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Evaluation of Mine Risk Education (MRE) in Nepal
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| Presenter(s):
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| Prabin Chitrakar, Ban Landmines Campaign Nepal, prabinc@gmail.com
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| Abstract:
This paper is on an internal evaluation of Mine Risk Education (MRE) programs that was conducted by Ban Landmines Campaign Nepal (NCBL).
A decade long conflict in Nepal which was started in 1996 was officially ended in November 2006 when the Maoist and the Nepal government signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. However, the conflict left Nepal with the problem of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Moreover, the greater threat was of the large number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by the Maoist. The unexploded devices left the continuing threat of civilian deaths and severe injuries.
NCBL conducted MRE programs in 2003 to minimize the risk of mines and IEDs to the civilians. By the end of 2010, it had expanded MRE programs to 46 out of 75 districts in Nepal.
In 2011, NCBL conducted an internal evaluation to determine the effectiveness and impact of its MRE programs.
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Evaluating Development Interventions Using Regression Discontinuities
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| Presenter(s):
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| Ron Bose, Milliman Consulting, ron.bose@rediffmail.com
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| Abstract:
Developing nations decision-makers are under increasing pressure to provide credible evidence on effectiveness of publicly funded social assistance programs. Since access to range of social services and benefits is usually need-based, a plausible evaluation strategy is the regression discontinuity design (RDD). In this paper we provide an overview of the RDD approach to policy evaluation, discussing its particular strengths as well as highlighting practical issues related to operationalization of RDD. Of salience for public policy the paper disambiguates a particular strength of this study design that has been hitherto underappreciated in the literature, its unique ability in legitimating rigorous use of both quantitative and qualitative methods of impact assessment to inform and be informed by theory and practice of policy implementation in developing country settings. Finally, in light of the very rapid burgeoning of the RDD literature, we provide an "RDD Cheatsheet", that gives an easy to follow checklist when designing, conducting and reporting evaluations based on this design.
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Thematic Review of World Vision International's Food Security Programming in Africa
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| Presenter(s):
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| Apollo Nkwake, World Vision, nkwake@yahoo.com
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| Nathan Morrow, Tulane University, nmorrow@tulane.edu
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| Abstract:
World Vision has a large Food Security programming portfolio in Africa. The organization is well known for its food-oriented programming, and is the largest partner of the United Nations World Food Programme. WVUS is also a full service food aid provider for bilateral food aid grants from the Office of Food for Peace and USDA. Beyond food aid, World Vision also has a large portfolio of nutrition and agriculture programs in Africa. The conceptual framework for this thematic review adopted two of World Vision's organizational goals expressed as Child Well-being Outcomes: 'Children are well nourished' and 'Parents and care givers provide well for their children'. The thematic review's focus on how community level programming translates to specific improvements in children's well-being showed mixed results. The review indicates that sector silos may contribute to limited observable improvements in children's wellbeing from a proportion of World Vision's investment in Food Security programming.
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