Impact Evaluation Experiences from the Field

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Impact Evaluation Experiences from the Field

• Sebastian Martinez
• Impact Evaluation Cluster, AFTRL

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Some Field Experiences

• Complete (Stages 1-6)
• Piso Firme (Housing in Mexico)
• Iniciamos Tu Casa (Housing in Mexico)
• Mejoramos Tu Casa (Housing in Mexico)
• Juventud y Empleo (Youth Training in DR)
• Baseline (Stages 1-4)
• Educacion Inicial (ECD in Mexico)
• Plan Nacer (Health Insurance in Argentina)
• Design (Stages 1-3)
• About 10 evaluations in design or baseline stage

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Impact Evaluation Life Cycle
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Timing Planning

• Impact evaluation design during program design
• Baseline survey in the field before program
  implementation
• Exposure period
• long enough for results
• short enough for politics
• Follow up survey in the field before
  implementation in Control areas
• Schedule work backwards from date results are
  needed

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Impact Evaluation Team

• Design and implement evaluation with
• TTL Project team
• Government counterparts
• Other key selected players (donors, NGOs, etc.)
• Impact evaluation experts
• Data collection agency

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Budget

• Data collection
• Consultants
• Staff time
• Financing
• Allocate project baseline and ex-post evaluation
  to IE
• Trust Fund money
• Piggy back on ongoing data collection

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A few thoughts

• Design evaluation at same time as project
• Get key stakeholders onboard
• Operations build an explicit IE team, timeline
• Monitor project implementation
• Be prepared for delays
• Long run benefits far outweigh short term costs