| Session Title: The Evolution of Evaluation in International Development Organizations |
| Multipaper Session 847 to be held in Sebastian Section L2 on Saturday, Nov 14, 1:40 PM to 3:10 PM |
| Sponsored by the International and Cross-cultural Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Doug Horton, Independent Consultant, d.horton@mac.com |
| Discussant(s): |
| Zenda Ofir, Evalnet South Africa, zenda@evalnet.co.za |
| Abstract: There is a vast professional literature on theory and methods for evaluating international development programs. In contrast, there is little systematic knowledge of how evaluation is actually practiced in international organizations and the factors that drive changes in evaluation practices over time. Evaluations are carried out in strikingly different ways in different international organizations, and views of what constitutes "good evaluation" vary among organizations and change over time. This multi-paper session examines evaluation practices in international organizations and the main factors that drive changes in evaluation practice over time. Presenters will describe and analyze the history of evaluation in four international development organizations: a multilateral development bank (the World Bank), an international non-governmental organization (CARE), a Canadian Crown corporation that support research for development (IDRC), and a global consortium for agricultural research (the CGIAR). A discussant will highlight patterns and trends across the organizational settings. |
| History of Evaluation in the World Bank |
| Patrick Grasso, Independent Consultant, pgrasso45@comcast.net |
| The World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is one of the leading evaluation organizations in the development community. What began in 1970 as a small office reporting to Bank President Robert S. McNamara, became the Operations Evaluation Department in 1973, and was made independent of Bank management beginning with the appointment of a Director-General in 1975. Modeled on the US General Accounting Office, IEG reports directly to the World Bank Group's Board of Executive Directors, and conducts evaluations of projects, country programs, sector and thematic policies, global programs, and Bank processes. The focus of IEG's evaluations and the methods used have evolved over time to take account of changes in the development environment, Bank Group policies and practices, IEG leadership, and trends in evaluation practice. This presentation traces these changes over more than 35 years and analyzes the forces behind them. |
| Approaches to Evaluation in CARE and Other International Non-governmental Organizations |
| Jim Rugh, Independent Consultant, jimrugh@mindspring.com |
| Under Jim's leadership CARE International developed an evaluation policy, principles and standards, as well as M&E guidelines, instruments to measure M&E capacity, training programs, etc. It also conducted a series of meta-evaluations that assessed the quality of evaluations as well a synthesis of results reported by project evaluations conducted over the previous two years. In this presentation Jim will summarize the main elements of these policies and practices, and the trends revealed by four of those biannual CARE meta-evaluations as well as a series of strategic impact inquiries. He will also briefly mention trends in evaluation by other relief and development agencies that are members of InterAction, a consortium of 170 US-based international NGOs. |
| History of Evaluation in the International Development Research Center |
| Fred Carden, International Development Research Centre, fcarden@idrc.ca |
| IDRC first established an evaluation unit in 1992. This paper explores the motivations and values that guided the establishment of the unit. IDRC was a leader in the establishment of the learning function in evaluation systems. The paper explores the changes in practice over the past seventeen years in the development of an evaluation system that embraces both the learning and accountability functions of evaluation. The relationship of the unit to the Centre's overall mission and culture were important driving forces not only in the establishment of the unit but in its development over time. The evaluation function has been affected over time by the changing developing funding context. It has also been affected by and played a role in the debates on how to evaluate development research through its active engagement in the development of tools and methods for research evaluation. |
| What Drives Evaluation Practice: The Consultative Group in International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Experience |
| Doug Horton, Independent Consultant, d.horton@mac.com |
| Ronald Mackay, Independent Consultant, mackay.ronald@gmail.com |
| This paper seeks to contribute to our understanding of the forces driving evaluation practices over time by examining the history of evaluation in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It explores the early motives for, and disciplinary roots of, evaluation in this field, and it charts the evolution of evaluation practice up to the present time. Recent developments are highlighted, including the introduction of the logical framework, strengthened emphasis on economic impact assessment, and development of a performance measurement system. These developments are related to the evolving socio-economic and political context in which international agricultural research takes place, the nature of the programs being conducted and evaluated, the key actors involved, and the institutions and organizational culture that guide behavior in the CGIAR. |