Institutional Learning and Change Initiative

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Abstract:

This essay, prepared for the Advocacy Impact Evaluation Workshop at the Marc Lindenberg Center at the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs, describes one emerging set of CGD practices related to advocacy for policy change. We identify elements that we believe have been particularly useful, as well as areas where we are unsure how to proceed, including especially the evaluation of impact. This is followed by three short case descriptions and a brief discussion of other approaches that the Center also employs. We conclude with observations about the difficulties of doing in-house evaluations of policy advocacy and a suggestion that those interested in advocacy impact evaluations explore the possibility of supporting independent, external evaluations. The ideas in this final section draw heavily on concepts from the CGD working group report on the evaluation of social sector interventions, When Will We Ever Learn? Improving Lives through Impact Evaluation.