1. Improving Learning –
Five Recommendations
Herta Tödtling-Schönhofer, Metis
Shaping the Future of the ESF
Workshop 1: Learning
Brussels, 23rd and 24th June

2. Social systems and tools to trigger
learning and change
Learning
Policy
objectives
funds and rules
ESF
programmes
European
MS social system for policy system
employment + social
inclusion No causal chain
actors
Communication

3. Recommendation 1: Clearly
distinguish evaluation from learning
Learning Evaluation
Learnin
Self-
g
observation Accountability
Policy objectives
Optimisation
funds and rules
ESF
programmes
European
MS social system for policy system
employment + social
inclusion

4. Monitoring and evaluation ….
M&E are useful and necessary
– To monitor progress in programme and manage the funds
– To demonstrate output and results
– To assess effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability,
Community Added Value of European and national funds
– To support policy learning about programme management
and use of public funds (avoiding risks, failures, de-
committment....governance)
As M&E needs to be linked to accountability (fear to
fail!) there is an intrinsic contradiction with learning
processes

5. M&E support single-loop learning and
first order change
ARE WE DOING THINGS
IN THE RIGHT WAY?
Success
Strategy and
activities
Failure
Success
Strategy and
activities
Failure
Problem
For improving the tool „programme“
Trial and error
Change within a given framework and paradigm
Setting of standards and the investigation of deviations

6. Double loop learning supports
second-order change
ARE WE DOING Options
THE RIGHT THINGS? Strategy and
Strategy and
activities
Strategy and
activities Success
Definition of the activities
Strategy and
problem activities
Failure
Problem Double loop learning
Self-observation and reflection of actions
Revision of structures, processes, methods
context
Meta Learning = „Learning of learning“
HOW TO WE DECIDE
WHAT IS RIGHT?
Second order change refers to transformation, discontinuity and a
change in paradigm

7. Recommendation 2: EC should provide
a platform for social innovation
Learnin Platform for
g learning on
Policy objectives
social
funds and rules
innovation
ESF
programmes
European
MS social system for policy system
employment + social
inclusion

8. Create learning systems for social
innovation
At European level
– Capacities for exploring social innovation
– Initiate learning within the EC (e.g. a learning group on social
innovation involving other DGs)
– Mutual learning/peer review on social innovation, policy learning,
organisational change within public administration
– Support learning culture and provide a counterweight to
accountability culture
At national level
– Capitalisation of previous ESF programmes (EQUAL, Art 6!)
– Inventory of social innovation (who, what, ....) and exchange of
experiences needs bottlenecks....
– Vision and strategy development for ESF 2014+

9. Questions for learning systems
How can we ensure that learning takes place and that
social innovations/experiments/pilots are not constantly
repeated as experiments but taken over and
implemented?
How can we ensure transferability of innovation at
reasonable level?
Which tools would be appropriate for the evaluation of the
innovation in the social field and – by extension – social
innovation?
In which instruments can we include experimental design
for innovations (exploring whether or how they work) – at
a small scale, for specific types of social innovation

10. R 3: EC should provide separate
instruments for experimentation
Learnin
g
Expe
rimen
Innov tation
ation European
MS social system for policy system
employment + social
inclusion

11. A plea for specific European instruments
Mainstream programmes have to show success, i.e.,
produce visible results, avoid de-commitment
minimize risk
Innovation, learning and testing of new solutions need
the possibility to fail
Difficult to integrate both paradigms into one
programme framework
Specific instruments (separate from mainstream) are
more appropriate to provide impulses (against the
mainstream) for including new themes, new actors,
new processes

12. R 4: MS and MA need to build learning
mechanism into their programmes
Learnin
g
ESF
programmes
European
MS social system for policy system
employment + social
inclusion
MS…Member States
MA…Managing Authorities

13. Learning mechanism
Partnerships are an important tool for
– Learning and innovation
– Dissemination and transfer of results
– Sustainability and mainstreaming
Further mechanism
– Self-evaluation in projects (with guidance and
support)
– Invest in methods for transfering experiences
– Create a learning culture in ESF programmes (needs
leadership and courage) organisational learning

14. R 5: Mainstreaming innovation needs
more attention and support
Learnin
g
ESF
programmes
European
MS social system for policy system
employment + social
inclusion

15. Mainstreaming innovation + learning
Mainstreaming is highly relevant to transform experimental
design and experiences into standard practices
Requirements for successful mainstreaming
– Incorporation of key stakeholders in the partnerships
– Commitment and ownership by political stakeholders
– Leadership
– Clear identification of the kind of information needed
– Consideration of the link between a project (development
partnership) and the national policy structures
– Mainstreaming plans developed early in the project lifecycle
– Support of TA with regard to operational aspects of
mainstreaming
– National platforms (thematic working groups)

16. Thank you for your attention!
DI. Herta Tödtling-Schönhofer
Metis Gmbh
Donau-City-Strasse 6
A-1220 Vienna
schoenhofer@metis-vienna.eu
+43 1 997 1570 13