Challenges of Implementing Result-Based Monitoring and Evaluation (RBME) Systems in the Public Sector: Evidence from the Yem Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Result-Based Monitoring and Evaluation (RBME) systems mark a shift in public sector management toward outcome-focused accountability and evidence-based decision-making. However, implementing them often faces major challenges in resource-constrained, decentralized settings like Ethiopia's zonal administrations. This study examines the key barriers to effective RBME adoption in the public sector of Yem Zone, Central Ethiopia—a rural, ethnically diverse area with significant infrastructural and capacity limitations. Drawing on New Public Management, Institutional Theory, and Theory of Change, it investigates why local units struggle to progress beyond activity-based tracking despite national reforms. The research used a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, combining quantitative data from a structured survey of 230 randomly selected employees (5-point Likert scale) with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with 30 purposively selected managers, plus analysis of institutional documents (e.g., BPR manuals, Balanced Scorecard reports, and performance appraisals). Findings show moderate RBME practice (Grand Mean = 2.82) but a generally positive view of its value (Grand Mean = 2.13). Five main barriers emerged: limited technical capacity and staffing shortages, financial and technological constraints, organizational resistance to change, political interference undermining data integrity, and inconsistent stakeholder engagement. By examining an understudied zonal-level case, the study fills a gap in literature focused mainly on national or regional levels. It reveals how isomorphic pressures frequently lead to superficial adoption, resulting in a "broken causal chain" between data collection and performance improvement. The findings provide practical recommendations: protective legislation, institutionalized capacity-building, digital data infrastructure, and stronger stakeholder involvement to foster sustainable, results-oriented governance in comparable contexts.