Routes to resilience: lessons from monitoring BRACED

This reflection paper discusses the BRACED Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework, designed to enable data collection and evidence generation to track, measure and understand the processes of change that lead to climate and disaster resilience.

As developing programme-level M&E frameworks for resilience-building programmes is a relatively new area of work, reflection about the BRACED M&E framework is a critical learning step for BRACED itself to improve M&E practice and evidence generation within the programme. It also provides an opportunity to contribute to building the knowledge base on resilience monitoring and measurement for the wider community. 

Lessons learnt include the following conclusions: 

• Measuring progress on resilience cannot be done with one ‘simple’ indicator. It requires qualitative and explanatory frameworks that contextualise results against shocks and stresses, as well as the wider context projects operate within.
• There are different options for rolling out programme-level M&E frameworks and systems, but each comes with its own trade-off.
• Qualitative and explanatory frameworks offer an opportunity to complement resilience indicators. However, to truly engage with these frameworks, there is a need to shift mindsets from accountability to learning-oriented M&E. 
• Synthesising and aggregating data while retaining context specificity requires time, resources and thorough synthesis methodologies.