By Maria Amelia Gibbons* and Xia Li** An impact evaluation should be considered an “operation within an operation” and requires adequate funding, appropriate staff, and sufficient technical support. You will likely need to identify and contract service providers. It is very important in terms of cost- and time-efficiency to have carefully established the roles and … [Read more...] about Planning ahead: Key to a successful impact evaluation
What does energy efficiency have to do with hotels in the Caribbean?
By Christiaan Gischler* and Alice Driver** The Caribbean Hotel Energy Efficiency Action Program (CHENACT) helps hotels embrace renewable energy and energy efficiency. Around 25 million tourists visit the Caribbean each year, making tourism a key driver of the economy that accounts for 30 to 50% of direct and indirect employment in some countries. In most families, at … [Read more...] about What does energy efficiency have to do with hotels in the Caribbean?
What you need to design an impact evaluation
Designing an impact evaluation that is rigorous, feasible and relevant can be a challenging but rewarding experience. Political, technical, and operational criteria that at first might seem incompatible must be reconciled and made to work in unison. The good news is that there is often a way around these seemingly competing criteria, and a growing number of high-quality impact … [Read more...] about What you need to design an impact evaluation
Escuela Nueva: A Promising Model in Need of Better Evidence
By Felipe Barrera-Osorio** Caldas, Colombia. As part of the 30-year anniversary celebration of the alliance between Escuela Nueva and the Colombia’s National Coffee Federation, I was invited in 2012 to speak about public-private partnerships in education. The event included a presentation by five articulate, passionate and interesting teenagers about a science project on … [Read more...] about Escuela Nueva: A Promising Model in Need of Better Evidence
Winds of Change in Uruguay
Por Steven Collins* Uruguay is demonstrating that there is more to renewable energy than lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy is a big deal inUruguay; over two-thirds of the country’s energy comes from hydropower. However, droughts in past years have left the country’s reservoirs dangerously low, and as a result, hydropower facilities have struggled to meet … [Read more...] about Winds of Change in Uruguay