Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab
The potential legacy that a well-designed outcomes partnership can achieve is often articulated in terms of ‘system strengthening’ – positive impacts within a service system beyond the immediate person-level outcome targets of the programme. Most would agree that strengthening system capacity is a goal worth pursuing; but the term is broad, even vague, and can mean a number of different things. There is a need to articulate what those different aspects are, how they interrelate, and why an outcomes-based approach in particular can attend to opportunities for system change. In this session, we investigated and sought clarity about the relationship between outcomes-based contracting and system strengthening – what it is, how we pursue it, and the evidence by which we assess it. We connected these questions to the latest learning from practice, to better understand how system-level goals are conceived and pursued in case examples.
Our final Big picture session delved deep into the complexities of systems strengthening and the transformative potential of outcome-based partnerships. The session raised crucial questions about defining and measuring systems change and understanding the causal contributors. Jonathan Ng's (USAID) perspective from a government funder's viewpoint emphasised the need to work within existing funding systems and encouraged a shift towards grants that prioritise relational aspects over transactional ones. Milena Castellnou (Education Outcomes Fund) highlighted the diverse pathways governments may choose to adopt for systems strengthening, emphasising the importance of delivering and measuring outcomes effectively. She urged a shift in mindset from activity-based approaches to outcomes-focused ones and cautioned against overburdening outcome-based programs with unrealistic expectations. Caroline Bernadi (Village Enterprise) presented a case study from the Government of Rwanda, illustrating the challenges of measuring key indicators and mobilising civil society to achieve systems strengthening. She argued that outcomes-based partnerships could facilitate measurement, align stakeholders, and adapt programmes to local contexts. Jessica Davies (Social Finance) emphasised the need to unpack the roles of different stakeholders in systems strengthening. Stephen Chandler (EOF) shared insights from Sierra Leone, where an outcomes-focused approach led to relational collaboration among government components and a consideration of wider implications. Abhit Sen (UN) cautioned against overly optimistic expectations and stressed the importance of long-term sustainability in outcome-based partnerships, particularly in the context of global challenges such as the SDGs. The session fostered a deep and nuanced discussion on how outcomes-based partnerships can indeed catalyse lasting change by strengthening systems and promoting sustainable impact