"Experimental approaches work by comparing changes in a group that receives a development intervention with a group that does not. The difference is then attributed to the intervention. In a full experimental approach, units are randomly allocated to two groups – one that receives the intervention
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and one that does not. In a quasi-experimental approach non-random methods of assignment are used instead." (Introduction)
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"Contribution analysis is a methodology used to identify the contribution a development intervention has made to a change or set of changes. The aim is to produce a credible, evidence-based narrative of contribution that a reasonable person would be likely to agree with, rather than to produce concl
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usive proof. Contribution analysis can be used during a development intervention, at the end, or afterwards." (Introduction)
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"The Most Significant Change (MSC) technique is a form of participatory monitoring and evaluation. It involves the collection and selection of stories of change, produced by programme or project stakeholders. MSC can be used in projects and programmes where it is not possible to precisely predict de
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sired changes beforehand, and is therefore difficult to set pre-defined indicators of change." (Introduction)
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"An impact grid is a tool that helps stakeholders involved in a development intervention to analyse multiple changes by mapping those changes onto a grid. A typical grid charts the extent of change alongside the degree of contribution of the intervention. Impact grids can be used for many different
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purposes. They are only normally used after enough time has elapsed for changes to emerge." (Introduction)
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"The Social Impact Navigator provides an accessible introduction to the issue of impact orientation. We want to show you how with simple steps, you can plan and implement your project in an impact-oriented way and analyze your results. We present instruments suitable for everyday use that will give
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you practical help in integrating an impact orientation into your project work, and support you as you address the issue of impact orientation inside your organization. Above all, we want to motivate you to engage with the issue yourself. Who is the target audience? This publication is directed toward non-profit and other civil society organizations, and their projects and programs that have as yet had only limited experience with the issues of impact orientation and social impact analysis. We want to show that by taking simple, small steps, even organizations with limited resources for monitoring and evaluation can review the effectiveness of their work and learn from these results." (About the guide, page 9)
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"Monitoring and evaluation of advocacy for development is an emerging field. Many civil society organisations, donors and evaluators are now involved with advocacy. Questions of how to understand and assess programmes are urgent. This e-book seeks to contribute to practical capacity on this front on
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the basis of lessons learned during the largest evaluation of advocacy for development in history." (Preface)
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"This toolkit is designed for development practitioners, government officials, academics, monitoring and evaluation specialists, and researchers who are interested in measuring empowerment. The learning objectives of this toolkit are: Users gain a general understanding of empowerment and empowerment
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indices, the importance of measuring empowerment and how a framework can help to measure empowerment. Users understand the various dimensions of COL’s Three-Dimensional Empowerment Framework and how it aligns with the definition of empowerment. Users learn what Likert questions are and some best practices for developing them. Users are able to use the framework to develop a range of Likert questions that address the various facets of empowerment. Users are able to enter data, calculate the index scores and do basic preliminary/ descriptive analysis in Microsoft Excel." (Page 1)
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"[...] the purpose of [this guide] is to support managers and commissioners of impact evaluations to better manage the entire process from drawing up terms of reference, selecting contractors, steering evaluations and utilising evaluation results. The guide also argues that relying only on tradition
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al approaches to IE does not fit well with the kind of customised, complex, locally engaged and often sensitive programmes that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) undertake. A broader range of designs and methods are needed." (Introduction, page 3)
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"This toolkit is for organisations planning to use 'participatory video and the most significant change' (PVMSC) to evaluate their social change projects. Part one gives an overview of the key stages and things to consider when preparing for a PVMSC process and includes perspectives and feedback fro
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m partners and participants. Part two is a guide for facilitators as they carry out the games and exercises and includes case studies drawn from 10 years of InsightShare’s experience in a variety of contexts and countries." (Back cover)
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"In the end, impact assessment comes down to a dialogue—about goals; how news informs, connects and engages communities; and how best to maintain journalistic integrity in the process. That’s why we’ve created this guide, which features both conceptual perspectives for foundations and nuts-and
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-bolts advice for nonprofit news organizations. We hope you’ll begin by reading the side that’s most relevant to you, and then be drawn into the conversation by reading the other side. We also hope it sparks dialogue about your own projects—among staff, and between foundations and newsrooms." (Introduction)
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"The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation provides tools for managers and evaluators to address questions about the performance of public and nonprofit programs. Neatly integrating authoritative, high-level information with practicality and readability, this guide gives you the tools and process
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es you need to analyze your program's operations and outcomes more accurately. This new fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and revised, with new coverage of the latest evaluation methods, including: culturally responsive evaluation; adopting designs and tools to evaluate multi-service community change programs; using role playing to collect data; using cognitive interviewing to pre-test surveys; coding qualitative data. You'll discover robust analysis methods that produce a more accurate picture of program results, and learn how to trace causality back to the source to see how much of the outcome can be directly attributed to the program. Written by award-winning experts at the top of the field, this book also contains contributions from the leading evaluation authorities among academics and practitioners to provide the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference on the topic. Valid and reliable data constitute the bedrock of accurate analysis, and since funding relies more heavily on program analysis than ever before, you cannot afford to rely on weak or outdated methods. This book gives you expert insight and leading edge tools that help you paint a more accurate picture of your program's processes and results, including: obtaining valid, reliable, and credible performance data; engaging and working with stakeholders to design valuable evaluations and performance monitoring systems; assessing program outcomes and tracing desired outcomes to program activities; providing robust analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data" (Publisher description)
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"A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a way of doing impact evaluation in which the population receiving the programme or policy intervention is chosen at random from the eligible population, and a control group is also chosen at random from the same eligible population. It tests the extent to whi
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ch specific, planned impacts are being achieved. In an RCT, the programme or policy is viewed as an ‘intervention’ in which a treatment – the elements of the programme/policy being evaluated – is tested for how well it achieves its objectives, as measured by a predetermined set of indicators. The strength of an RCT is that it provides a very powerful response to questions of causality, helping evaluators and programme implementers to know that what is being achieved is as a result of the intervention and not anything else [...] The distinguishing feature of an RCT is the random assignment of members of the population eligible for treatment to either one or more treatment groups (who receive the intervention treatment or variations of it) or to the control group (who receive either no intervention or the usual intervention, if the treatment is an innovation to an existing intervention). The effects on specific impact areas for the different groups are compared after set periods of time." (Page 1)
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This book provides a comprehensive yet accessible guide to running randomized impact evaluations of social programs. Drawing on the experience of researchers at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, which has run hundreds of such evaluations in dozens of countries throughout the world, it offer
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s practical insights on how to use this powerful technique, especially in resource-poor environments. This step-by-step guide explains why and when randomized evaluations are useful, in what situations they should be used, and how to prioritize different evaluation opportunities. It shows how to design and analyze studies that answer important questions while respecting the constraints of those working on and benefiting from the program being evaluated. The book gives concrete tips on issues such as improving the quality of a study despite tight budget constraints, and demonstrates how the results of randomized impact evaluations can inform policy. With its self-contained modules, this one-of-a-kind guide is easy to navigate. It also includes invaluable references and a checklist of the common pitfalls to avoid. Provides the most up-to-date guide to running randomized evaluations of social programs, especially in developing countries Offers practical tips on how to complete high-quality studies in even the most challenging environments Self-contained modules allow for easy reference and flexible teaching and learning Comprehensive yet nontechnical
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"Utilization Focused Evaluation (UFE) facilitates a learning process in which people in the real world apply evaluation findings and experiences to their work. The focus is on intended users. UFE does not prescribe any specific content, method, or theory. It is a guiding framework, rather than a met
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hodology. UFE can include a wide variety of evaluation methods within an overall participatory paradigm. Decision making, in consultation with those who can benefit from the evaluation, is an important part of the process. Intended users will more likely utilize an evaluation in which they have ownership. This Primer is for practitioner evaluators and project implementers who have heard of UFE and are keen to test-drive the approach." (Lead)
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"This paper focuses attention on randomised field experiments in the developing world that explicitly address the use of media to achieve democracy and governance (DG) outcomes [...] The first section describes the growth of DG assistance and the increasing interest in DG field experiments. The seco
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nd section describes the domain of media assistance targeted at DG outcomes. The third provides an overview of current experimental and quasi-experimental studies on the intersection between media, democracy and governance. The fourth and fifth sections describe some of the challenges to successfully employing field experiments to inform media assistance programmes. The final section concludes by arguing for the benefits of practitioner-academic collaborations that provide experimental evidence about the influences on as well as the effects of media content related to democracy and governance." (Page 4)
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"This tool is used to assess the SBCC knowledge and competence of individuals and how successful a specific training has been for them. Individuals about to take an SBCC training fill in the pre-assessment provided in this document, then fill in the post-assessment right after completing the trainin
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g. The questions and items are the same for both assessments. Individuals completing a successful training and filling in the post-assessment will answer a higher number of questions correctly and rate their own SBCC competencies at increased levels. It is the comparison that matters. The difference between an individual’s scores and ratings in the two assessments allows the training to be monitored and measurably evaluated. The score indicates whether an individual increased his or her SBCC knowledge, skills, and competencies during the training, and the ratings can suggest whether further training or capacity strengthening is needed and in which specific SBCC competencies." (Introduction, page 4)
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"The present paper explores approaches for assessing efficiency. Efficiency is a powerful concept for decision making and ex post assessments of development interventions but, nevertheless, often treated rather superficially in project appraisal, project completion and evaluation reports. Assessing
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efficiency is not an easy task but with potential for improvements, as the report shows. Starting with definitions and the theoretical foundations the author proposes a three level classification related to the analytical power of efficiency analysis methods. Based on an extensive literature review and a broad range of interviews, the report identifies and describes 15 distinct methods and explains how they can be used to assess efficiency. It concludes with an overall assessment of the methods described and with recommendations for their application and further development." (Foreword)
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