"This book is written to provide detailed, rigorous guidance on how to conduct impact evaluations of government and nongovernment programs and projects. It covers all the leading quantitative impact evaluation methods, explaining the assumptions required for them to provide unbiased estimates and th
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e data required to implement them. It also provides many examples of how these methods have been applied in developing economies. The book’s contents are based on lectures given by the authors, and their collaborators, as part of a two-week intensive course conducted in China, Peru, South Africa, and Uganda between 2012 and 2017. The courses in China, South Africa, and Uganda were administered and supported by the Centers for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR) Initiative, a multidonor partnership program for evaluation capacity development with its secretariat at the World Bank and centers located in universities in different parts of the world; in 2020, the program and centers became part of the Global Evaluation Initiative. The presentation of the material in this book is at a high technical level. It assumes that the reader is very comfortable with algebra and has an intermediate knowledge of statistical theory. It is essentially a graduate-level textbook for use in economics, public policy, or related academic programs, although it may also be useful for a course designed for advanced undergraduate students." (Preface)
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"This guidance is useful for ICRC teams in the field managing different evaluation types that cover various interventions. Importantly, it is not an evaluation manual. Nor is it the only source to draw on when planning and managing an evaluation. It should be used in conjunction with other ICRC poli
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cies, standards and guidance on which the evaluation relies. In this document, we use the term “evaluation” as a catch-all term to refer to evaluations, impact evaluations, evaluative reviews and learning workshops. Evaluations are determined by a level of objectivity and/or independence and are conducted according to clear lines of inquiry and a methodological approach (see section 3). Specifically, when we refer to an evaluation, we understand it as follows: The systematic and objective assessment of an ongoing or completed project, programme or policy, its design, implementation and results. The aim is to determine the relevance and fulfilment of objectives, developmental efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. An evaluation should provide information that is credible and useful, enabling the incorporation of lessons learnt into the decision-making process of both recipients and donors. Likewise, we use the term “intervention” to refer to the subject of the evaluation, including all the various types of work or efforts that may be evaluated (such as a project, programme, strategy, thematic area, or other activity or action). This document will also prove useful for those guiding design, strategic planning and results management at the start of the intervention. A good evaluation relies on effective monitoring, evaluation and learning systems within the intervention cycle. Gaining clarity on what success looks like at the design phase of an intervention helps to make the intervention assessable." (Page 3)
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"Social and behavior change (SBC) is a key component of effective multi-sectoral nutrition activities. High-quality evaluations of SBC components are essential to identifying what went well, what could have been done differently, and how to improve future program design. The tools included here acco
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mpany Evaluating Social and Behavior Change Components of Nutrition Activities: A Design Guide for USAID Staff and Measuring Social and Behavior Change in Nutrition Programs: A Guide for Evaluators. They provide additional support on topics such as how to develop an evaluation statement of work (SOW) and how to determine the most appropriate respondent(s) for a given activity. The table below provides an overview of each tool." (Introduction, page 1)
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"The guideline provides a roadmap, flagging at which points in the process of commissioning, implementing and managing evaluations CEH-related considerations could and should be taken into account. As such, it covers the steps involved in preparing for an evaluation; developing the terms of referenc
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e (ToR) for an evaluation; managing the evaluation; and the post-evaluation development of an improvement plan and communication of the evaluation findings and recommendations. Given the often technical and complex nature of CEH-related issues, the guideline also provides an overview of the key concepts and features of CEH that underlie the rationale and dimensions of the evaluation criterion." (Introduction, page 2)
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"In your day to day work you notice changes that others are making, influenced by WIEGO. How do you capture these to support WIEGO’s learning? This tool provides an explanation of what to look for, and a template for documenting outcomes, why they matter (their significance) and how WIEGO or WIEGO
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partners contributed towards them." (The Focus of this Tool)
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"In your day to day work you notice changes that others are making, influenced by WIEGO. How do you capture these to support WIEGO’s learning? This tool provides an explanation of what to look for, and a template for documenting outcomes, why they matter (their significance) and how WIEGO or WIEGO
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partners contributed towards them." (The Focus of this Tool)
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"The framework for selecting appropriate methods of stakeholder engagement is presented here as five steps that can help people who are commissioning or conducting research or evaluations to orient themselves to their context, research purposes and, ultimately, options for stakeholder engagement. Th
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e first steps include understanding the value of generalisable evidence (Step 1) and localised evidence (Step 2) for informing decisions. Step 3 recognises the socio-political implications of these different ways of thinking. Step 4 helps researchers identify a starting point by utilising a matrix that signposts various tools and methods. Choosing a starting point depends largely on the following: whether the research findings are for local or general application: Does the knowledge need to be generalisable to many different settings, or is knowledge to suit the local setting sufficient? And: How much clarity and consensus is assumed about what is known when starting out: Is prior knowledge that a study will build on clear and widely agreed before the work begins? Step 5 considers which stakeholders to engage with, and how, when planning and conducting research, depending on the circumstances." (Page 3)
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"The aim of this paper is to provide guidance on the evaluation of complex interventions in international development. Our contribution to the literature is threefold. First, unlike other reviews on the same subject, our focus is exclusively directed to evaluations of development interventions. Seco
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nd, we identify methods that are new or little used in the evaluation literature. Third, we map methods to project types with the aim of identifying methods that are useful to the evaluation of particular projects.
We start by making a distinction between complex interventions and complex systems. While much recent research has been devoted to understanding how interventions can be implemented and understood in complex systems, our interest rests primarily with the goal of understanding and evaluating complex interventions. We therefore abstract from complexities arising from the interaction between interventions and complex systems. In our framework, complex interventions can be implemented in simple as well as in complex systems, but the latter are not the primary focus of our paper. Removing the consideration of interactions between interventions and complex systems reduces the scope of our review, but helps focus attention on a manageable number of issues and methods.
We define complex interventions as interventions characterised by multiple components, multiple stakeholders, or multiple target populations, or interventions incorporating multiple processes of behavioural change. These interventions cannot be represented by single-intervention or single-outcome models, and present several challenges to evaluation. Occasionally, or purposely, these interventions give rise to emergent outcomes such as non-linear effects, tipping points, and multiple equilibria. The presence of emergent outcomes of this type adds additional difficulties to evaluation because existing methods are ill-equipped to detect and estimate non-linear impacts of interventions." (Inroduction)
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"This timely and comprehensive textbook covers theoretical and practical issues related to evaluation of programs, particularly social programs and projects, with an emphasis on viewing evaluation topics through a social justice, diversity, and inclusive perspective. It provides students with an equ
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al appreciation of both the art (for example engaging stakeholders, communicating across diverse settings, recruiting participants) and science (writing questions that matter, using credible designs, data analysis) of evaluation planning, implementation, and dissemination. This textbook will help students recognize that all populations are diverse, and that high quality evaluations need to pay attention to the diversity of all populations being served." (Publisher description)
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"ICT4D projects are known for having social, economic, and environmental impacts that are difficult to capture. Investments in digital infrastructure and innovation often have high up-front costs with largely medium-to-long-term benefits, not quick, short-term outcomes desired by policy makers. The
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new DIAL Valuing ICT4D Project Impact Toolkit is a practical guide to identifying appropriate valuing impact methodologies to forecast the benefits of planned ICT investments. The toolkit can also be used to evaluate existing digital development activities in low-income countries. It presents five valuation methodologies for ICT4D projects: Cost Effectiveness Analysis, Cost Benefit Analysis, and Social Return on Investment explore the relationship from investment costs through to impact; Multi-Criteria Analysis explores the relationships from activities through to outcomes; Econometrics explores the relationship from activities through to impact. The methodologies considered vary in their application, but they largely explore the relationship between investment costs, related activities and outputs, and the desired change in outcome or impact. Implementing these methodologies can be complex and resource intensive depending on the scope and level of detail desired." (Ictworks.org)
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"These are simple recommendations on the inclusion of data on disability for researchers conducting evidence syntheses and primary studies." (Page 1)