Institutional Learning and Change Initiative

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Abstract:

This paper argues that development aid could be greatly improved if the management of development programs and projects could be governed by an effective orientation to cost-effectiveness. This in turn could substantially be achieved by changes the paper proposes to aid evaluation?through a particular kind of association?and a few lesser management reforms. During the 60 years of development assistance, evaluation has largely been controlled by donor and implementing agencies. When it comes to the evaluation of their own programs, however, these agencies face profoundly mixed incentives. Moreover, due to the particular needs for learning and accountability in this field, the demands placed on evaluation in development aid are uncommonly great. When we think about how development interventions should be evaluated, we often start from the perspective of an individual program or project or from that of a single donor or implementing agency. This, I argue, is a mistake. We should approach aid evaluation from the perspective of the development assistance community as a whole. Given that the challenges of development are common challenges, both in the sense of being similar for different agencies and in the sense of
arising from shared goals, we should look for evaluation approaches that best support the development community overall.

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http://survey.ate.wmich.edu/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/168/195