VI. CONCLUSION

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The complete ISP Assessment Framework, shown in Figure 4 below, provides development practitioners with a systematic method for measuring the results of inter-sectoral partnering. To grasp fully the results of an inter-sectoral partnership, one must take a multi-dimensional approach that explores the identity and nature of the ISP itself; the mechanisms used by the partners to interact with one another and outsiders; and the impact the partnership has had on a particular activity, the partners, and society as a whole. Figure 4: The ISP Assessment Framework Ideally, each domain and dimension of inter-sectoral partnering should be assessed for all ISPs. The categories and specific indicators, on the other hand, should be chosen by the partners of specific ISPs to reflect their priorities. There should be agreement regarding which characteristics and results are important to their particular partnership. With this tool in hand, practitioners should feel more confident about using a range of indicators to assess inter-sectoral partnerships. The box below offers an example of how to use the framework. Box 2: Putting the ISP Assessment Framework to Work By way of example, below are the steps that could be taken to assess the impact of an ISP formed to improve the sanitary conditions of an open market: The partner members (who might be owners of businesses surrounding the marketplace, an association of sellers, customers and district officials monitoring the market) and evaluators/facilitators agree upon measures of success for their partnership. Next, the members and evaluators/facilitators choose which dimensions of the ISP Assessment Framework best reflect their objectives. For example, they may decide to focus on: planning capacity (values and capacity domain), the existence of a common issue (values and capacity domain), use of democratic practices (process domain), impact on the common issue (impact domain), and increased social capital (impact domain). Once there is agreement that these are the categories to assess, the group must decide upon the indicators for each category. Planning Capacity: The group may decide to create an index based on the DOSA tool. Common Issue: The group may decide to take a survey of the partner members on what their common issue, or goal, is. They may also want to survey non-members with whom they are in contact. Democratic Practices: The group may decide to adapt the IAF indicator which measures the degree of access enjoyed by the ISPs members and beneficiaries to information about the organization's finances, programs, and policies. This would be in the form of a survey of the members and those with whom they are in contact. Impact on the Common Issue: If the method of improving sanitary conditions in the marketplace is to build toilets for sellers and customers, one indicator might be whether or not a particular number of toilets were built. Another indicator might be the decreased number of people in the market contracting hepatitis. Social Capital: An indicator might be whether or not other ISPs have been created in other markets to improve sanitary conditions. Another indicator might be whether or not the relationship between sectors (business community, civil society, and government) has changed due to the interaction among the partner members. For example, perhaps the district officials and the market sellers have improved relations with regard to how the officials monitor the market. After developing the indicators to assess the ISP, the group (or the outside evaluator/facilitator) must gather data for the above indicators and analyze them. Finally, the partner members should discuss the results with the evaluator/facilitator to clarify issues and decide on next steps for the partnership. The ISP Assessment Framework is the first step in an ongoing process. Additional work is clearly needed to refine the framework and to develop new methods of assessing ISPs. Next steps should include widespread discussion about the framework and alternative methods among a broad array of development actors in the international development community. USAID's Inter-sectoral Partnerships web site at http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/isp/ will provide one venue for information sharing and further discussion on this and other topics related to inter-sectoral partnering.

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