This article examines factors that could have influenced whether evaluations of U.S. government--funded foreign assistance programs completed in 2015 had considered unintended consequences. Logit regression models indicate that the odds of considering unintended consequences were increased when all or most of seven standard data collection methods…

Gender equity is an increasingly discussed priority and cross-cutting theme within international development evaluation. However, it is unclear whether advances being made in evaluating the outcomes in this area are reflected in the scholarly literature. In this context, a fundamental question is: How is gender being addressed in international…

Theory of change (ToC) is currently "the" approach for the evaluation and planning of international development programs. This approach is considered especially suitable for complex interventions. We question this assumption and argue that ToC's focus on cause-effect logic and intended outcomes does not do justice to the recursive nature…

This qualitative case study seeks to understand what 'participatory' in participatory monitoring and evaluation means in an international development context. The objective is to identify the characteristics of a participatory monitoring and evaluation process, according to experts and specialists in the field. The paper seeks to highlight the…

This article presents discussion and recommendations on approaches to retrospectively evaluating development interventions in the long term through a systems lens. It is based on experiences from the implementation of an 18-month study to investigate the impact of development interventions on economic and social change over a 40-year period in the…

Background: Since the late 1970s participatory approaches have been widely promoted to evaluate international development programs. However, there is no universal agreement of what is meant by participatory evaluation. For some evaluators, participatory evaluations involve the extensive participation of all stakeholder groups (from donor to…

At the time of writing, it is not possible to measure progress accurately, or even assess the baseline status of aid effectiveness in the education sector. Twelve targets en route to the five objectives of the Paris Declaration were set and agreed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); they were to be measured…

The sustainability agenda is a concern of several UN agencies that appreciate how well-being, social justice, human development and the health of our planet are inextricably linked. This remit underpinned the launch of the UN Decade in Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) in 2005. As the DESD reaches its mid-point, mechanisms for assessing…

This article examines the contribution of the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) global partnership in strengthening aid effectiveness in the education sector, and specifically how the implementation modalities of the EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund (CF) have contributed to this strengthening. The empirical findings are based on a review…

Describes differences between program evaluation in the United States and international program evaluation. Also describes a number of promising developments and methodological approaches and suggests areas in which a closer exchange of experience between U.S. evaluation practitioners and their colleagues from developing countries could be…

The emergence from its first operational phase prompted this discussion of the Unesco-designed Experimental World Literacy Programme. (MB)

Focuses on the evaluation capacity building (ECB) outreach activities of the World Bank with regard to provision of advice and assistance to individual governments. The primary story is that of the ECB lessons learned through working with a range of governments; the secondary story is how ECB is becoming a recognized and valued activity within the…

The semiotic interpretative context is extended to program evaluation. Assumptions about the semiotic process of constructing, describing, and judging reality are examined in terms of the viability of the process in explicating a perception-based evaluation model. Models from which inspiration was drawn include R. W. Tyler's instructional…

A set of criteria is proposed by which development projects can be selected for purposes of ex post assessment to determine their effects and outcomes. Arguments are advanced as to the importance of these criteria, and observations are made about their current use by international aid agencies. (SLD)

The second Transnational European Evaluation Project (TEEP II) was undertaken between August 2004 and June 2006. A methodology for evaluating transnational programmes had previously been tested during 2002-2003 by ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) in the first Transnational European Evaluation Project (TEEP I).…