Impact Evaluation in International Development : Theory, Methods, and Practice

Front Cover -- Contents -- Preface -- About the Authors and Contributors -- Abbreviations -- Part I The Basics of Impact Evaluation -- Chapter 1 The Purpose of Impact Evaluation -- Introduction -- The difference between monitoring and evaluation -- A definition of impact evaluation -- Brief overview of types of impact evaluations -- Other issues regarding impact evaluation -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 2 How to Conduct an Impact Evaluation: Getting Started -- Introduction -- Step 1. Defining the program and the outcomes of interest -- Step 2. Forming a theory of change to refine the evaluation questions -- Step 3. Depicting a theory of change in a results chain (logic model) -- Step 4. Formulating specific hypotheses for the impact evaluation -- Step 5. Selecting performance indicators for monitoring and evaluation -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 3 The Evaluation Problem -- Introduction -- Correlation does not imply causation -- Potential outcomes and the evaluation problem -- Observed outcomes and the gain from treatment -- Parameters of interest -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 4 Validity: Internal, External, and Trade-Offs -- Introduction -- Internal validity -- External validity -- Trade-offs and intermediate approaches -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 5 Overview of Impact Evaluation Methods -- Introduction -- Using randomized controlled trials to evaluate program impacts -- Impact evaluations based on nonrandomized and quasi-experimental data -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Part II Experimental Methods -- Chapter 6 Introduction to Randomized Controlled Trials -- Introduction -- The basic idea of a randomized controlled trial -- How does randomization solve the evaluation problem? -- What if some people assigned to the treatment group choose not to participate?.