Information planning for policy reform programs

policy reform (PR) programs - data on host country compliance with disbursement conditions, on the performance of public sector institutions, on the program"s economic and political context, and on the private sector"s response to PR - are discussed. Also identified are three features of PR programs which delimit their information requirements: (1) basic information needs for monitoring implementation are defined in disbursement conditions; (2) information requirements increase as restrictions on the use of funds become more specific; and (3) the difficulty in demonstrating the macroeconomic and sectoral effects of PR"s, which frequently precludes this as an evaluation strategy, may lessen information needs. Several recommendations concerning staffing and funding for the information component are made. The report, directed to A.I.D. and host country program staff and to specialists with limited experience in the information requirements of PR programs, cites programs in Niger and Mali to exemplify both the types of data needed and the methods used to collect them.