Arianna Legovini, AFTKL
February 25, 2004 In the face of growing demands for the achievement of measurable results, the need for rigorous scientific evidence for the design and implementation of effective policies and programs cannot be overstated. Impact evaluation methods are used to determine the causal links and measure the effectiveness of policies and programs in reaching the desired outcomes. The purpose of this exercise is to take stock of what is being done in the eastern Africa region to make results more greatly available to policy-makers and practitioners; and to develop a common strategy for linking and incorporating this type of studies into the policy-making cycle and government monitoring and evaluation activities with the aim to strengthen the effectiveness of government programs. The exercise is available in the highlight box to the right. It provides a full stocktaking of impact evaluation studies in the eastern part of Africa (and a partial listing of studies from western Africa). Beneficiary impact studies (75) are listed separately from studies measuring overall economic impact (10). Each study is complete with a description of the project, main findings, methodology, and link to the document whenever available. About two thirds of the studies listed have been or are being undertaken by the World Bank and one third by researchers in reputable international research institutions (e.g., Berkeley U., Chicago U., Harvard U., MIT, Princeton U., and IFPRI). The results from this body of literature are beginning to provide a picture of the relative effectiveness of alternative policy instruments in achieving desired objectives. For example, Kremer (2003) reports on the relative cost-effectiveness of different instruments in delivering one extra year of schooling. Provision of school uniforms costs $99, school feeding $36, and deworming treatment a mere $3.50 per each additional student year of school participation. In other words $100 of public resources put in deworming will keep 28 children in school for a year. The same $100 allocated to school feeding will keep only 3 children in school. The growing list of "planned" impact evaluations of World Bank projects that are still in the pipeline points to the opportunity for closely linking projects teams with researcher teams from the outset of project design. Early collaboration would take full advantage of each team expertise, ensure sharing of information and knowledge, improve project design, and allow for experimentation in the design of the impact evaluation component. Back to Selected Evaluations |
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