Evaluating Social Funds

Evaluating Social Funds
Author: Laura Rawlings
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2004
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780821350621

Annotation Introduced in Bolivia a little over a decade ago, social funds have become a key community-led poverty reduction tool. The social fund model has proved to be a dynamic, replicable approach, easily adapted and scaled up in diverse countries around the world. This study is the first systematic cross-country impact evaluation of social funds using survey data and accepted evaluation methodologies.

Social Funds

Social Funds
Author:
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2002-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780821351413

This study reviews the development effectiveness of social fund projects and considers the implications for their future support by the World Bank. It finds that the performance of such projects has improved over time in many respects. However, although they have been highly effective in delivering small-scale infrastructure, they have been less successful in achieving consistent improvements in outcomes and welfare impacts. The report recommends greater transparency and selectivity in the use of this policy instrument.

Impact Evaluation in Practice, Second Edition

Impact Evaluation in Practice, Second Edition
Author: Paul J. Gertler
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 444
Release: 2016-09-12
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1464807809

The second edition of the Impact Evaluation in Practice handbook is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to impact evaluation for policy makers and development practitioners. First published in 2011, it has been used widely across the development and academic communities. The book incorporates real-world examples to present practical guidelines for designing and implementing impact evaluations. Readers will gain an understanding of impact evaluations and the best ways to use them to design evidence-based policies and programs. The updated version covers the newest techniques for evaluating programs and includes state-of-the-art implementation advice, as well as an expanded set of examples and case studies that draw on recent development challenges. It also includes new material on research ethics and partnerships to conduct impact evaluation. The handbook is divided into four sections: Part One discusses what to evaluate and why; Part Two presents the main impact evaluation methods; Part Three addresses how to manage impact evaluations; Part Four reviews impact evaluation sampling and data collection. Case studies illustrate different applications of impact evaluations. The book links to complementary instructional material available online, including an applied case as well as questions and answers. The updated second edition will be a valuable resource for the international development community, universities, and policy makers looking to build better evidence around what works in development.

Three Criteria for Evaluating Social Programs

Three Criteria for Evaluating Social Programs
Author: Jorge Luis García
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022
Genre:
ISBN:

This paper examines the economic foundations of three criteria used for evaluating the costs and benefits of social programs. Some criteria do not consider the scale of programs or address the costs associated with programs that expand or contract the total government budget. A recent addition to the list of evaluation criteria--the marginal value of public funds (MVPF)--does not adopt a social optimality perspective. It evaluates the optimality of expenditures assuming a predetermined aggregate budget without considering the social costs of raising that budget.

Evaluating the Impact of Development Projects on Poverty

Evaluating the Impact of Development Projects on Poverty
Author: Judy L. Baker
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2000
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780821346976

Despite the billions of dollars spent on development assistance each year, there is still very little known about the actual impact of projects on the poor. There is broad evidence on the benefits of economic growth, investments in human capital, and the provision of safety nets for the poor. But for a specific program or project in a given country, is the intervention producing the intended benefits and what was the overall impact on the population? Could the program or project be better designed to achieve the intended outcomes? Are resources being spent efficiently? These are the types of questions that can only be answered through an impact evaluation, an approach which measures the outcomes of a program intervention in isolation of other possible factors. This handbook seeks to provide project managers and policy analysts with the tools needed for evaluating project impact. It is aimed at readers with a general knowledge of statistics. For some of the more in-depth statistical methods discussed, the reader is referred to the technical literature on the topic. Chapter 1 presents an overview of concepts and methods. Chapter 2 discusses key steps and related issues to consider in implementation. Chapter 3 illustrates various analytical techniques through a case study. Chapter 4 includes a discussion of lessons learned from a rich set of 'good practice' evaluations of poverty projects which have been reviewed for this handbook.

Measuring and Improving Social Impacts

Measuring and Improving Social Impacts
Author: Marc J. Epstein
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2017-09-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1351276220

Identifying, measuring and improving social impact is a significant challenge for corporate and private foundations, charities, NGOs and corporations. How best to balance possible social and environmental benefits (and costs) against one another? How does one bring clarity to multiple possibilities and opportunities? Based on years of work and new field studies from around the globe, the authors have written a book for managers that is grounded in the best academic and managerial research.It is a practical guide that describes the steps needed for identifying, measuring and improving social impact. This approach is useful in maximizing the impact of different types of investments, including grants and donations, impact investments, and commercial investments.With numerous examples of actual organizational approaches, research into more than fifty organizations, and extensive practical guidance and best practices, Measuring and Improving Social Impacts fills a critical gap.

Social Return on Investment Analysis

Social Return on Investment Analysis
Author: Volker Then
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 421
Release: 2018-03-13
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3319714015

This book introduces and explains how to conduct a Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis. It discusses the various advantages and disadvantages of different research strategies and designs, and explores the different ways in which SROI analysis results can be used for communication, outreach, and strategic decision-making. It provides insights into how and to what extent SROI analyses can help to meet different expectations, and presents different social impact research designs and methods. It presents an analytical framework for the identification of a proper SROI analysis, and shows readers how to establish an impact model, introducing a stakeholder-based approach.

Impact of Evaluations

Impact of Evaluations
Author: European Social Fund. Programme Evaluation Unit
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 1995
Genre: European Economic Community countries
ISBN:

IEO Evaluation Report

IEO Evaluation Report
Author: International Monetary Fund. Independent Evaluation Office
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 20
Release: 2017-10-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1484313801

This paper analyzes that the IMF has moved beyond its traditional fiscal-centric approach to recognize that social protection can also be macro-critical for broader reasons including social and political stability concerns. Evaluating the IMF’s involvement in social protection is complicated by the fact that there is no standard definition of social protection or of broader/overlapping terms such as social spending and social safeguards in (or outside) the IMF. In this evaluation, social protection is understood to include policies that provide benefits to vulnerable individuals or households. This evaluation found widespread IMF involvement in social protection across countries although the extent of engagement varied. In some cases, engagement was relatively deep, spanning different activities (bilateral surveillance, technical assistance, and/or programs) and involving detailed analysis of distributional impacts, discussion of policy options, active advocacy of social protection, and integration of social protection measures in program design and/or conditionality. This cross-country variation to some degree reflected an appropriate response to country-specific factors, in particular an assessment of whether social protection policy was macrocritical, and the availability of expertise from development partners or in the country itself.

Measuring and Improving Social Impacts

Measuring and Improving Social Impacts
Author: Marc J. Epstein
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2017-09-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1351276239

Identifying, measuring and improving social impact is a significant challenge for corporate and private foundations, charities, NGOs and corporations. How best to balance possible social and environmental benefits (and costs) against one another? How does one bring clarity to multiple possibilities and opportunities? Based on years of work and new field studies from around the globe, the authors have written a book for managers that is grounded in the best academic and managerial research.It is a practical guide that describes the steps needed for identifying, measuring and improving social impact. This approach is useful in maximizing the impact of different types of investments, including grants and donations, impact investments, and commercial investments.With numerous examples of actual organizational approaches, research into more than fifty organizations, and extensive practical guidance and best practices, Measuring and Improving Social Impacts fills a critical gap.