How do we define and support quality and rigor in Causal Pathways evaluation?

This guidance helps users understand what 'good enough' quality and rigour look like when using iterative causal pathways evaluation designs and methods to evaluate philanthropic programs and strategies.

It's primarily aimed at evaluation and learning officers in philanthropic foundations who are already using or are interested in using causal pathways as an approach to evaluation.

The guidance argues for taking a step back from starting with established evaluation standards and rigour criteria. The authors propose that it is necessary to first define what we value when taking a causal pathways approach to evaluation. Based on those defined values, it is then possible to articulate principles in alignment with the stated values - principles explain what we mean by quality and rigour - to then be operationalised through stages of the evaluation process.

The paper covers the following areas:

• What values underpin a causal pathways approach?
• What principles help us translate values into practice?
• How do we attend to quality through stages of evaluation?
  • Stage 1: Setting up the learning process and creating the conditions for quality
  • Stage 2. Making evaluation design choices
  • Stage 3. Implementing causal analysis
  • Stage 4. Assessing the strength of evidence of causal claims