institutional Arrangements for M&E
• Evaluation in SA with Comparative African Case Studies
• Evaluation Professionalisation, Education & Training
• Lessons for Integrated Evaluation Management

Each of the identified clusters of themes will contain discussions of theoretical issues illustrated with one or more short case studies, whilst selected longer case studies will also be collected in a separate section at the end of the book.

The editors, who are all actively involved in the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA), decided to produce this book after consultation with a number of different stakeholders in the field, all of whom seemed to be increasingly concerned about the lack of suitable contextualised capacity building materials to promote the professionalisation and quality of M&E, specifically within the South African and African environments. The project soon gained widespread support in professional M&E capacity building circles, and will be the first text of its kind published in Africa.

Different specialist contributions totalling more than 400 pages have already been received and the final integration and editing of the text is in progress. All contributors have experience in the education and training of evaluators, in evaluation management and as professional evaluators in the field. The additional contributors so far include Ian Goldman and his colleagues in the SA Presidency, Johann Mouton, Jim Rugh, Nermine Wally, Servaas van der Berg, Donna Podems, Stephen Porter and a number of other South African and African specialists who contributed summaries of M&E approaches and systems in their respective national contexts to the Eastern African CLEAR Centre.

Given the scope and complexity of emerging professional evaluation activities on the African continent, this first attempt at recording what is happening can only provide an overview of evaluation activities in different regions at this stage. The book therefore does not pretend to be a fully encompassing source on evaluation in South Africa and Africa. Although it mainly focuses on what has been happening in South Africa in this field, it also attempts to highlight similar or different experiences in a number of other African countries.

In addition to education and training circles, the primary target market for the book includes public officials, at national, provincial and municipal governmental levels in South Africa and other African countries, who are involved or interested in the management of systematic evaluations of public policy-related programmes and projects in the public, private and civil society spheres within a developmental context.

More details about the publication date, cost and availability of the book will be announced as soon as these details become available.