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The 'Most Significant Change' (MSC) technique : a guide to its use

DAVIES, Rick
DART, Jess
April 2005

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This publication is an introduction to the 'Most Significant Change' (MSC) approach to monitoring and evaluation. MSC is a participatory technique of monitoring without indicators. It asks users to collect "significant change" stories from the field level and to select and filter these through a panel of stakeholders or staff. It gives an overview of the "story" approach, and illustrates how to implement the MSC technique in ten steps. Chapter five looks in detail at the place of MSC in a monitoring and evaluation framework. The guide also includes a comparison with other approaches, a historical overview a of its development and outlines possible next steps and future innovations for the approach

Monitoring and evaluation : some tools, methods and approaches

WORLD BANK
2004

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An introductory guide to methods and approaches for monitoring and evaluation. Provides an overview of key tools, with essential information about their use, advantages and disadvantages, costs, skills and time required. Types of evaluation discussed include: performance indicators, logical framework approach, theory-based evaluation, formal surveys, rapid appraisal methods, participatory methods, public expenditure tracking surveys, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis and impact evaluation

Youth-adult partnerships show promise : youth involvement expands from local projects to institutional levels

SONTI, Smita
FINGER, William
March 2003

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This paper examines how youth can participate more broadly in projects, for example in policy, management and evaluation issues. Anecdotal evidence on the value of including youth perspectives in these more challenging areas is beginning to emerge, for example the Barcelona YouthForce at the XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona in July 2002. The paper concludes with a list of elements that help to make effective youth-adult partnerships. These elements cover organisational capacity; attitude shift; selection, recruitment and retention of youth; and level of participation

Toolkits : a practical guide to monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment

GOSLING, Louisa
EDWARDS, Mike
2003

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This field-tested toolkit has been designed to measure the extent to which programmes make a difference. The 2003 edition of Toolkits has been extended with contributions from SCF and beyond. It describes participatory methodologies, such as mapping and focus groups. It is divided into three sections: underlying principles, practical questions and tools. This new edition brings these up to date and discusses the implications of adopting a human rights approach to development and the increased emphasis on partnership. There are new chapters on impact assessment, monitoring and evaluating advocacy, as well as two new tools - one for improving planning, evaluation, and impact assessment and one for stakeholder analysis

Outcome mapping : building learning and reflection into development programmes

EARL, Sarah
CARDEN, Fred
SMUTYLO, Terry
2002

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Assessing the impact of the efforts of a single external development agency is problematic because changes in the well-being of beneficiaries occur as a result of a ‘confluence of events’. Outcome mapping is a dynamic methodology that looks at the contribution an agency has made at project, programme or organisational level to influence the processes leading to changes in the behaviour, relationships, actions and activities of people and organisations. According to the authors, development is about people relating to each other and their environment. Outcome mapping is therefore a monitoring and evaluation system for current and completed activities and provides a framework and vocabulary for understanding changes and assessing efforts. It is based on principles of participation, iterative learning and evaluative thinking throughout.
This book includes a thorough explanation of the outcome mapping approach, and provides detailed information on workshop design and facilitation, as well as numerous worksheets and examples

Effectiveness Initiative : first fruits [whole issue]

October 2001

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Describes the emerging findings from the Effecitveness Initiaitve (EI), an open and flexible dialogue between ten international sites investigating good practices and lessons in early childhood development. Includes description of a variety of tools and strategies that have been used `for listening to different voices' and for finding out information about each of the projects. These include the `river analogy', used to construct a visual history of projects in Peru and Colombia; the farm land `machamba' analogy form Mozambique that helps people to analyse the evolution of community based early childhood development sites; seasonal calenders from the Philippines; meetings and debates from Portugal; different forms of open and unstructured interviews; personal diaries and `family books'; and the analysis of anecdotes and stories in almost all the teams. This issue looks at a range of the projects and a number of issues related to the EI enquiry, such as: looking at how `Atlas-ti' qualitative analysis software has been used to identify common elements of effective programming while retaining links with the original qualitative data - charting both 'thematic affinities' and diverse local expressions of what makes for effectiveness; and how data gathered by the projects is returned to all the people who provided it for challenge and modification in open meetings; also describes the way different kinds of information were collected, compared and `triangulated' to confirm findings. Key findings include: that `credibility', built on trust and respect of local priorities, is vital; also simply creating room for reflection and research by those involved in projects is an important component of making effective programmes; and conducting research in the local language helps to get at issues that are important for participants and staff

Creating space for children's participation : planning with street children in Yangon, Myanmar

DORNING, Karl
O'SHAUGHNESSY, Tim
2001

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This paper is about a two-week empowerment evaluation that took place in April 2001 with World Vision's Street Children and Working Children Program (SWC), which is based in Yangon, Myanmar. The process allowed the children to be the primary evaluators. They spent time interviewing various stakeholders in the programme and analysed the information gathered. The evaluation described in this report was an experience that had a great impact on all involved. It brought about a fundamental shift in the way project staff viewed the children and, equally importantly, in the way the children viewed themselves

Evaluation and poverty reduction

FEINSTEIN, Osvaldo N
PICCIOTTO, Robert
Eds
2001

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This collection of papers includes contributions from leading figures in development including policy makers and a Nobel Laureate. It covers a broad spectrum from methodological issues to policy concerns, whilst emphasising 'what works' in poverty reduction programmes. Contributors emphasise social funds and safety nets, social services, crisis prevention, informal social security and insurance systems, anti-corruption programmes, mobilisation of the poor and ultimately the creation of a workable civil society

Comprehensive participatory planning and evaluation

LEFEVRE, Pierre
et al
December 2000

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This publication aims to assist individuals and organisations in planning and evaluating interventions in a flexible, comprehensive and participatory manner. Comprehensive participatory planning and evaluation (CPPE) makes use of both casual and dynamic models and offers a high degree of participation, with increased sense of self-esteem and ownership. It is implementation-orientated and can be applied to a number of situations, including programmes and projects. This guide is clearly written, and the CPPE approach is effectively illustrated in simple steps. Covers a range of topics, including problem assessment, intervention identification, planning, setting up a monitoring and evaluation system and proposal writing. The annexes contain two case studies, practical suggestions for planning workshops and a useful checklist

Monitoring and evaluating stakeholder participation in agriculture and rural development projects : a literature review

KARL, Marilee
2000

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This article reviews the current literature on the subject, and also highlights three key methodological issues to be addressed: how to assess the degree and quality of participation; how to measure the costs and benefits of participation to the stakeholders involved; and how to assess the impact of that participation on desired project outputs, project performance and sustainability. An annotated bibliography is also provided

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