In addition to the evaluation workshop that Fazia was referring to in her blog, a second event was taking place last week Chile. The Chilean Public Policy Society annual forum included a panel to answer the question on whether public policy evaluation is worth the effort put into it. The panel included Ignacio Irarrázabal, who is the director of the Public Policy Center … [Read more...] about Institutionalizing evaluation: 5 ideas from Chile
Evaluation methods and techniques
Total quality: total!
Do you want to set up a survey for an impact evaluation? Imagine you are in front of a four piece jigsaw puzzle that has to fit perfectly (sounds easy): 1) sampling, 2) instruments, 3) data management and 4) Field work. This is how, in the very first session on surveys and sampling of the Taller Internacional de Encuestas y Evaluación de Políticas Públicas, Juan Munoz, a … [Read more...] about Total quality: total!
Chile: the place to be today to learn about evaluation of public policies!
Yesterday (January 16th) we started in Santiago de Chile an International Workshop on Surveys and Impact Evaluation. This is a joint effort of the IDB, the Public Health School at the University of Chile and Sistemas Integrales. This workshop is also supported by the World Bank and the Spanish Fund for Impact Evaluation. The 100 participants come from more than 20 countries … [Read more...] about Chile: the place to be today to learn about evaluation of public policies!
Randomized Control Trials vs. Structural models: sometimes a question of life or death (and millions of dollars….)
I ran into this Wired article that tells the interesting story of the Pfizer failure in launching torcetrapib, a potentially revolutionary compound for cardiovascular treatment. Although the conclusion is too skeptical and the article gets a little bit lost on the “correlation vs. causation” argument, I believe it’s a good example of what can happen when people become … [Read more...] about Randomized Control Trials vs. Structural models: sometimes a question of life or death (and millions of dollars….)
Cost Effectiveness: a new Guide for Health and Education
We have just published a new Guide, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Education and Health Interventions in Developing Countries written by Patrick McEwan, who teaches at Wellesley College. Cost effectiveness analysis is a straight-forward but hugely under-utilized tool. This paper reviews the framework and methods of cost-effectiveness analysis, emphasizing education and … [Read more...] about Cost Effectiveness: a new Guide for Health and Education