Impact Evaluation of Development Interventions A Practical Guide

by  Howard White David A. Raitzer. Published by Asian Development Bank. 2017. Available as a pdf (3.12Mb)

The publisher says “This book offers guidance on the principles, methods, and practice of impact evaluation. It contains material for a range of audiences, from those who may use or manage impact evaluations to applied researchers”

“Impact evaluation is an empirical approach to estimating the causal effects of interventions, in terms of both magnitude and statistical significance. Expanded use of impact evaluation techniques is critical to rigorously derive knowledge from development operations and for development investments and policies to become more evidence-based and effective. To help backstop more use of impact evaluation approaches, this book introduces core concepts, methods, and considerations for planning, designing, managing, and implementing impact evaluation, supplemented by examples. The topics covered range from impact evaluation purposes to basic principles, specific methodologies, and guidance on field implementation. It has materials for a range of audiences, from those who are interested in understanding evidence on “what works” in development, to those who will contribute to expanding the evidence base as applied researchers.”

Contents 

  • Introduction: Impact Evaluation for Evidence-Based Development
  • Using Theories of Change to Identify Impact Evaluation Questions
  • The Core Concepts of Impact Evaluation
  • Randomized Controlled Trials
  • Nonexperimental Designs
  • What and How to Measure: Data Collection for Impact Evaluation
  • Sample Size Determination for Data Collection
  • Managing the Impact Evaluation Process
  • Appendixes

Rick Davies’ comments: I have only scanned, not read, this book. But some of the sections that I found of interest included:

  • 3.4 Time Dimension of Impacts…not always covered, but very important when planning the timing of evaluations of any kind
  • Page 2: “Impact evaluations are empirical studies that quantify the causal effects of interventions on outcomes of interest” I am surprised that the word “explain” is not also included in this definition. Or perhaps it is an intentionally minimalist definition, and omission does not mean it has to be ignored
  • Page 23 on the Funnel of Attribution, which I would like to see presented in the form of overlapping sets
  • There could be better acknowledgment by referencing of other sources e.g to Outcome Mapping (p25, re behavioral change) and Realist Evaluation (p41)
  • Good explanations of the technical terms used, on page 42 and 44 for example
  • Overcoming resistance to RCTs (p59) and 10 things that can go wrong with RCTs (p61)
  • The whole of chapter 6 on data collection
  • and lots more…

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