The OPERA Framework the findings from each step to make an Assessment of a state’s compliance with its obligation to fulfill human rights. To assess obligations of result, the ‘outcomes’ step gives a snapshot of enjoyment of the right(s) under review in a country. However, outcomes alone cannot give a full understanding of a state’s compliance. The ‘policy efforts’ step analyzes obligations of conduct by exploring whether the laws and policies that give effect to the right(s) under review have been designed and implemented in line with human rights standards and principles. The ‘resources’ step looks at the generation, allocation and expenditure of resources, as well as the larger macro-economic policy context that determines the availability of resources for the right(s) under review. The ‘assessment’ step looks at the broader constraints facing the government, before making a judgment about the level of compliance or non-compliance of a state with its human rights obligations based on a cumulative assessment of the findings from the prior three steps. The step-by-step approach adopted in the OPERA framework is not a rigid one-size-fits-all formula. CESR has used it as a dynamic and flexible structure to frame different monitoring activities with differing objectives in a range of countries in recent years: from reproductive health in Kenya, to the economic and social dimensions of Liberia’s transition from conflict, to the impact of the economic crisis in Ireland and Spain. The steps represent four broad dimensions, within which an inventory of potential issues is listed. Accordingly, the steps need not be carried out in a strict or sequential order, but can be adapted to the context under review, with points of departure starting in any one of the steps, not necessarily with outcomes. In some cases it may be appropriate to focus on one step or sub-step over another. In other cases, some sub-steps may not be necessary or feasible to carry out at all. The framework can be applied to a particular right or a number of rights, depending on the objectives, scope and complexity of the monitoring activity. By relying on both quantitative and qualitative data that is usually readily available, the framework aims to be practical and relatively simple to apply, allowing for flexibility and adaptability to the particular context of the monitoring activity and possible data availability constraints. In CESR’s experience, the framework’s interdisciplinary nature and its eclectic employment of tools and techniques from different fields make it well suited for collaborative partnership across different areas of expertise. In the case of the Rights or Privileges? project in Guatemala, for example, CESR joined forces with fiscal policy analysts from the Central American Institute of Fiscal Studies (ICEFI) in order to assess the link between tax and budget policies and the realization of the rights to health, food and education in the country.78 Applying the OPERA framework, CESR and ICEFI were able to combine statistical and econometric methods with human rights techniques of legal analysis, factfinding and personal testimony. The OPERA framework is as much about the selection of the right types of tools and techniques for monitoring as it is about cultivating the right types of relationships. For this reason, it holds much potential to be used in an inclusive and empowering way. Exclusion and disempowerment often breed bias against certain types of knowledge, especially the ‘experiential expertise’ of rights holders themselves. Rights holders should be recognized as integral in all steps of the framework by giving precedence to the views of the most vulnerable on what indicators are important to them. This helps the framework to adopt the most inclusive tools and techniques through which they can amplify their demands for concrete improvements in their own lives. The breadth and flexibility of the OPERA framework allows for a range of potential uses and users. It has been designed primarily as a framework suitable for civil society groups to strengthen their 14