Evaluating monitoring systems in the European social fund context: a sociotechnical approach

In contrast to the prevailing image of monitoring systems as technical systems, it is proposed that they should rather be conceived of as social endeavors at exchanging information. Drawing on the monitoring and evaluation framework of Cornford, Doukidis, and Forster, the concept of information agreement is suggested as a way of assessing the quality of monitoring systems in context. Preliminary implications are discussed with regard to the quality of information, the information agreement being conceptualized as a tacit, and/or explicit agreement between and among participating government partners about the quality of information.