When will we ever learn?: improving lives through impact evaluation

This report by the Evaluation Gap Working Group provides a strategic solution to the evidence gap in development programming. The report argues that by bringing vital knowledge into the service of policymaking and programme design, it is possible to improve the effectiveness of domestic spending and development assistance.

The group was asked to investigate why rigorous impact evaluations of social development programmes, whether financed directly by developing country governments or supported by international aid, are relatively rare. The Working Group was charged with developing proposals to stimulate more and better impact evaluations.

Recommendations include:

• reinforcing efforts to generate and apply knowledge from impact evaluations of social programmes
• collectively commit to increase the number of impact evaluations and adhere to high standards of quality by:
  • establishing quality standards for rigorous evaluations
  • administering a review process for evaluation designs and studies
  • identifying priority topics
  • providing grants for impact evaluation design.