Spotlights
Getting to Results: Evaluation Capacity Building and Development
The International Development Evaluation Association will hold its 2009 Global Assembly in March in Johannesburg, South Africa. The assembly will underscore the role that evaluative knowledge can play in development in general, and the importance of building and sustaining the capacity to bring evaluative knowledge into the decision making process so as to encourage the achievement of results. Thus, the theme of evaluation capacity building encompasses issues of knowledge creation, knowledge transmission, knowledge synthesis, and sustainability.
Good Practice Standards for Country Strategy and Program Evaluations*
CSPEs seek to describe and explain the performance of an MDB at the country level. They tend to engage evaluation clients more than other forms of independent evaluation. Consequently, they play an increasingly important role in the work programs of independent evaluation offices. This study classifies GPSs into two sets: “core” and “optional”. The MDBs are encouraged to draw on the GPSs to improve evaluation methodologies and comparability in their CSPEs as well as to foster harmonization and partnership.
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation*
3ie launches its first call for proposal preparation grants. 3ie’s mission is to contribute to the fulfillment of aspirations for wellbeing by encouraging the production and use of evidence from rigorous impact evaluations for policy decisions that improve social and economic development programs in low- and middle-income countries.
Building Evaluation Capacity:
The International Experience
OED's Scott Bayley presented on evaluation capacity building at the Australasian Evaluation Society's 2008 International Conference.
European Evaluation Society*
Aims to promote the theory, practice, and utilization of high quality evaluation.
American Evaluation Association*
Is an international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation, technology, and many other forms of evaluation.
The Challenge of Assessing Aid Impact: A Review of Norwegian Evaluation Practice*
Source: Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
Reviews recent Norwegian aid evaluations with an explicit mandate to study impact, and assesses how the evaluators established causal effects in their analyses. Provides recommendations to improve the quality of aid impact evaluations.
Public Sector Reform: What Works and Why*
Source: World Bank
Addresses key questions about reforming the quality of public sector services based on an evaluation of World Bank support.
Advancing the Standards, Practice, and Use of Evaluations
Source: Asian Development Bank
On 21-25 April 2008, the Evaluation Cooperation Group met to discuss the development of good practice standards and harmonization among members.
The Evaluation Center*
Source: Western Michigan University
The mission of the Evaluation Center in Western Michigan University is to advance the theory, practice, and utilization of evaluation.
Capacity Development Resource Center*
Source: World Bank
Provides an overview of the literature, case studies, lessons learned, and good practices pertaining to capacity development.
Joint Evaluations Coming of Age?
Source: Overseas Development Institute
Is the sixth Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action meta-evaluation of evaluations of humanitarian action.
Using Training to Build Capacity for Development*
Source: World Bank
The World Bank finances about $720 million in training every year, through both its lending projects and its in-house World Bank Institute. The evaluation found that while most of the training reviewed resulted in demonstrable participant learning, this learning frequently did not lead to real change in participants' workplace performance.
A Balanced Approach to Monitoring and Evaluating Capacity and Performance: A Proposal for a Framework*
Source: European Centre for Development Policy Management
Current monitoring and evaluating practices do not fully recognize the combination of hard and soft characteristics that make up effective capacity. This paper describes a balanced approach to assessing capacity based on five core capabilities.
A Comparative Study of Evaluation Policies and Practices in Development Agencies
Source: Overseas Development Institute
Analyzes the institutional gap in evaluation in nine development agencies. Aims to understand experiences and challenges in reforming evaluation in development agencies, and assesses a variety of solutions.
Creating and Developing Evaluation Organizations: Lessons Learned from Africa, Americas, Asia, Australasia, and Europe*
Source: International Organisation for Cooperation in Evaluation
Provides 14 case studies of evaluation organizations, including information about their creation and operation, as well as a description of their major challenges, solutions, lessons learned, and recommendations for successful association development.
There are additional papers on IOCE and evaluation capacity development, plus some perspectives from other evaluation organizations.
DAC Evaluation Resource Center*
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Is a one-stop-shop for use by partners, development agencies, civil society, researchers, students, and the interested public to quickly and easily find, access, and learn from a wide array of
key evaluation publications.
Enterprise Surveys*
Source: World Bank
Provide the world's most comprehensive data for productivity analysis in emerging markets. Data are available on more than 70,000 firms in 104 countries, and cover business perceptions and dozens of indicators on the quality of the business environment.
Evaluation Capacity Development in Vietnam*
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
This note presents recent experience of evaluation capacity development in Vietnam and some of the lessons learned. Six practical suggestions to accelerate evaluation capacity development were made.
Factsheet on the Evaluation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness*
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Highlights practical lessons learned during implementation and seeks to contribute to ongoing policy debates on aid effectiveness and to the 2008 High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Ghana.
Global Evaluations Sourcebook*
Source: Independent Evaluation Group, World Bank
Aims to improve the independence and quality of program-level evaluations of Global and Regional Partnership Programs to enhance their relevance and effectiveness.
How to Build M&E Systems to Support Better Government*
Source: World Bank
Highlights the experience of several countries that have succeeded in building well-functioning monitoring and evaluation systems. The special case of Africa, where capacity is severely constrained, is also examined.
Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank
Source: Asian Development Bank
Presents the evolving role of evaluation in ADB—from its early years to the expansion of OED's activities in response to a broader mandate. Timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of ADB's establishment in 1966, Independent Evaluation at ADB also describes recent OED accomplishments and offers a look at the future of evaluation in ADB.
The Role of Evaluation in Results-Based Management*
Source: United Nations Evaluation Group
Ascertains the role that evaluation plays in results-based management in various international organizations. Shares the findings of a survey of UNEG members.
Fact-Finding Survey on Evaluation Capacity Development in Partner Countries*
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
This survey of 26 bilateral and multilateral development agencies was conducted by the DAC Network on Development Evaluation, OECD. It identifies challenges and constraints to evaluation capacity development efforts and key factors for success, and makes suggestions for effective measures.
Evaluation in Organizations: A Systematic Approach to Enhancing Learning, Performance, and Change*
Source: Open
Presents a systematic and rigorous approach to conducting evaluations and using them to foster learning and enhance performance at all levels. It includes the Readiness for Organizational Learning and Evaluation Instrument, a tool designed to diagnose an organization's readiness for implementing evaluation practices.
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