"This text provides a solid foundation in program evaluation, covering the main components of evaluating agencies and their programs, how best to address those components, and the procedures to follow when conducting evaluations. Different models and approaches are paired with practical techniques,
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such as how to plan an interview to collect qualitative data and how to use statistical analyses to report results. In every chapter, case studies provide real world examples of evaluations broken down into the main elements of program evaluation: the needs that led to the program, the implementation of program plans, the people connected to the program, unexpected side effects, the role of evaluators in improving programs, the results, and the factors behind the results. In addition, the story of one of the evaluators involved in each case study is presented to show the human side of evaluation." (Publisher description)
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"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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"Over the past twenty years, media interventions have become an accepted tool for conflict management. Interventions have often proven ineffective, however, because they lacked clear definition of their intended outcomes. This volume presents an Intended-Outcomes Needs Assessment methodology (IONA)
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to help address this by: Integrating conflict analysis and media assessments to sharpen the focus on peacebuilding objectives; and improving the quality and precision of project plans to enable better comparison of the results achieved. This manual describes IONA, a three-stage process to help an assessment team understand the causes of conflict in a society, identify changes that could reduce that conflict, and create media interventions that help realize those changes." (Back cover)
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"With the increasing use of PRA methods and practices by NGOs, governments and multinational agencies, the potential impact for poor people is phenomenal. The book demonstrates the far-reaching implications of such approaches for the development sector. It is presented in an easily readable three pa
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rt structure. Part 1 explores case studies in which participatory methods and approaches have been used to influence policy, Part 2 concentrates on PPA (Participatory Poverty Analysis), an innovative approach designed to bring local poverty and policy analysis into the policy process, and Part 3 discusses key issues arising during the Institute of Development Studies workshop, and includes chapters by several participants." (Catalogue Intermediate Technology Publications 2000)
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"Recognizing that policy decisions are typically made under pressure of time and on the basis of incomplete data or with limited resources with which to obtain information, the authors provide guidance on how to locate, evaluate and use relevant information, fast. This book is essential reading for
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development managers in NGOs and public sector agencies and students of development management and development studies more generally." (Catalogue Intermediate Technology Publications 2000)
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