Because integration is hard, incentives should be aligned to help ensure it happens. If the RCT had not been described in the Namibia Compact and CBRLM implementation contract, it is likely the implementer would have abandoned the implementation restrictions imposed by the evaluation. However, simply having these legal supports in place still did not facilitate the kind of good will or embracing of the value of the evaluation that would more naturally lead to strong communication and integration. Therefore, it is recommended to consider other ways to align incentives for the implementer to comply with the evaluation design, e.g., conditioning payments on implementing in a way or conducting certain actions that support the evaluation. The last amendment of the CBRLM contract included an incentive payment to help compensate the implementation team for time they spent supporting the evaluation. Another option could be requiring the evaluator to conduct intensive program monitoring throughout implementation and share the results with the implementer; having the evaluator produce something of value for the implementer could guard against a perception that the evaluator always requests assistance without ever offering something in return.
Lesson Learned