UNICEF Impact Evaluation series

Methodological briefs on impact evaluation methods

Overviews of impact evaluation and its key strategies/methods:

• Overview of impact evaluation

  This paper, written by Patricia Rogers for UNICEF, outlines the basic ideas and principles of impact evaluation.

  It includes a discussion of the different elements and options for the different stages of conducting an impact evaluation.

• Overview: Strategies for causal attribution

  This guide, written by Patricia Rogers for UNICEF, looks at the process of causal attribution with a particular emphasis on its use in impact evaluation.

• Overview: Data collection and analysis methods in impact evaluation

  This guide, written by Greet Peersman for UNICEF looks at the different types of data collection and analysis methods that can be used for impact evaluation.

Essential building blocks of impact evaluation:

• Theory of change

  This guide, written by Patricia Rogers for UNICEF, looks at the use of theory of change in an impact evaluation.

• Evaluative criteria

  This guide, written by Greet Peersman for UNICEF, looks at the use of evaluative criteria in impact evaluation.

• Evaluative reasoning

  This guide, written by Jane Davidson for UNICEF, looks at the use of evaluative reasoning in impact evaluation.

• Participatory approaches

  This guide, written by Irene Guijt for UNICEF, looks at the use of participatory approaches in impact evaluation.

Evaluation designs and specific data collection and analysis methods:

• Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) video guide

  This video guide, produced by UNICEF, summarises the key features of RCTs with a particular emphasis on their use in impact evaluation.

• Quasi-experimental design and methods

  This guide, written by Howard White and Shagun Sabarwal for UNICEF looks at the use of quasi-experimental design and methods in impact evaluation.

• Comparative case studies

  This guide, written by Delwyn Goodrick for UNICEF, focuses on the use of comparative case studies in impact evaluation.

• Developing and selecting measures of child well-being

  This guide, written by Howard White and Shagun Sabarwal for UNICEF, focuses on the development and the selection of measures of child well-being for impact evaluations.

• Interviewing

  This guide, written by Bronwen McDonald and Patricia Rogers for UNICEF, looks at interviews, with a particular focus on their use in impact evaluation.

• Modelling

  This guide, written by Howard White and Shagun Sabarwal for UNICEF, focuses on the use of modelling in impact evaluations.

Webinar series

• UNICEF webinar: Overview of impact evaluation

  We often talk about the importance of knowing the impact of our work, but how is impact measured in practice? What are the ten basic things about impact evaluation that a UNICEF officer should know?

• UNICEF webinar: Overview of data collection and analysis methods in Impact Evaluation

  What is the value of using mixed methods in impact evaluation? What methods and designs are appropriate for answering descriptive, causal and evaluative questions?

• UNICEF webinar: Theory of change

  What is a Theory of Change? How is it different from a logframe? Why is it such an important part of an impact evaluation?

• UNICEF webinar: Overview: strategies for causal inference

  What is causal attribution? Do you need a counterfactual to determine if something has caused a change?

  Professor Patricia Rogers provides an overview of how to determine causal attribution in impact evaluations.

• UNICEF webinar: Participatory approaches in impact evaluation

  Who should be involved in an impact evaluation, why and how?

• UNICEF webinar: Randomized controlled trials

  What are the key features of an RCT? Are RCTs really the gold standard? What ethical and practical issues do I need to consider before deciding to do an RCT?

• UNICEF webinar: Comparative case studies

  What does a non-experimental evaluation look like? How can we evaluate interventions implemented across multiple contexts, where constructing a control group is not feasible?

• UNICEF Webinar: Quasi-experimental design and methods

  What is the main difference between quasi-experiments and RCTs? How can I measure impact when establishing a control group is not an option?

Related Links

• UNICEF Impact Evaluation Project

  In partnership with the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti and the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), the  BetterEvaluation team worked with evaluation experts to develop a series of a user-friendly package of 13 methodological briefs on impact evaluation methods.

• Impact Evaluation on the UNICEF website