To build a process of systematic learning based on effective development interventions with lessons learned from completed evaluations. 

Resources

Working Paper Series

Africa Impact Evaluation Website

Spanish Impact Evaluation Fund

Select a Cluster

What is Impact Evaluation?

Impact evaluations assess the specific outcomes attributable to a particular intervention or program. They do so by comparing outcomes where the intervention is applied against outcomes where the intervention does not exist. An appropriate comparison group represents what would have happened in the absence of the intervention. By establishing a good comparison of outcomes for these two groups, an impact evaluation seeks to provide direct evidence of the extent to which an intervention changes outcomes.

Such evaluations generate knowledge on which sorts of programs create substantive results and which do not, and under what circumstances. Such information is critical not only for the policymakers directly in charge of the program evaluated, but also for others who may be considering adopting its approach. Using impact evaluations strategically--to test the effectiveness of specific approaches in addressing key development challenges--is a credible approach to assessing results. These evaluations can also provide critical inputs (benchmarks) to other monitoring and evaluation activities.

What are the DIME Clusters?

DIME clusters are groups of impact evaluations on several critical themes that are coordinated across countries in different regions of the world. This allows a comparative analysis of results in different settings and produces more robust estimates of program impact to inform future policy and program design.

The initial themes include interventions related to conditional cash transfers, early childhood development, education service delivery, HIV/AIDS treatment & prevention, local development, malaria, rural roads, rural electrification, urban upgrading, and youth service and training programs.

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