Evaluation network MS - DG REGIO 14th April 2011, Kai Stryczynski Monitoring & evaluation after 2013 – Concepts and ideas, sections 1+2 (concepts) Evaluation network MS - DG REGIO 14th April 2011, Kai Stryczynski
Why this paper? Wrapping up some key ideas discussed in past few years on M+E Step towards single REGIO guidance paper for 2014 Time for discussion and preparation
What do you want to change? Programme priorities should clarify what they want to change - what concern is driving your intervention? Express the precise dimension of change by a result (outcome) indicator Clear expression of desired change is precondition for later M + E – cannot be fixed later on.
How do you want to change things? Put on paper what factors you think are likely to affect your result indicator – and how Select the factor(s) the public programme should influence – what would the programme produce? You have found your output indicator and described an intervention logic
Monitoring: what can be observed. Can outputs be observed? Yes! Output monitoring. Can changes in result indicators – driven by many factors - be observed? Yes! Surveys, statistics, expert judgement,... Can the share of factors contributing to the result indicator be observed? No! Only their sum is observable.
Evaluation: an inquiry into the non-observable Distinguishing the contribution of the programme – the impact – from the effect of other factors. Theory-based evaluations inquire the mechanisms that make a contribution of the programme happen. Counterfactual evaluations put a number on the contribution of the programme to the change.
Combine approaches and mix methods Both types of impact evaluation answer complementary questions – so combine them. Any inquiry delivers hints and partial answers – look at problems with different methods for a safe judgement.
After and beyond this paper Please comment on Concepts and Ideas (end of May) Change into draft REGIO guidance paper after publication of legislative proposals (July) EVALSED: methods for evaluation – continuing update