Steps in Implementing an Impact Evaluation

Victor Orozco, Development IMpact Evaluation Initiative (DIME) Steps in Implementing an Impact Evaluation

Steps

Step 1. Build capacity for IE • Objectives: • Become informed consumers of impact evaluation • Set the learning agenda • Use it as an internal management tool to improve program over time • How • Training • Learning by doing

Step 2: Set learning agenda • Objective: • Get answers to relevant policy and operational questions • How? • Dialectic discussion involving key policy makers and program managers • Technical facilitation to structure framework of analysis • Focus on few critical policy (what) and operational (how to) questions • Discuss agenda with authorizing environment and constituencies

Cont. 2: Questions • Operational: design-choices of program • Institutional arrangements, Delivery mechanisms, Packages, Pricing/incentive • Management purpose • Use random trials to test alternatives • Measure effects on short term outcomes (months) • take up rates, use, adoption • Scale up better implementation modalities • Policy: effectiveness of program • Accountability purpose • Use random assignment or next best method • Measure effects medium to long term • Scale up/down, negotiate budget, inform

Step 3: Design IE • Exploit opportunities: • Will roll-out take time? • Is the budget allocated insufficient to cover everyone? • Are there quantitative eligibility rules? • If the program has universal access, does it have imperfect take-up? • Set scale: • Pilot to try out an intervention • Large scale w. representative sample: more costly, externally valid • Large scale with purposeful sample: less costly, indicative • Do power calculation to determine minimum sample size

Cont. Step 3 • Select “best” method for each of your questions • Feasible • Requires least assumptions • Ethics • Not to deny access to something for which there is irrefutable evidence • Test interventions before scale up when you have no solid evidence

Step 4: Planning implementation • Budget cost items • Staff time (PROJECT FUNDS) and training (DIME) • Analytical services and field coordination (DIME) • Data collection (PROJECT FUNDS) • Discussions and dissemination (shared) • Timeline • Use it to organize activities, responsibilities and work backwards to know when to start • Team • Government (program manager, economist/statistician); WB Project team (Task manager or substitute); Research team (Lead researcher, co-researchers, field coordinator); Data collection agency

Step 5: Assignment to treatment and control • The smallest unit of assignment is the unit of intervention • Training and Credit: individuals and groups • Municipal registration system: municipality • Create listing of treatment units assigned to the intervention and control units that are not • Explain assignment to responsible parties to avoid contamination

Step 6: Baseline data • Quality assurance : IE team (not data collection agency) to • Design questionnaire and sample • Define terms of reference for data collection agency • Train enumerators • Conduct pilot • Supervise data collection • Do not collect data before your design is ready and agreed

Cont. Step 6: Baseline data • Contract data collection agency • Bureau of Statistics: Integrate with existing data • Ministry concerned: Ministry of Agriculture/Water Resources/Rural Development • Private agency • Analyze baseline data a feed back into program and evaluation design if needed • Check for balance between treatment and control group: do they have similar average characteristics?

Step 7: Roll out intervention • Conduct intensive monitoring of roll-out to ensure evaluation is not compromised • What if treatment and control receive the intervention? • What if all the control group receive some other intervention?

Step 8: Follow-up data • Collect follow-up data with the same sample and questionnaire as baseline data • At appropriate intervals

Step 9: Estimate program effects • Randomization: compare average outcomes for treatment and control group • Other methods: Use relevant econometric analysis , test assumptions, check robustness • Are the effects statistically significant? • Basic statistical test tells whether differences are due to the program or to noisy data • Are they significant in real terms? • If a program is costly and its effects are small, may not be worthwhile • Are they sustainable? • Is the trajectory of results sustained?

Step 10: Discuss, Disseminate and Feedback into policy • Are you thinking about this only now? • Discuss what are the policy implications of the results • What actions should be taken • How to present them to higher ups to justify changes/budget/scale up? • Talk to policy-maker and disseminate to wider audience • If no one knows about it, it won’t make a difference • Make sure the information gets into the right policy discussions • Real time discussions • Workshops • Reports • Policy briefs

Final step: Iterate • What do you need to learn next?

Steps in Implementing an Impact Evaluation