Evaluation

International development efforts are rightly orienting in a results-based direction. Unless project results are measured and evaluated, we cannot be sure they are arriving at the stated policy goals. Without evidence of results, decision makers cannot be sure if they should allocate additional public funds to the existing programmatic intervention. Some of the abiding questions for development workers and policymakers include: How does one make public expenditure efficacious and effective? What is the best way to introduce an innovation into a public program? How can solutions be scaled up and made sustainable? What works in a particular environment? Program evaluation seeks answers to such questions. It is a systematic assessment of the process and outcomes of a public activity carried out with the specific intent of advancing development. It works best if structured as a collaborative process enabling evaluators to work closely with ministry.

 

Example Projects:

 

Promoting Energy Efficiency in Qatar: Evaluation Field Study
ICePP collaborated with Qatar University under a 3-year contract funded by the Qatar National Research Foundation. The project focuses on promoting energy efficiency in residential households through the design of innovative programs inspired by behavioral economics. It also includes analyzing existing initiatives by KAHRAAMA, Qatar’s primary energy provider, to identify impactful strategies for reducing energy consumption.

 

Evaluating the MRI and MIM Programs in Peru
ICePP evaluated two International Finance Corporation (IFC) projects—Municipal Royalty Investment (MRI) and Improving Municipal Investment (MIM)—implemented in Peru’s conflict-prone municipalities where extractive industries operate. The MRI project focused on enhancing municipalities’ capacity to invest in public goods like infrastructure services, while MIM aimed to empower local populations to demand good governance of extractive industry revenues.

The comprehensive evaluation assessed the projects’ impact on living standards, perceptions of governance quality, and receptivity to mining. Additionally, the study explored whether these effects were sustained over time or faded after the interventions ended.