"A Guide to Assessing Needs offers a much broader perspective than many texts on project management or evaluation. It presents needs assessment within a results framework that applies to international development projects equally as well as to a variety of other contexts. An exceptionally wide range
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of data collection and decision-making tools are presented, along with descriptions of the purpose and rationale for each tool, its strengths and weaknesses, the process through which it is implemented, and tips for success. The book is a user-friendly reference manual, offering information for selecting among the diverse approaches to achieve results. The authors bring together tools and techniques from diverse disciplines so that even experienced professionals are likely to find many new approaches for collecting information and guiding decisions." (Back cover)
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"This reference manual guides the staff of development or other organisations to encourage individuals (either colleagues or community members) to share their personal stories and include their voices as part of a broader good practice documentation process. While SAfAIDS and Women’sNet focus on u
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sing the techniques to highlight interventions that advocate for HIV and AIDS, women’s rights, gender equality and sexual diversity programmes, the techniques discussed can be readily adapted for use in a variety of development issues." (Page 2)
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"[This publication] is intended to help Peace Corps Volunteers and their counterparts identify organizations that might provide books and other educational materials for schools and libraries in their communities. The services described for each organization listed in Section A apply specifically to
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Peace Corps Volunteers. The services and procedures for organizations listed in Section B apply to counterparts or other host country nationals requesting assistance directly." (Introduction)
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"En esta publicación, dos apasionados del medio sonoro, uno ecuatoriano y otro colombiano, presentan una serie de sugerencias y recomendaciones para los productores de radio en el nuevo entorno virtual. Los autores analizan algunos aspectos para hacer radio por internet. Las ventajas y desventajas
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son abordadas con un lenguaje sencillo y amigable, así como el uso de las nuevas plataformas digitales y redes sociales para la difusión radiofónica." (Cubierta del libro)
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"This first guidance note, Introduction to Impact Evaluation, provides an overview of impact evaluation, explaining how impact evaluation differs from – and complements – other types of evaluation, why impact evaluation should be done, when and by whom. It describes different methods, approaches
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and designs that can be used for the different aspects of impact evaluation: clarifying values for the evaluation, developing a theory of how the intervention is understood to work, measuring or describing impacts and other important variables, explaining why impacts have occurred, synthesizing results, and reporting and supporting use. The note discusses what is considered good impact evaluation – evaluation that achieves a balance between the competing imperatives of being useful, rigorous, ethical and practical – and how to achieve this. Footnotes throughout the document contain references for further reading in specific areas." (Introduction, page 1)
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"Since impact evaluations focus on results and what contributes to results, logically there should be a greater enthusiasm for making use of the findings. Impact evaluations also tend to cost more than other types of evaluation, implying that they should command significant follow up as well. It tur
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ns out, however, that credible evidence and significant costs are not sufficient to ensure that impact evaluation findings are used. This guidance note looks to several additional factors that contribute to effective evaluation use. Using impact evaluations depends importantly on how one designs and conducts them. As was illustrated in Guidance Note 3 on mixed methods, the choice of evaluation method should follow from the questions one is trying to answer. But whatever questions are being tackled, whatever evaluation methods are employed, to make the best and proper use of evaluation findings we can apply a common set of practices and insights." (Introduction)
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"Governments and donor agencies are under increasing pressure to show hard evidence that their interventions are effective and good value for money. Anti-corruption is a challenging field in this regard, with few evidence-based models to draw upon, so both the design and the evaluation of programmes
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need to be supported by good analytical frameworks. The theory of change (ToC) approach focuses on how and why an initiative works. Constructing a ToC enables government and donor staff to identify the logic underpinning their programmes and clarify how interventions are expected to lead to the intended results. The paper presents a user-friendly five-step methodology for building a theory of change for a programme or project. It highlights the importance of preconditions, factors that must be in place for the intervention to work as intended, distinguishing between those preconditions that can be addressed by the programme design and those that cannot. Finally, the paper provides general and sector-specific guidance based on case studies of programms in three areas: anti-corruption authorities, civil society work, and public sector reforms." (Abstract)
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"Transforming the broadcasting of a country from state to public service is a long, hard and difficult road to travel. It is, however, well worth doing. It cannot be done without the support of the public, the opinionformers and the government, but if these are specifically targeted, it should be po
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ssible to achieve over a number of years. There is no need to be pessimistic about the future of Public Service Broadcasting in the digital age. There is a huge range of broadcasting emerging, ideally with key public service values at the core. PSBs will offer “most trusted” websites, informed blogs, balanced political coverage in the news, and fair election coverage. Because of the range and quality of their programming, Public Service Broadcasting will shine out alongside programming made at low cost for the greatest financial return. At the heart of PSB values is concern for the citizen in all his or her diversity and language competencies: many people will enjoy other offerings but when it comes to a disaster, political upheavals, major national events, or the need for mother tongue content, or even “something different”, it is to the Public Service Broadcaster that they will turn – even in a world of 500 available channels. Through the opportunities offered by digital technology, the Public Service Broadcaster is not only a source of discovery and delight but the route for ordinary people to communicate with leaders in all sorts of fields, and to influence the way things develop." (Conclusion, page 57)
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