Researchers at Wageningen University and the VU University Amsterdam have been working together on a type of monitoring that they have called reflexive monitoring in action (RMA). If a project wants to realise the far-reaching ambitions of system innovation, then reflection and learning must be tightly interwoven within it. And that learning should focus on structural changes. RMA can contribute to this. It encourages participants to keep reflecting on the relationships between the key items: the ambitions of the project, usual practices and the way these are embedded in the institutions, plus the developments in the system that offer opportunities for realising the ambitions of system innovation.
After years of development, experimentation, and evaluation we published a guide about (and for) monitoring projects that aim to contribute to the sustainable development of a sector or region by working on system innovation. In addition to considering the characteristics and the value of this type of monitoring, this book also offers practical guidelines that will help put that monitoring into practice and aid selection and use of the appropriate tools.
This guide focuses on three target groups
1) monitors: these are the people who are (or will be) handling the actual monitoring
2) project managers: these are responsible for the progress of the project and the realisation of system innovation projects.
3) clients: policy officers who act as the commissioning parties for system innovation projects.
Handboek reflexieve monitoring in actie (in Dutch)
Guide Reflexive Monitoring in Action
Downloadable Pdf version
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| Timeline Kracht van Koeien (Cow Power), January 2010 |
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Collective system analysis poultry sectors, November 2009 |
Related articles
- Van Mierlo, B. et al. (2010), Enhancing the Reflexivity of System Innovation Projects with System Analyses, American Journal of Evaluation 31(2): 143-161. » View article
- Regeer, B., et al. (2009), Six Guiding Principles for Evaluating Mode-2 Strategies for Sustainable Development, American - Journal of Evaluation 30: 515-537. » View article
Contributions to conferences
GIZ International Conference on Systemic Approaches in Evaluation, Eschborn, Germany 25 – 26 January 2011.
- Mierlo, Barbara van, Marlèn Arkesteijn, System learning in Monitoring and Evaluation (abstract)
- Idem (posters)
ECREA 3rd European Communication Conference, Hamburg, Germany, 12 - 15 October, 2010.
- Mierlo, B.C. van; Janssen, A.; Leenstra, F.R.; Weeghel, H.J.E. van (2010), Facilitating a dialogue for designing sustainable poultry sectors. (full paper)
SISA Workshop; International workshop on System Innovations, Knowledge Regimes, and Design Practices towards Sustainable Agriculture. Lelystad, The Netherlands, 16-18 June 2010
- Mierlo, B.C. van; Amstel, M. van; Arkesteijn, M.C.M.; Elzen, B. (2010), Keeping the ambition high. The value of reflexive monitoring in action for system innovation projects (full paper)
More information: Barbara van Mierlo or Barbara Regeer.