At the closing session of the Mind the Gap: From Evidence to Policy Impact conference that took place on June 17th, the Chilean Planning Minister Felipe Kast made some interesting points about how to persuade politicians to embrace evaluations. His perspective is interesting as until last year he was an academic engaged in impact evaluations, and today he is one of the … [Read more...] about Policy, politics and impact evaluation
Evaluation methods and techniques
Can we randomize institutional reform?
A few days ago I attended a book presentation on experimental evaluations where one participant stated, "this is all well and good, but it does not apply to institutional reforms; one cannot ‘randomize’ the reform of a ministry." Similarly, a document from a bilateral aid agency stated that it can experimentally evaluate only 5 percent of the total development assistance … [Read more...] about Can we randomize institutional reform?
Impact Evaluation in Practice
Want to test if a program or policy works, but don’t have time for a Ph.D. in econometrics? Then this book is for you. In “Impact Evaluation in Practice” we discuss the basic principles of impact evaluation and its application in the real world, all in a very accessible language. “Impact Evaluation in Practice” is available for free on the World Bank’s … [Read more...] about Impact Evaluation in Practice
Five strategies for more effective impact assessments
I recently read an interesting article that sets forth strategic options for increasing the effectiveness of impact assessments, not just from a methodological standpoint, but also in terms of implementation. The article specifically deals with China and the valuable experience of the Rural Education Action Project of Stanford University, which is collaborating with the … [Read more...] about Five strategies for more effective impact assessments