Program Evaluation
The key to high-quality program evaluation is understanding what has worked and identifying areas for improvement. For many social development projects, evidence of success is not always readily available or easy to quantify.
Unlike private corporations, where revenue and profits serve as a constant barometer of performance, social development initiatives rely on the systematic collection of first-hand data to demonstrate meaningful impact and social change.
Methodological Approach
Past project evaluations carried out by HIL have typically utilized a mixed-methods approach, allowing for rigorous triangulation between multiple data sources to ensure validity and depth.
Standard Evaluation Criteria
Relevance
The extent to which the objectives of a development intervention are consistent with beneficiaries’ requirements, country needs, global priorities and partners’ and donors’ policies. In short, is the programme doing the right thing?
Effectiveness
The extent to which the development intervention’s objectives were achieved, or are expected to be achieved, taking into account their relative importance. That is, are the objectives of the programme interventions being achieved?
Efficiency
A measure of how economically resources/inputs (funds, expertise, time, etc.) are converted to results. In other words, are the objectives being achieved economically by the development intervention?
Impact
Positive and negative, primary and secondary long-term effects produced by a development intervention, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended. So, does the development intervention contribute to reaching higher level development objectives?
Sustainability
The continuation of benefits from a development intervention after major development assistance has been completed. That is, the probability of continued long-term benefits or resilience to risk of the net benefit flows over time.