Working with Assumptions in International Development Program Evaluation

Offering practical tools for planning effective development programs, as well as methods for evaluating their success, this book benefits from the author's 12 years of experience and features workshop materials for students and in-service trainees.

A major reason complex programs are so difficult to evaluate is that the assumptions that inspire them are poorly articulated. Stakeholders of such programs are often unclear about how the change process will unfold. Thus, it is so difficult to reasonably anticipate the early and midterm changes that need to happen in order for a longer-term goalto be reached. The lack of clarity about the mini-steps that must be taken to reach a long-term outcome not only makes the task of evaluating a complex initiative challenging, but reduces the likelihood that all of the important factors related to the long term goal will be addressed. Most of the resources that have attempted to address this dilemma have been popularized as theory of change or sometimes program theory approaches. Although these approaches emphasize and elaborate the sequence of changes/mini steps that lead to the long-term goal of interest and the connections between program activities and outcomes that occur at each step of the way, they do not do enough to clarify how program managers or evaluators should deal with assumptions. Assumptions, the glue that holds all the pieces together, remain abstract and far from applicable. In this book the author tackles this important assumptions theme head-on-covering a breadth of ground from the epistemology of development assumptions, to the art of making logical assumptions as well as recognizing, explicit zing and testing assumptions with in an elaborate program theory from program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Provides tools for understanding effective development programming and quality program evaluations Contains workshop materials for graduate students and in-service training for development evaluators The author brings together more than 12 years of experience in evaluation of international development programs

Autorentext
Apollo is a researcher with 12 years experience in evaluation of international development programs. He has led evaluation and strategy work for World Vision, Unicef, USAID, World Bank, Compassion International, among others. He is strong in conceptualization, methodology (quantitative and qualitative approaches) and documentation (more than 20 publications). He holds a PhD in Social Development from University of Cape Town.

Klappentext

Regardless of geography or goal, development programs and policies are fueled by a complex network of implicit ideas. Stakeholders may hold assumptions about purposes, outcomes, methodology, and the value of project evaluation and evaluatorswhich may or may not be shared by the evaluators. Even when all participants share goals, failure to recognize and articulate assumptions can impede clarity and derail progress.

Working with Assumptions in International Development Program Evaluation probes their crucial role in planning, and their contributions in driving, global projects involving long-term change. Drawing on his extensive experience in the field, the author offers elegant logic and instructive examples to relate assumptions to the complexities of program design and implementation, particularly in weighing their outcomes. The book emphasizes clarity of purpose, respect among collaborators, and collaboration among team members who might rarely or never meet otherwise. Importantly, the book is a theoretical and practical volume that:

· Introduces the multiple layers of assumptions on which global interventions are based.

· Explores various approaches to the evaluation of complex interventions, with their underlying assumptions.

· Identifies ten basic types of assumptions and their implications for program development andevaluation.

· Provides examples of assumptions influencing design, implementation, and evaluation of development projects.

· Offers guidelines in identifying, explicating, and evaluating assumptions

A first-of-its-kind resource, Working with Assumptions in International Development Program Evaluation opens out the processes of planning, implementation, and assessment for professionals in global development, including practitioners, development economists, global development program designers, and nonprofit personnel.

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