MONITORING SOCIAL POLICY OUTCOMES IN JAMAICA: DEMOCRATIC EVALUATION AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

Abstract: This paper documents a continuing initiative to monitor and improve social policy in Jamaica. Developed as a key component of the Jamaica Social Policy Evaluation (JASPEV) process, the initiative seeks to link technical innovation in the collection and flow of information to a process of institutional change and inclusiveness at different levels of governance. Under JASPEV, the Jamaican Cabinet Office is promoting a system of locally-generated but nationally-comparable benchmark indicators designed to encourage institutional change in the relationship between citizens, the political directorate and technocrats that will improve social policy design and delivery. This involves citizens in sampled communities as primary gatherers of outcome and impact monitoring data on a chosen theme, the first theme chosen being “youth inclusion”. This institutional challenge is considerable. The politicised nature of institutions in Jamaica, the role of hierarchy and patronage and the prevalence of “turfism ” within and between political parties is widely recognised. The challenge faced should not be understated, yet the set-up of JASPEV is beginning to create political space for institutional change and greater inclusiveness, through its emphasis on the interaction of nodes of local and national evidence-based policy discussions