Knowledge Bank

Contrary to popular understanding, Evaluations are so much more than just an impact assessment or a Randomized Control Trial! [Forgive us if you knew this, we couldn’t help ourselves, And if not; read on.]

By definition, evaluations are the systematic assessment of the design, implementation, or results of an initiative for the purposes of learning or decision making . Evaluations beautifully synthesize the worlds of empiricism and norms; subjectivity and objectivity, to guide the knowledge process. Which is why, evaluations can often be complex to construct and comprehend, often even requiring the use of more than just one method, framework, approach or design.

A 21st century data driven culture, needs us to engage more comprehensively with the possibilities of producing data driven insights. And that’s why – we created the Knowledge Bank for you.

For you to delve into the world of evaluations – and navigate the hundreds of explorations within it, with sanity (and a cup of coffee). Complex concepts are de-mystified into simple and relatable articles with a wonderful series of credible open-source resources – guidance documents, case studies, videos, toolkits and checklists, for you to learn from. Please click on the table to your left to explore the different list of articles.

We hope you find these resourceful, and they guide your evaluation journey, upward and onward!

• 1. Canadian Evaluation Society, (n.d.)."What is Evaluation"?. Canadian Evaluation Society. Retrieved December 3rd , 2021 from https://evaluationcanada.ca/what-is-evaluation
• 2. The definition of evaluation combines that of the OECD-DAC and Canadian Evaluation Society. Broadly, the OECD DAC Glossary defines Evaluation as “ the systematic and objective assessment of a planned, on-going or completed project, program or policy, its design, implementation and results. The aim is to determine the relevance and fulfillment of objectives, development efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. An evaluation should provide information that is credible and useful, enabling the incorporation of lessons learned into the decision–making process of both recipients and donors.â€? (OECD, n.d) which is widely used, and has been adapted by multiple organizations such as those of the World Bank (World Bank, 2019) and UNEG (2016, p. 10) .