Experience from a phased mixed-methods approach to impact evaluation of Danida support to rural transport infrastructure in Nicaragua

This study exemplifies and discusses how mixed methods can be used to overcome data shortages in an evaluation of the socio-economic effects of improved transport infrastructure in Nicaragua. Relying on a combination of existing data and a targeted collection of additional qualitative and quantitative information, the approach establishes a counterfactual and analyses the processes of change over a relevant range of impacts, whilst investigating heterogeneity of effects. The approach enabled a small donor agency with scarce evaluation resources to conduct an impact evaluation within data, time and budget constraints, thereby contributing to the foundation for better practice.